Page 123 of Enthrall Shadows
Her gaze was filled with sympathy.
“Don’t.” I turned away.
“Oh, shut up.” She sprayed herself with the repellant. “This is my resting bitch face.”
She always had a way of lightening the mood.
But what had happened back there had to be brought into the light. “I’m sorry.”
“You were letting me deal with the guy because you knew I’m more capable of dealing with assholes.”
“Maybe Cameron was right.”
“Not true. You’ve gotten us this far.”
“That man could have killed you.”
“You came for me!” she said. “You found me.”
“After you’d disarmed him.”
She grabbed my arm, and repeated softly, “You came for me.”
“I put you in danger.”
“You can’t control the world, Henry.” She gripped my forearm tighter. “You’re doing your best and so am I. That is all we can ask of each other.”
The boat rocked and I caught her as she lost her balance.
Instinctively, I hugged her.
“I’ll always come for you. If anything happened to you, I’d never forgive myself.” I pressed my lips to her cheek.
“I’m right here.”
“Oh, God,” I muttered, grimacing at the taste of the repellant she’d dabbed on her face. “My lips are numb.” I released her and wiped my mouth with my sleeve.
Her laughter rippled around us.
Nature came alive to the sound of her amusement, but quieted as we progressed through the marshland. I slowed the engine and our gentle drifting down river disturbed little of the wildlife.
Overwhelmed by the enduring heat, I wanted to rip off my sweat-soaked shirt and toss it. The moist, heavy air saturated my lungs. “I’d pay a million bucks for an air-conditioner right now.”
Lotte nodded in agreement. “A cold glass of sparkling water with ice and a slice of lemon.”
“Is it me or is it getting hotter?”
“Let’s take a few minutes. Turn off the engine.”
“We’ll keep it idling, just in case.”
“Good idea.”
Sweat poured off me.
We passed the bottle of water back and forth, exhaling in long breaths as though that might help.
“When they captured me,” I said, recalling how I’d felt this kind of heat before, “I used to envision myself walking along the beach and setting foot in the ocean. I’d peer down and imagine waves lapping my ankles. That symbolized freedom—standing in the Pacific Ocean one last time.”
