Page 109 of Esperance

“I know you’re close,” he continued, still moving forward. “I’m not going to hurt you. The men hunting you are dead. You’re safe.”

It was possible he was a guard from Esperance, but she wasn’t sure. All she knew was that he was dangerous. She could feel his lethal edge, even if he wasn’t currently threatening her.

He’d openly admitted to killing two people, and nothing in his even tone showed remorse.

“Look, I’m only trying to help,” he said. “I spotted those men a while back, and when I realized they were tracking you, I knew you needed help.” His footsteps paused. “I swear, I just want to help you get to safety. I can take you back to the trail and escort you off this mountain.”

Amryn pried into the man’s emotions, searching for anything that would prove him to be an enemy. All she felt was sincerity. He was dangerous, yes, and determination still lived inside him—but not as forcefully as before, when he’d been stalking her hunters. He didn’t know who she was, but he genuinely wanted to help her.

In the distance, thunder rolled. “A storm is coming,” the man said. “We need to make it as far as we can before we’re forced to find shelter.”

Saints, she didn’t want to be caught out here—alone—with another storm coming. And she felt absolutely no threat from this man. Still . . .

“Who are you?” she asked, still gripping the rock.

“Ford Gallo,” he answered promptly. Something in his manner had softened as soon as he heard her voice, and his protective instincts flared. Perhaps he hadn’t known she was a woman?

“Your name tells me nothing,” she said. “What are you doing on this mountain?”

“Would you believe me if I said I just fancied a climb?”

The humor in his reply was a surprise—as was the strange calm it brought to her racing heart.

Slowly, she peeled away from the tree.

Ford Gallo stood in the cloudy light of the stormy afternoon. His bronze skin was streaked with dirt, and his dark hair was an unruly mess. He looked to be in his early twenties. He was handsome, and a little shorter and more slender than she’d expected. He felt a flash of relief at the sight of her, and his gaze gentled as he took in her appearance. When he noticed the stone clutched in her hand, amusement rippled and the side of his mouth kicked up. “I do hope you don’t intend to brain me with that.”

She tightened her hold on her makeshift weapon. “Are you a guard from Esperance?”

“No.”

“Are you a cleric?”

He snorted. “Definitely not.” His hands sank into his pockets, probably in an effort to look non-threatening. All it did was bring her attention to his belted knives. “What’s your name?” he asked again.

She pursed her lips, but she saw no reason to lie. “Amryn.”

Surprise lit through him and registered on his face. “You’re Carver’s wife.”

Her knuckles creaked around the rock. “How do you know that?”

Immediately, his gaze shuttered. He regretted what he’d said. “I hear things.”

Amryn’s eyes narrowed. “How? We’re in a remote jungle, and you’re not supposed to be anywhere near Esperance—no one is.”

Unease feathered inside him, but he was careful to school his features into a neutral expression. “I’m an ex-soldier. I came to Esperance for some peace and quiet. The high cleric threatened to throw me out because they were sealing the temple by order of the emperor.” He lifted a single shoulder. “I figured no one would know if I stayed in one of the cabins in the jungle.” Truth rang in his words, but she could sense his nervousness.

He was lying, at least partially. But even if some of his words were a deception, Amryn could feel that he didn’t mean her any harm. He truly wanted to help her. “How do you know Carver?” she asked.

“I served with him once, a long time ago. I don’t know him well.”

“Yet you know he’s here and married to me.”

“Yes.” He didn’t expound on that.

And, frankly, when thunder rumbled more loudly than before, she decided it might not matter why Ford was here, or how he knew she was married to Carver. That storm was rolling in fast.

Ford eyed her. “Are you all right?”

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