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“I don’t…” She shakes her head. “I don’t follow.”
“The wolf is dangerous, just like your mission is dangerous. It’s a fuckin’ metaphor! You want the wolf. And you refuse to give it up. You want me to accept the wolf. And I want you to remove the wolf from our lives completely, because it’s not your responsibility to home and feed and nurture this animal.”
“Archer—”
“Fletch suggested I build a cage for the wolf.”
“A cage?”
“A shitty metaphor,” I choke out on a laugh. “A seriously problematic metaphor, considering. But Fletch was doing the best he could with the minimal information I gave him. He said there’s no way I’m gonna convince you to give up your new pet, so if I want to be with you, it’s my job to make the situation safe for you.”
“And by doing so, you become culpable in the things I do,” she argues. “Technically, you’re already breaking the law by not turning me in. To continue to do so…” She shakes her head. “To accept this in your life, and let me continue to do it, makes you as guilty as me.”
“And to know about the guy I killed when I was sixteen, and not turn me in, makes you guilty too.” Leaning in, I press my lips to hers and catch her sob when it escapes her throat. “We’re not perfect, Minka. And we’re both insanely fucking guilty of capital crimes. But here we are anyway, not saying shit, because it turns out, we love each other more than we love the law.”
“But, Archer…” she breathes. “I can’t expect you to—”
“You know my case, Paul McGregor?” Sliding my hands along Minka’s ribs and down to her hips, I study her curious eyes. “The brutal murder we all thought was committed by a monster?”
While she considers, I lean in and press a kiss to the tip of her nose.
“He was hurting those kids. Dozens of boys who didn’t know any better. He was hunting them down and destroying them in more ways than one. And the guys who killed him, Garret Mulroney and Gage Steerer?” I let silence hang for a beat. “They were putting an end to it. They took it upon themselves to protect those who’d come after them, because they figured the law wouldn’t do it.”
“What?”
“They’re probably right, too,” I admit. “They might’ve told someone, and maybe Paul would’ve been pulled in for questioning. But the chances of proving it were low. All they’d have gotten out of it was ostracization and banishment from the youth center. And if theydidprove it, and the center was closed down, the kids who needed food and a safe space would’ve had one less place to visit.”
“Archer—”
“They’re gonna go to prison,” I tell her. “They have to, because they turned themselves in and told us in gory detail every single thing they did to him. But for the first time in my career, for the first time in mylife,” I push, “I felt bad about clapping those cuffs on. I felt like they deserved freedom, because they were doing society a favor by getting rid of him.”
“It was…” Her voice crackles. “It was vigilante justice?”
I cough out a soft laugh. “It’s a fucking revolution. But I realized, if this is my time to take a stand and tell those I love where on the hill I’m planning to die, then I want you to know I’m with you.”
“Withme?” She startles when my hands come down to hers and our fingers lace. “You’re going to stand with me?”
“I’m not going to ruin both of our lives by fighting a fight I honestly don’t believe in anymore.”
“You’re going to incriminate yourself in my crimes!” she protests. “You’ll become a criminal too.”
I scoff. “I’m already a fuckin’ criminal, babe. But this way, I get to make sure you come home to me when you’re done.”
Leaning in, I kiss her on the lips, and sigh when she kisses me back. When she holds on, and when she accepts my tongue and the promises I make with it. “I can’t get rid of the mongrel wolf,” I murmur. “And at this point, I’m not entirely convinced I want to. But Iwillmake it safer for you.”
“By… building a cage?”
A desperate laugh escapes my throat and makes Minka jump. “A cage for the wolf. Not for you.”
“Archer, I—”
“Marry me,” I cut in. And while her body spasms from the blow of my words, I wait for her terror-filled eyes to come back to mine before continuing. “If we’re going all the way on this, then I want you to go all the way with me. No more running.”
