Page 15 of Hunted By the Mountain Man
"I have some idea—"
"No, you don't." I stand, needing to move. "You have reports and files and psychological evaluations. You don't have thereality of going to sleep every night wondering if you'll wake up with a gun to your head. Of being afraid to make friends because they might become targets. Of feeling like a ghost haunting someone else's life."
Morton remains quiet, perhaps sensing he's pushed too far.
"For the first time in two years, I feel alive. I feel like myself again. And you want me to give that up for another anonymous apartment in another anonymous city where I'll spend the rest of my life looking over my shoulder."
"We can provide protection—"
"You already did. It failed." I return to my seat, my decision crystallizing with each word. "But Cole didn't fail. His protection worked. His mountain worked. This life works for me."
"And if Costa sends more men?"
I smile, thinking of the elaborate defensive positions Cole has built, the way he moved through the forest like a ghost, the quiet competence with which he coordinated the RCMP operation.
"Then they'll face the same mountains that defeated this group. And the same man who outmaneuvered professional killers using nothing but terrain knowledge and three years of preparation." I meet Morton's eyes. "I'll take those odds over another compromised safe house."
Morton is quiet for a long moment, studying my face. "You're really going to do this. Stay here with him."
"Yes."
"What about your testimony? Your commitment to seeing Costa convicted?"
"I'm not abandoning that." I pull out the communication equipment Cole showed me earlier. "This system can establish secure satellite uplinks with federal courts. I can testify remotely, provide depositions, whatever you need. But I'm doing it from here."
Morton sighs, the sound of a man recognizing defeat. "I can't officially recommend this course of action."
"I'm not asking for your recommendation. I'm informing you of my decision."
Another long silence. Then Morton nods slowly. "Very well. We'll work with you on remote testimony options. But if the situation changes, if you need extraction—"
"I'll call." Though we both know I won't need to.
The agents pack up their files and forms, leaving behind contact information and secure communication protocols. As their convoy disappears down the mountain road, I feel a weight lift from my shoulders that's been there for two years.
Cole approaches from the woodpile, his eyes searching my face. "How did it go?"
"I'm staying." The words feel like freedom. "If you'll have me."
His smile transforms his entire face. "Anna Rice, I'll have you for as long as you'll let me."
"Forever, then."
"Forever works for me."
He sweeps me into his arms, spinning me around as I laugh with pure joy. When he sets me down, his expression grows serious.
"Are you sure? Really sure? Because once they leave, once you're officially off their radar—"
"Cole." I cup his face in my hands. "I've never been more sure of anything in my life. This is where I belong. With you, in these mountains, building whatever life we want together."
"It won't be easy—"
"Nothing worth having ever is." I kiss him softly. "Besides, I'm tougher than I look. Two years of witness protection taught me that."
"You're definitely tougher than you look." His hands span my waist, thumbs brushing the soft skin beneath my shirt. "Among other things."
"What other things?" I ask, even though the heat in his eyes gives me a pretty good idea.
