Page 127 of Enthrall Shadows
He was at the edge of a clearing, standing before a crowd. He stood stock-still, staring at them. None of them had weapons, as far as I could tell. Taking a leap of faith, I moved toward him, closing the gap between us.
I stopped beside Henry, showing solidarity with him. Leaning over, I let his ruck slide off my shoulder. It landed with a thud near his feet.
He hardly noticed.
He remained stock-still, staring at an earthy beauty with blonde-white hair who was staring right back at him. She was thirty-something, with a deep tan that made her devastatingly pretty.
I could feel the thick tension between them.
The tall, lithe woman emanated pride. Her cheekbones were high and sharp and her eyelids were softly lined, her expression one of stark intelligence. Her beige khakis and T-shirt were creased and her boots were covered in dirt.
Henry appeared bewitched—staring as though hypnotized.
“Is it her?” I whispered.
He didn’t seem to hear me, so I repeated my question.
“What?” he said.
His gaze finally broke away from hers briefly to meet mine, his expression anguished.
We’d found her.
Reese’s tanned face revealed so much about her lifestyle and her home—this wilderness.
About twenty people stood behind her, all dressed like her, prepared for the elements.
All of them protestors, maybe?
From the five huts scattered here and there, I assumed we’d found their base camp. A jeep was parked by one of them, along with a couple of tents.
Reese walked toward us.
Henry’s back straightened as he braced himself.
“You came,” she said. “I wasn’t sure if you would.”
Words formed on his lips, but he seemed too shaken to say them. I reached up and caressed his back to ground him in the moment.
“Sorry to bring you all the way out here,” she said.
“Why did you?” he asked, his tone scathing.
“I understand this is difficult.”
He glowered. “All these years you never reached out, never told me you were alive?”
“You have every right to be angry.”
His jaw flexed as he worked on his response.
“I need to pee,” I said. “Sorry.”
Some truth in it, but I also wanted to get Henry alone with her. This experience had thrown him off balance. Henry was still a public figure. Anyone with a phone could film him.
“Forgive my manners.” Reese held out her hand to me.
I stepped forward and gave it a firm shake. “Lotte.”
