Page 17 of Redeem

It wasn’t a question, and I could tell she knew that, waited for her to argue. The next seconds ticked by with excruciating slowness, her body tense, her expression even more tense.

“Good-bye, Ciprian,” she said.

She rolled the window up, her movements jerky and her expression not at all pleased, but I still felt a sense of victory nonetheless. She’d be here Monday. I knew that.

As I walked back to the hotel, I considered my current predicament.

I’d been on dangerous ground before, and that was even more true now than it had been then. I was losing sight of my purpose, not focused on what I should’ve been focused on. I’d done at least half of what I had intended. I had found her. I knew she was okay.

I frowned at that thought. That wasn’t true. Dana wasn’t okay, wasn’t okay at all. She wasn’t in any physical danger, seemed to have most of her needs taken care of, but despite her physical safety, she was wounded nonetheless.

Whatever I had thought, or had allowed myself to think about what might have happened to her after, she was fine.

And what else could I hope to achieve?

Telling her the truth wouldn’t make anything better, and I certainly wouldn’t be able to fix her.

Perhaps this was all just an indulgence. Maybe now that I had seen her I could go on, know that I had done something that could never be fixed.

Leaving would probably be the kindest thing I could do.

I knew instantly that was true.

I also knew I wouldn’t.

To do so would be cowardly, and I still had an obligation to her, one I would fulfill.

That wasn’t my sole reason, because everything had changed.

I had found her out of a sense of duty.

I was going to stay with her because I couldn’t fathom leaving.

Nine

Dana

This was ridiculous.

I was ridiculous.

It was bad enough that I’d spent my entire Sunday practically counting down the minutes. That was personal, though, something only I would know. But anyone who cared to look would see me and my truck idling in the hardware store parking lot before dawn.

I’d beat most of the laborers here.

My self-deprecating, disgusted laugh filled the truck’s interior. Ciprian wasn’t here yet, so maybe I could leave, come back at a more reasonable hour, and not seem entirely pathetic.

I didn’t make a move.

I was here already, I told myself. No point in wasting gas, or in trying to be coy. I’d hired the man to do a job, and there was no shame in that.

I snorted, shook my head, probably looked like a manic to anyone who cared to watch. I couldn’t help it, though. I was positively terrible at deluding myself, my brain shrugging off my lies before they could even really develop.

Truth was, I’d hardly slept the two nights since I’d seen him last, and it wasn’t for the usual reasons. I was giddy at the thought of seeing him again, so excited, I hadn’t been able to wait a minute longer than I needed to.

That excitement annoyed the fuck out of me, but it was undeniable. I’d play it off, though, keep my boundaries in place. I might be bouncing off the walls with excitement inside, but Ciprian certainly didn’t need to know that. Nope, I’d keep this all to myself—

I jumped at the knock on my window, felt the most irritating relief when I saw Ciprian peering at me.

---