Free Retribution by Gemma James Page A

I’m leaving today.”
    “Not without saying goodbye, you aren’t.”
    I rattled off the name of the motel.
    “Don’t go anywhere. I’ll be there in twenty.”
    By the time he pulled into the parking lot, Eve was already in her car seat munching on a graham cracker. I tossed our meager belongings into the trunk and slammed the lid.
    “I can’t talk you into staying, can I?”
    “No. Eve’s been having nightmares every night. I think a new environment would be good for her.” I’d had nightmares too—paralyzing recollections of Rick trying to kill me. I leaned against the bumper. “Is he really okay?”
    “That’s what they tell me. He won’t see me, but I hear he’s been asking for you.” He rubbed his chin. “I shouldn’t have asked you to marry me. It was . . . selfish. I knew you were dealing with some stuff, but I was scared of losing you.”
    I dropped my gaze to the ground and kicked at the snow. “It was so long ago. Maybe what we feel for each other is an echo of what we could’ve been. Maybe we’ve been holding on when it’s time to let go.”
    He tilted my chin up, and a snowflake danced on my nose. “I can’t control how you feel, but I know what’s in here,” he said, placing his fist over his heart. “You’ve been here forever. It’s always been you.” He paused and gave a stubborn shake of his head. “I distracted myself with work, but I’ve never been able to get you out of my head.”
    His words squeezed the breath from me. “Don’t do this to me now. I won’t change my mind about leaving.”
    “I know, and that’s why I’m not going to stop you. I know you need time. Maybe I do too.” He stepped close and framed my face between his hands, and the warmth of his body penetrated mine. “I meant what I said, though. I love you, and no amount of time is going to change that.” He wound his arms around me, and we held on to each other for a while, neither of us paying attention to the snow collecting in our hair. Another guest of the motel left his room and gave us a curious look as he headed to his car. Vehicles crept along the road, and one braked, going into a slide before stopping.
    I wanted to hold on to him forever, frozen in this cold environment as the warmth of him surrounded me.
    “Don’t let him hurt you again.”
    “He can’t hurt me if I’m not here.”
    “You don’t know him very well.”
    “Turns out I didn’t know you either.” I backed out of his embrace. “Why didn’t you tell me he was your brother? You watched”—I blinked the image from my mind’s eye, but it refused to disappear—“you watched him with me. You screwed Katherine when all you had to do was be honest.”
    He kept his eyes downcast, and the guilt he wrestled with pricked at the part of me that still cared about him. Still loved him even. “I was stunned . . . when you came into that basement and got to your knees . . .” He shook his head, apparently at a loss for words. “And then I realized what was at stake . . . Jesus, Kayla. Your freedom, Eve’s life. You begged me to go along with it, and I couldn’t deny you.”
    “But you didn’t tell me. You had every opportunity to, but you didn’t.”
    “Chalk it up to cowardice. He’d ripped a hole in your life and it was my fault.” He pinched the bridge of his nose and closed his eyes. “I shouldn’t have come back to town.”
    “Gage is a grown man. Don’t beat yourself up over his actions. None of us are innocent, me included. I stole from him.”
    “To save your daughter. My crime killed someone. Yours saved the person you love most in this world.”
    “Doesn’t make it right.”
    “No, but you shouldn’t have a problem sleeping at night. At least, I hope you don’t.”
    I refrained from answering—maybe someday I’d be able to let it all go. “Would you mind taking Eve to get something to eat? I could use an hour alone.”
    “You’re going to see him, aren’t you?”
    I nodded. “I need