Page 213 of Sage Haven
“Sage…” His voice was careful. Measured. Like he was choosing his next move on a battlefield.
“There’s something I need to tell you.” He continued, standing slowly, posture rigid with unease. Guarded but not hiding.
“The men who hurt you… they were never supposed to get that close.” He ran a hand through his hair, pacing. “My work… it requires that I handle threats before they become problems.”
“Handle?” I asked, already knowing the answer. But needing to hear him say it.
His jaw clenched. “Yes.”
“You mean kill,” I clarified and there was no question in my voice.
“Yes.” He didn’t hesitate. His gaze locked onto mine, unwavering, as he continued, “but I made a mistake.”
A shadow crossed his features. Something broken.
“I hurt other people,” he whispered. Quiet. Haunted. “And I’m sorry, Sage. I’ve made so many mistakes. But that one…” His throat worked around the words. “That one will haunt me for as long as I’m alive.”
I didn’t speak.
A million thoughts crashed through me, one after the other.
But none of them came out.
And the fear?
It slipped away for a moment, replaced by something else.
Relief. Recognition.
“So what you’re saying is…” I exhaled, letting the reality settle like a stone in my gut.
“I’ve been kidnapped by a serial killer?”
Reich blinked. Then his mouth twitched into something dangerously close to a smirk. “I guess… if you want to put it that way.”
“An orange is an orange,” I said with a shrug.
A flicker of amusement crossed his face and I let it ground me. Let it make me feel a little more alive.
“Fair enough.” He conceded.
I pushed myself up, pacing. Each step heavier than the last.
He watched me carefully. Like he wasn’t sure if I was going to run or not.
“Say something,” he pleaded. His voice rough. Fraying at the edges.
I stopped and exhaled shakily, “Well,” I said, “it’s not exactly an ideal situation. But I think we can work through it.”
His laugh was dry. Disbelieving, “Work through it?” He shook his head. “Sage… I just told you—I take lives for a living. I’m the reason this happened to you.”
“But you don’t kill good people,” I said quietly.
His expression darkened, “How do you know that?”
I stepped closer. Pressed my hands to his chest and felt his heart racing beneath my palms. “Because I trust who I’ve seen you to be.”
His eyes searched mine.
