Total pages in book: 78
Estimated words: 75288 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 376(@200wpm)___ 301(@250wpm)___ 251(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 75288 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 376(@200wpm)___ 301(@250wpm)___ 251(@300wpm)
“I think so,” I say, even though my knees are weak.
He steps even closer without hesitation, his gloved hands warm as he cups my upper arms. The contact grounds me, and I lean into him before I can stop myself.
He exhales roughly, as if he’s the one who’s been holding his breath since the gunshot, and slides one hand up my back, rubbing circles between my shoulder blades.
“You’re safe now.” His thumb brushes my sleeve, and it feels intimate, even though he’s doing it to comfort me.
He tips his head to get a better look at me. “You cold?”
“A little.”
He tucks me against him immediately, wrapping one arm around me, blocking out the world. I instantly feel safe in a way that’s bone deep.
“I should’ve been closer,” he says quietly.
“You were. You got here fast.”
A beat passes before he squeezes me to him, then eases back. “Let’s get you inside. Atlas’ll want eyes on you as soon as he gets back.”
I nod, reluctant to lose his warmth.
“It was a nice day for a walk.” My voice comes out a little shaky.
“Yeah,” Grizz says. “Nice day for illegal hunting, too, I guess. That guy’s an idiot.”
We’re quiet for much of the way, until Grizz casually asks, “You sleep okay last night?”
Heat creeps up my neck. Of course he knows where I slept. “Yes,” I say gently. “I did.”
He doesn’t respond for several seconds, and when I glance over at him, his expression seems carefully neutral. Finally, he simply says, “Good.”
As we turn toward the house, Viper appears at the edge of the clearing, scanning the perimeter in his usual way, as if nothing happened at all.
Later, after the adrenaline has finally drained away, I find Viper alone in the mudroom, stripping off his outer layers with precise efficiency.
“Silas?”
“You should stay inside,” he says without even looking up.
“I am,” I say, as I linger near the doorway. “I just want to talk to you for a minute.”
Grizz would’ve made it easy, with a hand on my shoulder or a joke. Silas keeps doing what he’s doing. “I want to thank you,” I say finally. “For earlier.”
“Only doing my job.” His expression isn’t cold, exactly, but it’s thoroughly contained.
“You were there so fast. How did you—”
“I was tracking him,” he says. “You weren’t alone.”
Warmth fills my chest, and I have the urge to move closer to Silas, but his matter-of-fact tone keeps me at arm’s length, literally and figuratively. “I still appreciate it,” I say quietly. “I was terrified.”
“You did exactly right.” He finally looks up for a second. “You hit the ground fast. Stayed still.”
“I didn’t think,” I admit. “I just dropped.”
He hangs his jacket on a hook, straightening each sleeve. “That wasn’t panic. It was instinct.”
He makes my reaction seem like a strength instead of a weakness.
“I hope I’m not too much of a complication around here,” I say before I can stop myself.
This earns a reaction, though in usual Viper style, it’s merely a subtle pinching of his eyebrows. “You’re not the problem.”
“And yet …?” I prompt gently.
He exhales, a controlled release. “You should be careful out there. Walk closer to the fence next time.”
I have the distinct impression things are being left unsaid. Someone as observant as Viper certainly knows I didn’t sleep in my own room last night, but if he has an opinion about the situation, he’s not mentioning it.
He’s always quiet, but there’s a new edge to it today.
“I appreciate everything you do for me,” I say quietly. “All the planning, and the watching. Everything.”
“There’s no need to thank me.” He finishes unlacing his boots, pulls them off, then sets them under the bench with the toes neatly aligned.
“But I want to.”
He pauses for a second as he bends to straighten the bottoms of his pant legs and brush off remnants of snow.
“You’re hard to read,” I say, before I lose my nerve. “I never know what you’re thinking.”
When he looks at me, his mouth is curved into something close to a smile. “That’s intentional.”
I frown. “Why?”
“So people underestimate me,” he says calmly. “So they don’t know where I’m looking. Or how much I see.”
I can’t decide if this is admirable, impressive, or unsettling. “Am I included in that?” I ask.
He steps closer. Not close enough to touch, but near enough that my body is suddenly very aware of him.
“I keep my distance so I can do my job effectively,” he says. “Emotions complicate judgment.”
The scene from earlier plays in my mind. Silas appearing at my side, shielding my body, making sure I was safe.
“You ran toward gunfire today,” I say, barely above a whisper.
He lifts his chin and strokes a hand over his thick beard, smoothing it the same way he did his jacket. “That wasn’t emotion. That was doing what needed doing.”
I take a step backward and lean against the doorframe.