Page 15 of Naughty With The Mountain Man
“What thing?”
“Thatsilent fury mixed with military broodingthing.” She narrows her eyes. “Did something happen?”
I hesitate.
She steps closer. “Micah.”
Her voice is soft but firm.Insistent.
I sigh, setting the spatula down. “There was a package left on your porch last night.”
Her whole body goes still. “What?”
“Broken ornament. A note that saidI’ll find you. You can’t hide for long.”
The color drains from her face. She doesn’t sit, doesn’t flinch. She just takes it in, like she’s folding it into some mental file markedbad news.
“They know I’m not home,” she says quietly.
“Yeah.”
“That means they’re watching. They saw me leave.”
“I think so.”
She nods once, then walks to the window, arms wrapped around herself under the quilt. “This is escalating.”
“I know.”
She’s quiet for a moment, just watching the trees outside sway in the wind. “Do you think they’ll find me here?”
“Not unless I let them.”
She turns to look at me then, eyes sharp despite the sleep. “You won’t let them, will you?”
“No.” My voice is flat steel. “They’d have to get through me first.”
For a long moment, we just stare at each other, the silence between us thick and real. The kind of silence that means things. Thatpromises.
“I want to help,” she says.
“You’re helping by staying alive.”
“That’s not enough.”
“It has to be.”
She bites her lip like she wants to argue but doesn’t. She just walks to the table and sits down. “Okay. But the second I can do more, you let me.”
I nod. That’s all I can give her.
I plate her food, setting it gently in front of her, then go back to the stove and take care of mine. But my head’s not in the meal. It’s on the bastard who thinks this is a game.
Ellie takes a bite, chews slowly, then looks up at me with a soft frown. “Thank you,” she says.
“For what?”
“For taking care of me. Even when I know you’d rather be out there hunting him down.”
