Page 25 of Heart of Frost and Scars

“What are they looking for?” Monty lingers in the hall, his hands resting casually in his pockets.

“If you were in their positions…” I lean against the doorframe. “What would you look for?”

His eyebrows climb together, his jaw working. “Sedatives, rope, latex gloves, weapons, incriminating photos, recording devices, basically anything that might point to me as a stalker.”

“If you have any of those things in your possession, I know you’re too smart to leave them where they can be discovered. But they don’t know you. They need to do this so they can sleep tonight.”

“Fair enough.”

Leo ambles out of the final guest bedroom and pushes open another door, revealing Monty’s dimly lit study.

Pausing on the threshold, he sniffs the air like a tracker, his tall, rugged frame contrasting sharply with the delicate antiques and gleaming surfaces of Monty’s world.

It feels unnerving, watching the wild men I’ve come to love prowling the halls of my previous life. A life so meticulously curated by Monty.

“Go ahead.” Monty follows at a safe distance, his hands clasped behind his back. But his voice lacks warmth. “My home is open to you.”

Leo stops before a seascape painting by Ivan Aivazovsky, his head tilted. He has no idea he’s admiring a piece of art worth millions. Nor does he care.

I catch the reflection of our group in the gilded mirror beside Monty’s desk—so out of place yet so irrevocably entwined. My past and present are colliding in the heart of this grand estate, under the watchful eyes of a man I once vowed to love forever.

As evening shadows creep through the windows, I wonder how we can weave these fragmented parts into a new whole.

Will my history with Monty prevent him from building a relationship with Kody and Leo? Does he intend to hurt me worse than he already has?

His eyes flicker away before meeting mine again, a dance of avoidance, necessity, and something else.

“It’s like a museum here.” Kody bends to peer closer at a glass cabinet filled with Fabergé eggs. “How did you ever live in a place like this?”

“It was another life.” I meet Monty’s cool gaze. “One that no longer appeals to the woman I am now.”

I’m not trying to be cruel. It’s the hard truth, and Monty needs to understand.

We’re finished.

Rather than backing down, he stares right back, his lips quirking at the corners.

Goddammit, I know that wry, challenging smirk. It’s the same one he wore when I repeatedly turned down his advances during his year-long pursuit to date me.

He’s still the master of the game.

A man who refuses to be beaten, even by his own mistakes.

7

Frankie

—

Monty’s bedroom is the last stop on Leo’s security patrol. He and Kody wait at the doorway, refusing to enter before me, as if it’s a restricted crime scene.

It’s just a room.

No longer my room.

“You guys go ahead.” I wave them on.

They don’t move, don’t speak. I might’ve heard a growl.

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