Page 86 of Duty Unbound

She looked at me then, really looked at me for the first time, and the raw vulnerability in her eyes nearly crippled me.

“I don’t know,” she whispered. “I just… I can’t seem to focus on anything. Every time I close my eyes, I see that…thing.”

I reached for her hand, relieved when she didn’t pull away. “That’s why I want to take you away from here for a few days.”

Her brow furrowed slightly. “What?”

“Just a few days. Somewhere quiet where you can rest and recover.” I squeezed her hand. “You need a break, Mel.”

She shook her head. “I can’t. Nova needs me here. The tour?—”

“Nova has a week off, and you’re in no condition to help her with anything right now.” I kept my voice gentle but firm. “In order to be effective, you need to take some time to recuperate.”

“But—”

“Let me take care of you,” I said softly. “Please.”

Mel stared at me for a long moment, indecision warring in her eyes. Finally, she swallowed hard. “I don’t know what to do anymore, Ethan.”

I leaned forward and pressed a kiss to her forehead. “Then let me decide for now. Pack a bag—jeans, comfortable clothes. Nothing fancy. We’ll leave this afternoon.”

“Where are we going?”

“Somewhere safe. Somewhere you can breathe again.”

She hesitated, then nodded slowly. “Okay. I need to tell Nova.”

“You go pack. I’ll handle everything else, including Nova.”

I watched her walk back toward the house, relief mixing with concern at how fragile she seemed. This was the right decision—I was sure of it now. Mel needed to get away, and I needed to be the one to take her.

Finding Nova took longer than expected. She wasn’t in her bedroom or her private studio. I eventually located her in the kitchen, surprisingly alone, eating yogurt at the island counter.

“Nova.” I nodded in greeting.

She looked up, spoon halfway to her mouth. “Security Man. What’s up? More protocols? More restrictions?”

I ignored the sarcasm. “I need to talk to you about Mel.”

Nova set down her spoon, her expression shifting to something more serious. “Is she okay? She’s been so weird since Houston.”

“That’s what I want to talk about.” I leaned against the counter across from her. “I’d like to take Mel away for a few days. Give her a chance to decompress and recalibrate.”

I braced myself for the tantrum, the demands, the insistence that she needed Mel here. I didn’t want to mention the roadkill incident, but I was willing to if necessary. Instead, Nova surprised me.

“Thank God,” she sighed. “She needs it. I’ve been worried about her.”

I blinked, momentarily thrown. “You have?”

“I’m not completely self-absorbed, you know.” Nova shot me a look that was equal parts defensive and sheepish. “I’ve seen how stressed she’s been, especially the last couple of days. She jumps at everything, can barely look me in the eye.”

“You’re okay with her leaving for a bit?”

Nova toyed with her spoon. “I know I get caught up in my own world sometimes. A lot of the time,” she corrected when I raised an eyebrow. “But Mel’s my sister. I love her. I want her to be okay.”

“That’s…surprisingly mature of you.”

She rolled her eyes. “Don’t sound so shocked. I’m not a complete asshole.”

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