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“Yes, that’s Kane,” I shared. “As you know, I’m dealing with a bit of a situation, and ever since I got here, I’ve been taking self-defense classes at Harper Security Ops. Kane is one of the guys who has been teaching me, and well, yesterday, he found out the same thing you did.”
Nodding her understanding, I watched as curiosity moved through her expression. If she had questions, she didn’t ask. Instead, she declared, “Well, I think it’s great that you’re taking measures to learn how to defend yourself.”
“Yeah, but Kane’s not exactly thrilled with the idea,” I murmured.
Hanna’s brows shot up. “Oh?”
I let out a deep sigh and confessed, “That’s kind of the reason I came over here this morning. Obviously, I wanted to check in with you after I left here the way I did yesterday morning, but the bigger reason is that I wanted to tell you about Kane.”
“What about him?” she asked.
“When he learned about my situation, he essentially decided that he wasn’t going to let me out of his sight,” I revealed.
Her eyes widened. “Are you serious? Are you okay with that?”
That was the funny thing about it. While I could easily think back to that fateful day eight years ago when I learned the truth about my dad’s business and what Preston’s terms were for saving it, I had a choice to make.
But it never felt like a choice, because what other option did we have? It was either I needed to do what I did, or my family’s legacy would have been ruined. I couldn’t bear to see what it would have done to my parents, so even though there was a choice to be made, I didn’t really have any option. In this case, Kane had just decided that this was how it was going to be.
The difference was in how each of the situations made me feel. Marrying Patrick had always been about me doing what was necessary to save my family. Accepting Kane’s help had been just that. Accepting his help.
As a woman who felt as though she’d had no say or choices for so many years, it was actually a bit of a relief to have someone willing to step up and help me. The fact that it was Kane, and he was as wonderful as he was to me, only made it better.
“I’m actually more than okay with it,” I told Hanna. “He’s been so sweet about everything, and I’m grateful for all that he’s doing.”
“Well, then, I’m happy for you, Ellery.”
“Thanks. I know you said it was okay if I had guests, but I wanted to confirm that it was still okay with you that Kane stayed for a bit,” I said.
“Absolutely,” she assured me. “Whatever it’s going to take to make sure you stay safe is fine with me. Plus, you already know there’s plenty of room in that home.”
I nodded, because she was telling the truth.
The whole reason I’d suggested Kane come to stay with me instead of it being the other way around was because even though it was a tiny home, it offered us separate sleeping arrangements, where we could both be comfortable in a bed.
Of course, I hadn’t really considered how it might be to be in that confined space with him. It wasn’t that he made me uncomfortable in a bad way, but I knew that if he continued to be as sweet as he’d been with me, it was only a matter of time before I might find myself needing some space.
“Great. Thank you. I should probably—”
That was all I got out before the front door to the house opened. A man I didn’t recognize walked in, so I stepped to the side to allow Hanna to help him.
“Hello, sir. Do you have a reservation?” Hanna greeted him. There was something strange about the sound of her voice, but I couldn’t quite work out what it was. Nerves, maybe?
The man shook his head and replied, “No. No, I’m actually here looking for someone.”
As soon as the words were out of his mouth, my body tensed. I started to panic, and it seemed as though Hanna did, too, because her eyes shot to mine.
Did it already happen? Had one of Patrick’s men found me? Or, considering the man didn’t seem to recognize me, I wondered if he was a private investigator who was following some trail and didn’t realize I was the woman he was searching for.
Fortunately, before Hanna could respond or this man could figure out that I was the woman he was seeking, the door swung open again.
This time, I did recognize the man who walked through.
Kane was standing there, and he looked absolutely frantic. Only when his eyes landed on mine, did I see the relief sweep in.
“Jesus, Ellery,” he clipped. “I thought something happened to you.”
“What?”
