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I pushed the door open—and fell into ice-cold water. I couldn’t breathe. Iron fists jammed themselves around my lungs and tried to suffocate me. Black petals were everywhere, ripped off stems that had been left on the floor and scattered through the entire living room. The petals disappeared into the kitchen. No surface was untouched. It looked like ash or charcoal—the remnants of my life burned into ruins.
My feet were glued to the floor. Was he here? How had he gotten in here? The ranch was secure. I knew the ranch was secure because Lucas made sure of it. All my safety, the pool of cool water that it had been, was evaporating in front of my eyes. Was Nathan still on the property?
Movement snapped me back into the moment. Aspen was at my side, staring into the house. I’d not seen any aggression in him, but he was bracing himself like he was about to charge, a low growl filling the air.
The sound released me. I turned and sprinted toward the lodge. If Nathan was still inside, speed might be the only advantage I had. Aspen was keeping pace with me, not leaving me alone for a second. Everything seemed too sharp and too bright. My heart raced and my breathing felt tight. I was shaking—I hadn’t run like this in years—but I couldn’t stop. I would not stop.
I wasn’t going to let him take me when I finally had things to live for.
There. The lodge was in focus. A beacon. “Lucas.” My voice came out as nothing but a breath. That wasn’t going to work. I dug deep and found everything that I had. “Lucas!” I shouted his name at the top of my lungs. And again. A third time.
He came barreling out of the door, eyes wild, and caught me on the stairs as I nearly collapsed. “My house,” I managed. “He was in my house.”
Lucas didn’t wait, setting me on the stairs and running toward where I’d just left. The breath burned in my lungs as I tried to recover from the sprint. I didn’t want Lucas over there. If Nathan was in the house waiting for me, he was dangerous. Not for one second did I want Nathan and Lucas in the same room.
But then again, Lucas was dangerous too. A Navy SEAL and big as hell. If I had a choice, I would bet on Lucas any day of the week.
I knew I should get inside, but my limbs shook with the aftermath of adrenaline. My stomach swam, and I felt sick. He was here. He’d gotten here. Past everything that was supposed to keep him out. If he could touch me here, what did that mean?
Aspen put his head on my lap, and I held him close. Thank goodness for him. He’d been the one to snap me out of the frozen fear that had held me.
Lucas came back, striding down the road with purpose. His face held the anger of an avenging angel. The fury in his eyes knew no bounds, but it wasn’t directed at me. Never at me. His arms were gentle when he picked me up off the stairs and carried me inside. The chair he tucked me into was the same one I’d sat in when I’d come here looking for work.
That was a nice kind of symmetry.
Lucas had his phone out and was speaking too quickly. Snapping orders. I couldn’t focus on the words because my head was still spinning. If I’d stayed home this afternoon instead of going out for a walk, would Nathan have killed me?
A chill ran down my spine.
Aspen jumped into my lap, though he was too big for it. It didn’t matter, it was exactly what I needed. The comforting weight and warmth of his body helped the world slow down enough that I could breathe.
He whined, laying his head against my chest.
“Hey, boy,” I whispered. “Thank you.”
“Do it,” Lucas said into the phone with enough force to shake the building. “Now.”
Lucas came to stand in front of me, and it took him a second to snap out of mission mode. That was okay. I wanted him to be prepared.
“I don’t know how they got in, but I’m going to find out, Evelyn. If it was Nathan or someone working for him, it doesn’t matter. We’re going to find them.” He crouched down and put his hand over mine where it rested on Aspen’s body. “I can’t let you stay in that house anymore. But you can stay with me. I live here on the property, and my house is a fortress. I have a guest room. Will that be all right?”
Cool relief poured down over my head. It was something I hadn’t known I needed. Staying near him? Near the only person that still felt like safety? “Yes. Please.”
“Okay.” He whistled and Aspen scooted off my lap. “We’re going there now. I’m taking you out the back door to a car, and you’ll duck down in the back seat. I know it seems like a lot, but I don’t want to take any chances while we don’t have things secured.”
I shook my head. “No crazier than the things I’ve done to run.”
His mouth quirked into a smile for a moment. “You’ll have to tell me about them sometime.”
Lucas extended his hand, and I took it. Then we were moving. I was glad he had a plan, because I didn’t, and letting someone else do this part of it was a relief. Exhaustion hit me like a wave.
Tired.
I was so tired of running.
The car waited outside the back door of the lodge—where I’d never been. It was already running, Harlan sitting in the driver’s seat. When he saw us, he got out and opened the back door in one fluid movement. Aspen jumped into the back, and I followed.
“Stay down,” Lucas said.
