Page 57 of Rescuing Ally: Part 1

Folding clothes into neat piles, I consider what this means. Not a few days or a casual fling. This feels… significant. Like I’m choosing a path that will fundamentally change who I am.

My fingers brush against something silky at the back of my dresser drawer—a black slip I bought on a whim and never wore. I hold it up, considering. It’s the kind of thing that would make Hank and Gabe’s eyes darken with that possessive hunger I’m rapidly becoming addicted to.

Into thesuitcase, it goes.

I add a few more items—my laptop, chargers, and the worn copy of “Quantum Field Theory,” which has been my bible since grad school. Then I hesitate, glancing at my bedside table, where a small orange bottle sits.

The sleeping pills I was prescribed after my first kidnapping. I haven’t taken them in months, not even after Kazakhstan. Partly because they make me feel foggy and disconnected. Partly because I needed to stay sharp in case Malfor’s men came for me again.

But with Hank and Gabe? Maybe I don’t need to always be on high alert.

I leave those behind.

A knock at the door interrupts my thoughts. “Miss Collins?” Harrison’s voice. “Everything alright?”

“Yes, just finishing up.”

“Take your time.” A pause. “Your father has asked me to drive you whenever you’re ready to go back.”

I smile at his phrasing. Not “whenever you’re ready to leave,” but “whenever you’re ready to go back.” Even Harrison seems to understand that my place is no longer here.

Ten minutes later, I wheel my suitcase into the hallway. Harrison takes it from me without comment, and we go downstairs. My father is waiting in the foyer, his expression carefully composed.

“You have everything you need?”

“Yes.”

He nods, hands clasped behind his back. “Remember what you promised.”

“I’ll call,” I assure him, stepping forward to kiss his cheek. “I’ll be fine, Dad. Better than fine.”

I don’t tell him that Hank said he’d tan my hide if I ever ignored another call from my father. Not that Hank will do the tanning. I’m pretty sure Gabe will be the one reddening my ass.

And just like that…I’m hot and bothered.

Needy for my men.

I barely recognize the woman I’m becoming.

My father’s arms encircle me in a brief, tight hug. “Be safe, Allycat.”

“I will,” I whisper. “Safer than I’ve ever been.”

The drive back to Hank and Gabe’s place seems to take forever. The afternoon sun casts long shadows across the road, and I count down the minutes until I can return where I belong.

Harrison catches my eye in the rearview mirror. “They’re good men, those two.”

The statement catches me off guard. “Do you know them?”

“By reputation only.” His expression gives nothing away. “Guardian HRS has an excellent track record. Very selective about who they recruit.”

“They saved my life. Twice.” The words feel inadequate against the weight of what they’ve done for me.

“I know.” Harrison nods. “Mr. Collins was impressed by their track record.”

We lapse into comfortable silence for the remainder of the journey. When the car finally pulls up to the curb outside Hank and Gabe’s place, a tension I hadn’t fully registered until now unspools from my body, leaving me lighter, freer.

“Don’t worry about your father. Everyone deserves to feel safe, Miss Collins. However that looks for them.” He helps me with my suitcase, his expression once again professional.

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