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“Because Lucas works with the Hunter closely, and I make it my business to know everything that’s happening in the lives of the people I work with, especially liabilities like Lucas. He had Travis digging into my identity for most of the time they were working on the deal. Finding out my identity, as well as your hand in marriage, was the price of paying off Travis’s debt, and then he planned to leave LA. To leave you behind.”

I hate knowing what I’m telling her will only hurt her more than she’s already hurting, but I have to give her the truth. I have to lay it all out on the line and hope she doesn’t run for the hills.

Not that I would blame her. Quite the opposite, in fact.

The problem is, it doesn’t matter how far she runs. It doesn’t matter where she hides. I’ll be right there on her heels.

I’ll never let her go, no matter how hard she begs.

I’ve never claimed to be a good man. I’m a killer. A criminal. A notorious sociopath. But I’ll always take care of what belongs to me.

“That’s not true. Travis wouldn’t do that to me.”

“I’m sorry, Ember. I wish I were lying. Fuck, I wish everything was different. I wish I’d met you before that night. I wish I’d known that I would fall for you the second I pulled you from that wreck.”

“Stop.” She chokes on the word. “Just please stop. I can’t take any more right now.”

I sigh and drop down to the ground, leaning my back against the door. “I’ll be right here when you’re ready to talk.”

“And if that’s never?”

“You underestimate my obsession with you, Little Flame.”

She doesn’t reply to that, and I don’t expect her to.

Instead, we fall into a deep silence that I feel in my bones.

I always knew this was a possibility. I just wish I could take away her pain.

Ilose track of time leaning against that door, listening for any sound that comes from the other side.

The occasional broken sob draws me closer to breaking down the door and hauling her against my chest, but I manage to rationalize myself away from doing that.

As much as I may want to, I can’t steamroll her at every turn. I have to give her time to accept everything I’ve thrown at her tonight.

My eyes fall closed as I fight off a yawn. Even if I fell asleep, she wouldn’t be able to make it out of the apartment without me knowing, but I want to be here if she decides she needs me.

A soft cry of pain has my eyes snapping open. Maybe she just needs more of those painkillers Parker gave her.

I shove myself to my feet and head into the kitchen, moving through the motions of adding some crackers to a small bowl, pouring her some water and popping the pills from their bottle.

Once I’ve got everything ready, I head back to the bathroom and knock softly. “Ember, I have some pain meds here for you. You don’t have to talk to me if you don’t want to, but it’s important to keep on top of your pain so your body can heal.”

There. That was nice and gentle, not pushy.

But still there’s no response.

“Ember?”

Nothing.

Panic creeps into my chest. What if she’s fallen and hurt herself?

You would have heard that,I remind myself.

But that doesn’t mean she isn’t hurt and can’t get to the door to let me in.

Before I can talk myself out of it, I drop the bowl and glass on the bedside table and move back to the bathroom.