Page 86 of Let Me In

Still calm.

Still my brave, reckless, infuriating girl.

The man smiles once.

Gets back in the car.

And pulls away.

Not fast.

Not scared.

Like he got what he came for.

But I’m already moving.

Scope down.

Phone to my ear.

Truck keys in my hand.

Because I’ve got a signal to trace.

And a girl to protect.

Mine to find. Mine to shield. Mine to carry if I have to. And I will. I fucking will.

The engine growls beneath me as I cut across the service road, tires sliding over gravel, fast but controlled. The field curves up ahead, open and bright in the May light—but my focus is narrow. I’m already scanning.

Where is she—

There.

Near the far end of the field, her body framed against the blue haze of the ocean. Her arms crossed tight over her chest. Luca pacing slow at her side. Cleo ahead, but watchful.

I pull the truck off the road and down the embankment, just far enough to clear the tree line, but not far enough to lose her.

She turns at the sound.

Her face—God, her face.

That instant widening of her eyes.

Not fear.

Not quite.

But the kind of apprehension that makes my chest crack wide open.

She thought I’d be mad.

She thought I’d leave her alone in this.

I slam the door behind me, not hard, but not soft either. And I’m already walking—long, purposeful strides that close the distance between us in seconds.

She opens her mouth to say something—I see it happen. The guilt already spilling behind her eyes, the apology forming on her lips.

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