Free Confessions by Carol Lynne Page A

enter
    the house before cal ing Jessup.
    “Something wrong?” Jessup answered.
    “No, wel , I’m not sure. We arrived a few minutes ago,
    but I thought I saw someone in the woods beside the
    house.” As he talked, Priest continued to study the area.
    “It’s remote enough, but I can’t shake the feeling I’m being
    watched.”
    “I learned a long time ago to trust my instincts,”
    Jessup said. “Did you take anything other than your Smith
    and Wesson?”
    “Are you kidding? I brought a whole damn arsenal.”
    Priest smiled and waved at Luke through the window.
    Damn, he was cute. Luke motioned for Priest to come
    inside. “Anyway, I just wanted you to know we made it. I’l
    cal tomorrow.”
    “Keep your eyes open,” Jessup reminded him.
    “Wil do.” Priest hung up the phone and shoved it into
    his pocket. He chuckled when he spotted Luke pul ing
    goofy faces at him. Even hiding out in the middle of
    nowhere, the guy seemed to make it al worthwhile. Priest
    wasn’t sure how Luke had managed to do it, but he was
    definitely starting to creep under Priest’s skin.
    He grabbed his suitcase and the duffle bag of
    weapons and shut the hatch. Shouldering both bags, Priest
    started towards the house, his eyes stil on his
    surroundings. He’d have to get Luke to make a run to the
    store later so he could check out the woods without drawing
    suspicion.
    Priest entered the cabin before locking the door. At
    first look, the house seemed a bit worn, like a rental
    property no one bothered to treat as their own. He’d been
    in worse, he’d been in better, but the man stil standing
    beside the large picture window made him forget about
    everything but the view.
    “Isn’t this place great?” Luke asked, crossing the
    room towards the back wal of sliding glass doors. “There’s
    a huge deck with a hot tub. With al the trees around, it’l feel
    like we’re taking a bath in the forest.”
    Priest set his bags down and joined Luke. “I bet it’s
    pretty earlier in the fal .”
    With his hands on his hips, Luke stared out at the
    landscape. “I bet there’s a kil er sunset tonight.”
    Priest wondered if Luke’s slip of the tongue had
    anything to do with him being worried. He stepped up
    behind Luke and wrapped Luke in his arms. “You know
    you’re safe with me, right?”
    “Sure. The way I see it, if you’d wanted me dead you’d
    have left me in Cattle Val ey.” Luke turned and snuggled
    against Priest’s chest. “I keep tel ing myself I should be
    afraid of you, but when I’m with you, al I feel is protected.”
    He looked up at Priest.
    “What do you see when you look at me?” Priest
    asked. The question had been on his mind since he’d told
    Luke the truth of what he did for a living. He stil ed, the
    answer more important to him than drawing his next breath.
    Luke stared up at him for several moments. “I see a
    man who suffers to keep his country safe. I won’t pretend to
    understand why you’ve chosen to do what you do, but I’m
    sure a lot of people are alive because of it.”
    Priest let out his breath, cupped Luke’s cheek, and
    prayed Luke truly meant what he’d said. “It would be so
    easy to let myself go with you.”
    “So do it,” Luke whispered.
    “I’ve never wanted to be responsible for someone
    else’s life.”
    “I’m not asking you to be responsible for me.”
    No, Luke didn’t strike Priest as the kind of man who
    needed to be taken care of. Stil he would be a weakness
    for any of Priest’s enemies to exploit. He should put Luke
    on the first plane back to Wyoming.
    “Priest?”
    Staring down into Luke’s trusting eyes, Priest knew
    he couldn’t just walk away. Which meant he needed to
    figure out who the hel he’d kil ed and why. “First thing in the
    morning I need to make a trip to DC,” he announced.
    “What? We just got here,” Luke started to argue.
    “Just for the day. I’l be back tomorrow night.” Priest
    knew he was taking a chance, but he