It was a promise I meant to keep. Completely and unequivocally.
There was nothing casual about the way I looked at her or about the feelings she evoked in me: flames burning through my veins and consuming every last cell in my body.
“I repeat … we technically met less than twelve hours ago.”
“Don’t. This,” I growled and gestured between us, “this is so much more than what you’re trying to pretend it is, and you know it.”
“You’re already making lifelong promises! That’s crazy.”
“I am,” I emphasized. “And I don’t ever break my promises. You’ll see.”
Addy blinked, watching me for another second, and a slow smile spread across her face. “Okay.”
“Okay?” My eyebrows shot up in surprise.
She shrugged and settled back down on my chest, snuggling up to me.
“Honestly, I’ve made worse decisions. If I’m going to be kidnapped by an escaped felon…” She paused and pressed a kiss to my chest. “At least he’s obsessed with me.”
I looked down at her, my thumb brushing slowly across her shoulder.
“Completely,” I agreed.
Addy hummed faintly. “Good.”
Long after she fell asleep, I stayed awake, watching the slow rise and fall of her chest. I memorized the weight of her in my arms, vowing never to let anyone take her from me.
Chapter 26
Addy
Ithought“ontherun”meant staying in seedy motels and using fake names at gas stations.
I did not think it meant Puerto Rico.
I definitely did not expect to step out into golden morning light, only to find six Russian men in tailored shirts waiting at the dock as if we were arriving for a board meeting instead of fleeing federal prison.
The boat eased into the dock like this was a normal Tuesday and not the dramatic end to whatever the hell my previous life had been.
I had mentally prepared for at least a little chaos — raised voices, rushed instructions, someone giving me the side-eye as though I were an unplanned accessory — but instead, there was nothing but order and efficiency.
Sasha stepped off first, of course, and I could have sworn the air adjusted around him. Not in a dramatic way, but rather in the subtle recalibration people perform whena figure of authority enters the scene. One of the men clasped his forearm and spoke to him in Russian, in a low, familiar tone. Sasha responded without missing a beat.
I hadn’t heard him speak Russian before and it washot.
There I was, standing there holding my duffel like someone’s chaotic cousin who’d been accidentally invited to the sleepover.
So naturally, I did the only reasonable thing and smiled brightly at the burly men.
“Hi!” I stepped forward before anyone could stop me. “I’m Addy.”
Six pairs of eyes shifted to me in unison. They weren’t necessarily hostile; they were just assessing something they’d never seen before.
Sasha’s hand instantly found my lower back, feeling warm and firm as if he were grounding and restraining me simultaneously.
One of the men blinked once, then nodded.
“Ad-dee,” he repeated carefully, butchering the pronunciation slightly.