Page 99 of Secret Love

I wish I could tell her I did. I wish I could look into her eyes right now and be the man she thinks I am, but I’ve lied to her enough.

“No,” I say.

“Fox.” She steps forward. “I am not letting you go back. That’s not who you are.”

And just like that, I believe her. I remember why I fell in love with Dani Roberts in the first place. Those soulful eyes. That stubborn determination.

She was right there all along.

Little Miss Perfect.

I wrap my arm around her waist and rest my hand on the small of her back. She leans into me and offers her lips, just like she always did before. I kiss her once, just once. Any more than that, and I’ll lose myself in her all over again.

“I have an idea,” I say. “It’s a bad one.”

She nods, ready for anything.

I glance over her shoulder at the old barn across the field. “That training you did with the LAPD, did they teach you rifles at all?”

“Yes,” she answers.

“What kind?”

“Umm…” She closes her eyes as she tries to remember. “A Reming 7-something…”

“Remington Model 700?”

“Yeah, that one.”

“Were you any good?”

“So-so. Why?”

“That’s good enough.”

I study her face, taking in every detail of her. Scarred cheek. Red lips. Short, black hair.

“We’re going to need some help, but I really need you to trust me, Dani.”

Her eyes shake, but she doesn’t hesitate. “I do.”

“Come on.”

I release her and walk back to the car.

“Where are we going?” she asks.

I ignore the voices in my head telling me this is a bad idea.

“School,” I answer.

A very bad idea.

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