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‘I wanted a place for myself that no one else knew about. A place to escape to when everything became too much. Medical school was so stressful, and I was married straight out of high school. I felt like I didn’t have anywhere to go where I could just be alone, so I bought this place.’ He extended his arms as if to sayLook at how awesome it is. Look at how smart I am.

Dakota folded her arms over her chest and tapped her foot impatiently. He still hadn’t given her a good enough explanation for why he had kept this place a secret from her, and she wasn’t giving an inch. He realised this, too, and dropped his arms to swing lamely by his sides.

‘Well, when I was with Kali, she didn’t like it when I went fishing so much. She didn’t like me being all alone in the middle of the wilderness, and she always wanted to come with me. I hid this house from her so I could have somewhere to escape to that she couldn’t follow. I know it sounds bad, now that I’m saying it out loud, but she had places she could go if she wanted to be alone. I didn’t. This was my safe haven. My refuge. The one place in the world where I didn’t have to be perfect. The perfect surgeon. The perfect son. The perfect husband.

‘I guess, even after Kali went missing, I didn’t want to give it up. This place became even more of a haven for me when she was gone. I didn’t have to sit in that big house all on my own. At least here, I was used to the quiet. And when I met you, it was just a habit, you know? Coming here wasn’t meant to be this dark secret. This isn’t a secret hookup pad. Actually, you’re the first person I’ve ever brought here.’

Yeah, right. More like the first person he’d ever brought here with the intention of leaving alive.

‘And that’s supposed to make me feel better?’ she asked incredulously. ‘You spout out some bullshit sob story about needing a getaway from your perfect life, and you just expect me to believe you’re not doing something wrong here? Blake, come on. I wasn’t born yesterday. People don’t just hide whole houses on tens of acres of land if they’re not hiding something.’

She paused to take a breath, glancing away from his stricken expression that I wanted to claw from his face.

Liar. Liar. Liar.

‘Who is she?’ Dakota demanded, and the pieces fell into place. She knew the truth, so either she was in full-out denial or she was keeping up the act. Fuck… was she wired, or something? Whatwasher goal here?

He risked getting closer again, grabbing her hands in his in a way that I was sure he meant to come across as tenderand pleading, but was really controlling and manipulative. She tensed at his touch, and he tried to soothe the reaction like he was trying to convince her that no other woman had touched him.

Too bad for him that she already knew that.

She looked locked in place, like he was binding her wrists like he bound his victims, and her face paled as the blood drained from her cheeks.

‘Ipromise, baby. There is no other woman. Or a man, if that’s what you’re thinking too. You’re the only one for me.You’remy wife, and I loveyou. I don’t want anyone else, and I swear, you’re the only woman that has ever been here before. I don’t want to hide it from you anymore, and I never should have in the first place. I see that now. Please, baby. Please forgive me.’

Chapter 18

Kali

Blake had taken Dakota for a tour of the property. He was leading her through the small copse of trees to where the river wound through the rear of his land, pointing things out here and there like he was genuinely excited to show her. Like he was actually happy she was there.

I stood by Chance, who watched on with a thunderous expression. He was protective of Dakota. I wasn’t sure how close they were, but shewashis sister-in-law. She was family.

‘What the fuck is he doing?’ Chance snarled, his entire body vibrating with anger he was forced to contain, not because he didn’t want to attack Blake, but because he physically couldn’t do anything.

‘Showing her around,’ I supplied helpfully.

He huffed and nudged me with his elbow. ‘You know what I mean.’

I gave in at the helplessness he was radiating with every useless breath. ‘He’s covering his tracks. When the cops looked around and found nothing, not to mention the cop he’s holding captive in the basement, he must have figured out that they’re onto him.’

‘But why bring her into it?’ he asked, dismayed. He was a protector, and he couldn’t protect anyone right now. It was easy to see how much his inability to help was eating at him.

‘Because she’s his alibi. Just like I was. She’s the mask he puts on for the rest of the world. If she says he’s a good man, people will believe it. If she says there’s no murder basement, the cops will stop digging.’

‘He’s showing her there’s nothing to find,’ he deduced, anger and frustration warring for dominance.

‘Exactly. Blake is smart. Too smart. He’s planned for this for a long time. He doesn’t intend to get caught.’

‘We have to stop him,’ he said, growling his conviction.

‘We will. He’s not going anywhere just yet. Whatever his plans, he won’t go through with them until he’s sure he’s in the clear. Let’s just keep practising and pushing ourselves to be stronger, and we’ll make him pay.’

He deflated, though his glare was still drilling into the back of Blake’s head. ‘You’re right. I just…’ He ran his fingers through his hair, tugging on the strands in his frustration. ‘I hate this. I hatehim.’

I wrapped my arms around his waist and rested my head against his shoulder, letting him use me as an emotional anchor. ‘Me too.’

His head twisted to face the house, and he worried his lip between his teeth at whatever thoughts were running through his brain. ‘How is she going to survive if he won’t go down there?’