Chapter 11
JAKE
She looks at me like that, like I’m the only thing in the world that matters, and it hits harder than the blood on my hands ever could.
But I don’t get to have her right now. I grab her wrist, low and rough, and pull her away before she gets tangled up in what I’ve done. "Come on."
"But Jake—"
"Not here." I guide her away from the body, my grip firm but gentle, moving her toward her RAV4. I look around, walking faster when I see we’re clear.
She doesn't resist and keeps up with me. Her heart races beneath my palm as I steer her to the RAV4. When she speaks, her voice is quiet but firm, final. "I’ll go to the sheriff with you, Jake. I’ll tell him it was self-defense."
Is she that naive, thinking Dan Garrett would believe that and let me off with anything less than life?
Yeah, she is. I shake my head. “I’m not going to the sheriff.”
She frowns up at me as we walk. I don’t know what she sees, but she lifts her chin. “You don’t have to worry. I won’t say anything, Jake,” she says, and it sounds like a vow.
My hand tightens on her. Does she know what she’s promising me? Does she know what that sort of pact means to a man like me? That a declaration of loyalty means more than one of love?
Does she realize she sealed her fate? Because she means every word, and there’s no taking that back. There's no walking away.
I won’t let her.