Page 25

She’s ninety percent sure it’s not the enemy, but Wade is so certain that he’s already flipped the safety off the gun. “I’m going to look. I’ll be quick. It’s okay. It’s okay.”

They’ve been here before. She briefly considers setting a trap near the porch so unwanted guests never get this far again.

“I need you to hold the dog back,” she tries, knowing full well he’ll have to release one hand from the gun to grab the animal.

It works. He pleads with her to leave before it’s too late, but trusts her to peek through the curtains while he restrains the dog.

“It’s Luke,” she sighs. “It’s not them. You can put the gun down, we’re alright.”

She doesn’t open the door until he hands the gun over, which takes longer than she’s comfortable with. It’s only a miracle that Luke somehow manages to wait patiently for the first time since she met him.

“You good?” she asks, waiting until Wade nods reluctantly.

Sweat breaks out across his forehead and he’s unsteady on his feet.

That’s enough to tell her he’s not ready for guests, though she doesn’t have much choice.

The moment she opens the door, it’s clear Luke has no intention of staying on the porch.

He shoulders past her into the house as if there’s a hidden threat.

“I don’t remember inviting you in,” Kara mutters.

“Everything okay in here?”

“Fine. Yes. What’s this about? You didn’t get my message?”

“Oh, I got it.”

“Then why are you here?”

He hesitates, giving Wade a once-over. Kara’s heart breaks all over again when he shrinks into himself. It’s a submissive gesture that Luke hasn’t earned, but appeasement is the default behavior.

“Good to see you up and around,” he directs at Wade. “Feeling better?”

There’s no answer. She watches Wade’s fists clench and eyes dart down to the floorboards.

“He’s doing fine, we both are,” she steps in front of Wade. If she has to be his buffer, she will. “You’ve got thirty seconds to get to the point.”

“A few of Silas’s men were spotted one county over. You wanted to know. Asked me to tell you if we came across them, so I’m telling you.”

Wade’s on high alert in an instant and she doesn’t even have to turn around to feel it. The hair on her arms stands on end, and her tunnel vision for revenge takes over.

“Where? How far? Are they dead yet? What happened?”

“About half an hour east of here. No specific location or landmark. They could be dead for all I know, but my men didn’t do it. They just reported back.”

“Get them to mark where on a map and bring it back here. Please.”

“I will not. You can’t go off chasing down—”

“Oh, so you want to be helpful but not helpful enough to actually be useful, is that it? Why even tell me then?”

“Because I was worried, and it’s a good reason to check on you,” he says evenly. “And I left a crate of supplies on the porch.”

She hates that he uses gifts to make it okay to barge in. She’ll only seem like an asshole now if she doesn’t thank him. “Well, there’s no reason to worry. If you can get that map, I’ll take it. Otherwise, we need some privacy.”

Luke pauses, incredulous that she’s kicking him out even after he brought food and news of a possible sighting. He clearly expected to win some points today. Then he spies the purple bruises on her wrists and everything plummets south.

He grabs for her with a familiarity they haven’t established. “Did he do this? He’s been hurting you? I knew it.”

She rips her arm away, but it’s too late. Wade’s already got the other man shoved up against the door, nostrils flaring as he growls not to touch her. His hand closes around Luke’s throat and lifts until his feet thrash against the floor.

Wade is weak after his ordeal, but he’s got several inches in height on Luke, and his rage offers more than enough bottled-up adrenaline to make up for what his biceps lack.

It’s not a fair fight, though. Luke gets the upper hand with a knee to the groin, forcing Wade to stumble back, before responding with a fist to Luke’s chin.

She does the only thing she can do, grabs the shotgun and lets the sound of it cocking bring everything to a halt.

She doesn’t point it at Luke, but she thinks about it.

“I said we are fine . What you think is happening is not happening. I can handle this. It’s in your best interest not to touch him again.”

If he makes one more move toward Wade, she’s ready to take one of his kneecaps.

It might be an overreaction. In fact, it absolutely is.

She’s aware of that. What is he supposed to think after seeing her injuries?

He isn’t wrong to be concerned without any context, but her priorities lie with Wade.

She’s had it with everyone assuming they know what’s best for her.

Luke gets up, wiping at the blood dripping from his mouth after Wade got in a sharp blow. “Why do you insist on protecting him while he hurts you? How am I supposed to see what he’s done and leave knowing something worse can happen? Is this why it didn’t work out with us? Violence turns you on?”

Her mouth drops open in shock. It’s a hit she never expected from him.

Maybe her constant rejection has finally forced his anger.

She hates how deep it cuts, or how easily she wants to cry.

She’s spent so long trying to leave a violent past behind her, and any implication that Wade could bring it back is devastatingly absurd.

Luke’s regret at his own words is evident a moment later. He sputters out an apology and tells her he’s only worried, that he cares, that he’s frustrated.

“Please go,” she whispers sadly, relieved when he turns away and heads out the door with his tail between his legs.

She can only breathe again when he’s across the gate and on his horse, and the door is locked in his wake.

She drops the gun into the corner only to find herself alone.

The sound of Wade retching into the toilet tells her where he is, hunched over the bowl while his body heaves.

She wants to rub a hand along his back, but doesn’t dare.

“He’s gone. It’s just us again.” Her reassurance doesn’t help.

He attempts to move past her toward the hall with unsteady steps, one hand darting out to brace on the wall.

“Can’t breathe,” he gasps. “Spinning. Everything’s spinni-”

One moment he’s upright, and the next she’s catching him as he falls. His head almost connects with the ground before she pulls him into her lap, the two of them landing in a jumbled heap.

She thought she could protect him, but she failed. Someone came right into their house and hurt him and she couldn’t do a damn thing about it. How the hell does she think she’ll be able to handle it if Silas actually shows up?

Wade’s capable of defending himself, yet she is the only trigger for his aggression. He won’t lash out on his own behalf. Didn’t flip that switch today until Luke touched her. If the enemy walks through that door, she fears he’d simply freeze.

“Wade?” she pleads, shifting him enough that she can stretch her legs out.

She’s coming apart at the seams. Leaving him alone to wake up a safe distance away is the smart thing, but it’s not what her heart allows her to do. He’s all twisted up and begging for a sore neck, so she gathers him gently to lie across her lap and in the cradle of her arm.

The dog shows up from wherever he’d been hiding during the scuffle to lie in the bend of Wade’s knees and rest a worried head on his legs.

They’ve been moving forward at such a fast pace that at times, she’s forgotten how difficult this is for him. When they went hunting just yesterday, it was as if nothing had changed. How foolish she’d been to assume, even hopefully, that they’d gotten past the worst of it.

She’s pushed him again and again to step out of his comfort zone. Now she questions every decision for the hundredth time. He agreed to everything, she reminds herself. She didn’t force him. That kind of logic fails to soothe her when he’s passed out with his head on her thighs.

“I’m right here with you,” she says softly, running her hand across his temple.

A multitude of worries harass her from every angle. Luke could come back with others and force them to leave the house under the pretense that he’s protecting her. Silas and his army could stumble across them, though she’s fairly certain they aren’t actually trying to.

Wade doesn’t share her optimism on that front. The concept of seeing his abusers again has already pushed him into a tailspin that’s landed him unconscious.

Still…she wants that fucking map. Needs to know the details of every sighting she can get her hands on. Revenge is still the endgame. Kara can’t lay a trap without knowing where to place the bait.