Page 18

NOVA

T he panic room feels like a cage despite its comfortable furnishings. I pace the limited space, counting steps to keep my mind occupied. Eight steps from wall to wall. Six steps from door to bathroom. Four steps from bed to communication console.

Too small. Too confining. Too much like being trapped while the people I care about risk their lives for me.

The monitors show me the cabin's interior, empty now that Finn and his brothers have moved into the forest to hunt the man who's hunting me. The silence is oppressive, broken only by the soft hum of air circulation and the occasional crackle from the radio on the console.

I press my hand against the cool metal door, imagining I can feel Finn on the other side, though I know he's far away by now. Tracking Robert Vance through miles of mountain wilderness, putting himself in danger because of me.

Because I brought this danger to his doorstep. To his mountain. To his family.

The thought sits like lead in my stomach. I've spent my career surrounded by people who are paid to solve my problems, to smooth my path, to take care of whatever needs taking care of so Nova Wilde can shine without complications.

But this is different. Finn and his brothers aren't just doing a job. They're risking their lives because they believe I'm worth protecting. Because Finn asked them to, and in the McKenna family, that request carries the weight of blood obligation.

And what have I done to deserve such a sacrifice? What right do I have to ask these men to face a killer on my behalf?

The radio crackles to life, startling me from my spiral of guilt.

"Nova? It's Finn. Check in."

I rush to the console, pressing the transmit button with shaking fingers. "I'm here. I'm fine. Where are you? What's happening?"

"We've located Vance." His voice is calm, and controlled, giving nothing away. "Elias spotted him moving toward the cabin. We're converging now."

My heart stutters in my chest. "He's coming here? For me?"

"He won't get anywhere near you." The promise in Finn's voice is absolute. "The panic room is secure, and we'll intercept him long before he reaches the cabin."

"Be careful," I say, unable to keep the fear from my voice. "All of you. Please be careful."

"Always am." There's a pause, and when he speaks again, his voice is lower, meant only for me despite the open channel his brothers can hear. "Nova. Whatever happens, remember to stay in that room. No matter what you hear, no matter who calls for you. Don't open that door for anyone but me."

"I won't." I clutch the radio like a lifeline. "Finn..."

"I know." Just two words, but they contain everything neither of us has been brave enough to say directly.

Everything we've been dancing around since that first kiss by the fireplace, since the night we spent in each other's arms, since the morning after when we both pretended we could go back to professional distance.

"Please come back to me," I whisper.

"Count on it."

The connection goes dead, leaving me alone with my thoughts and fears and the knowledge that somewhere in the forest surrounding this cabin, six men are hunting a predator who wants to hurt me.

And there's nothing I can do but wait.

The first gunshot shatters the silence like a physical blow.

I jolt upright from where I've been sitting on the edge of the bed, my heart pounding against my ribs. A single shot, followed by shouting too distant to make out words, then another shot.

Then nothing.

I rush to the console, pressing buttons frantically. "Finn? Finn, are you there? What's happening?"

No response. Just static and the echo of those shots in my mind.

"Cade? Sawyer? Anyone?" My voice rises with each unanswered call, panic clawing at my throat. "Please, someone answer me!"

Nothing. Just the hollow hiss of an open channel with no one on the other end.

My mind races with possibilities, each worse than the last. Finn shot. His brothers wounded. Vance escaping. Vance coming for me while the McKennas lie bleeding in the forest.

Breathe, I tell myself. Breathe and think.

Finn wouldn't want me to panic. He'd want me to stay calm, to trust the plan, to trust him. The panic room is secure. I'm safe here. That's what matters to him more than anything.

But what about what matters to me?

Because the truth that's been building inside me for days now, the truth that was confirmed beyond doubt when we made love last night, is that I love him. Finn McKenna, with his gruff protectiveness and his unexpected gentleness and his absolute devotion to keeping me safe.

I love him, and he's out there, possibly hurt or worse, and I'm locked in this steel box unable to do anything about it.

The thought is unbearable.

I pace again, trying to think through options. The rational part of my brain knows I should stay put. That's the plan. That's what Finn would want. That's what keeps everyone focused on the mission instead of worrying about my safety.

But the part of me that has fallen for this complicated, dangerous, utterly devoted man can't stand the thought of him hurt and me safely hidden away.

The console crackles again, and I lunge for it.

"Nova?" Not Finn's voice. Sawyer's. "Are you there?"

"I'm here! What's happening? Where's Finn?" The questions tumble out in a rush of fear.

"Vance engaged us." Sawyer's voice is tight, controlled, revealing nothing. "There was an exchange of fire. We're in pursuit."

"Is everyone okay? Is Finn okay?"

A pause. Too long. "We have a situation. Finn went after Vance alone. We're tracking them now."

Ice floods my veins. "What do you mean, alone? Why would he do that?"

"Vance fired at us from cover, then retreated south. Finn pursued immediately, didn't wait for backup." The disapproval in Sawyer's voice is clear. "We're spread out now, trying to locate them."

"You lost them?" Panic rises again, sharper now. "How could you lose them?"

"These mountains are vast, Nova. Visibility is limited. We're tracking as fast as we can, but..."

He doesn't finish the sentence. He doesn't need to. Finn is alone somewhere in the wilderness with a killer who has been planning this for months. A killer who might have lured him into a trap.

And it's my fault. All of it.

"I'm coming out," I say, the decision crystallizing in an instant. "I can help."

"Absolutely not." Sawyer's voice hardens. "You will stay exactly where you are. That's what Finn would want. That's what we all want."

"But."

"No buts. Stay put. That's an order." His tone leaves no room for argument. "I'll update you when we have something. Sawyer out."

The radio goes silent again, leaving me with nothing but my fear and the knowledge that Finn is out there alone because of me.

Because his need to protect me overrode his tactical training. Because his feelings for me made him reckless in a way the careful, controlled man I've come to know would never normally be.

Because he loves me too, as he showed me so completely last night, even if neither of us has been brave enough to say the words.

I move to the monitors, scanning the cabin's interior for any sign of movement, any indication that Vance might have circled back toward the house while the McKennas are searching the forest.

Nothing. Just empty rooms, silent and still.

Until a shadow passes briefly across one of the exterior cameras.

I freeze, my heart slamming against my ribs. There it is again. Movement at the edge of the front porch. Someone is approaching the cabin cautiously, staying low, out of direct line of sight from most of the security cameras.

It could be one of the brothers, returning to check the house.

Or it could be Vance, drawn to where he knows I must be hiding.

The radio remains silent. No updates from Sawyer. No word about Finn. No warning about someone approaching the cabin.

Which means whoever is out there, the McKennas don't know about it.

I watch the monitors with tunnel vision focus, catching glimpses of movement as someone circles the cabin, checking windows, and testing doors. The methodical approach of someone who knows what they're doing. Someone looking for a way in.

Vance.

It has to be.

Which means Finn didn't catch him. Which means the brothers are searching in the wrong direction. Which means I'm the only one who knows Vance is here, at the cabin, looking for me.

I reach for the radio, then hesitate. If I call for help, if I alert Sawyer that Vance is here, they'll all come running back. Abandoning their search for Finn. Leaving him alone out there, possibly hurt.

And if Vance hears the radio, if he realizes I'm communicating with the brothers, he might run again. Disappearing into the forest to continue this deadly game another day.

Or worse, he might decide to set a trap for the returning McKennas. To hurt them when they come to protect me.

I can't risk that. I can't risk Finn. I can't risk any of them.

Which leaves only one option, as terrifying as it is.

I have to deal with Vance myself.

This man has been stalking me for months. Has broken into my home multiple times. Has left messages in blood and forced me to flee across the country. But something has changed in me since I came to this mountain. Since I met Finn. Since I discovered a strength in myself I didn't know I possessed.

I'm tired of running. Tired of hiding. Tired of others risking themselves to keep me safe while I cower behind locked doors.

The old Nova Wilde, pop sensation, might hide in a panic room while others fight her battles.

But that's not who I am anymore. Not really. Not here, on this mountain, in this house that has come to feel more like home than anywhere I've lived in years. Not after finding the kind of passionate, soul-deep connection with Finn that I never believed existed outside of love songs.

Here, I'm just Nova. A woman who has found something worth fighting for. Worth risking everything for.

Finn.