by K. A. Fox
I leaned back against the pillows, closing my eyes as I thought about everything that had happened. I hadn’t told Newt the worst of it. When I’d stolen Brett’s life, I’d seen flashes of his memories. I’d seen the truth. Brett hadn’t killed any of the girls that had died. He’d been there. He’d lured them in. But he hadn’t been the one to murder them. That had been someone else. A man whose face I never could see. I’d destroyed Brett. I’d been the reason this all began. Then I killed him.
There was a tightness in my chest, but I refused to give in to the despair. I looked at the case Newt had given me, unlatching it. Inside was a piece of paper with my name scrawled across it in my father’s handwriting.
Pushing aside the packing, I sucked in a gasp. A forty-caliber handgun rested inside, the metal flashing a deep purple as I held it up to the light. The weight of it fit comfortably in my hand, like it belonged there.
“There are blessed bullets you’ll need to use with that.”
I turned toward that deep voice, wincing at the way Cal held himself back from me. He stood just inside my doorway. Moose hovered behind him, eyes drooping sadly.
I put the package from Angus aside, getting out of my bed and eating up the distance between us. I threw my arms around his neck and hung on, the steel in his resistance making me ache.
“I’m sorry Cal. I’m so sorry.”
He took my hands in his, pulling them free when I tried to hold on and pushing me away. “You should have trusted me. Trusted us.”
I had to help him understand. “It’s not that I didn’t trust either of you.” I let my gaze encompass both him and Moose. “It wasn’t that at all. But I had to do this alone. If I hadn’t, I was afraid Maggie would have died before we could even try to save her.”
“You don’t know that. If you’d given us a chance to plan, we could have been there, hiding, ready to help you when you needed it. You should have given us that chance.”
“Cal, look at me, please.” I waited until his eyes met mine, stunned by the sadness I saw there. “If we had done that, I wouldn’t have found out what I needed to know. There is someone out there, trying to hurt me, trying to hurt Angus. He’s trying to use people I care about. Words can’t fix what I did, but I need you both to know I did it because I believed it was the only way I could keep you safe.”
Moose whined, coming closer now, rubbing his nose against my leg. Callum didn’t look away from me, but the way his jaw clenched told me he was still angry.
“Will you stay with me? Both of you?” I had to ask, to give them the option to stay or to go.
“Angus has ordered us to stay. He believes you still need us.” Cal’s words cut into me, nothing I didn’t deserve. He was here because Angus told him he had to be.
“It doesn’t matter to me if Angus has given you orders or not. You know I won’t keep someone here against their will. If you want to go, I will make Angus release you. It’s your choice.” I kept my voice even, refusing to let my hope that they’d choose to stay show.
Cal wasn’t going to let that go. “Laney, what do you want?”
I wrapped my arms around him again, resting my forehead against his chest. “I want you both to stay. Please.” Moose whined again, and I felt the nudge he gave Cal. I held my breath, waiting for his decision.
He sighed before answering me. “We’ll stay. As long as you’re willing to make a promise that you won’t abandon us like that again. We’re a team. We work together. No more running off to put yourself in danger.”
I nodded, relieved, enjoying his warmth as it soaked into me. His arms came up, surrounding me and I gave in, nurturing the hope that maybe we’d get through this somehow.
“But it won’t be easy, you know,” Cal said. “You’ve got a lot to learn. Especially now that Angus has decided you need to be battle ready. It’s going to be hard work.”
I didn’t argue. “I’m a fast learner.”
A smile twitched at the corners of his mouth, but he hid it, maintaining a serious face. “By the way, Torren is up and moving now.” He stopped my excited questions with a hand. “He’s better. Still sore. Unsure of some of the details.”
“Is he still bound to me?” I couldn’t help but hope that somehow, the healing process had set him free.
Cal shook his head sadly. “Yes. Based on what I can sense, I’d guess it’s even stronger than before.”
I deflated, my wish that Tor could separate from me and return to his own life disappointed. “We have to find a way to stop this. He needs to be free of me.”
Cal held my hand and Moose pressed against me again, both lending me their strength. “We’ll find something, Laney. We’ll keep looking.” I heard the promise in Cal’s words and prayed he was right.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
To my husband, thank you for everything you do to keep this world spinning when I’m lost in another, getting the stories out. To my boys, thank you for always making me laugh and your unshakeable belief in me. To my parents, my sister and my brother, thank you for putting up with me all these years and cheering me on. To my friends, thank you for the time you spent reading the early drafts, talking me through changes and filling in the plot holes. Finally, to every person in the Acorn Publishing Family, thank you for being a part of this dream come true.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
K.A. Fox is a proud military brat who has lived all over the world but now calls the Midwest home. She uses her psychological training to facilitate successful negotiations at work and to convince her husband and three sons that she’s always right. When not writing, she can usually be found hiding somewhere with a book and a bit of chocolate or chasing after her own adorable Hell Hound. Connect with her at www.imkafox.com and on Facebook at www.facebook.com/imkafox.