Page 79 of Heart of Frost and Scars

“Agreed.”

If Monty isn’t the lethal hunter Denver warned about, who is it? Maybe there isn’t a stalker at all, and the riddle is just another way for the devil to fuck with us. We haven’t seen any indication to support his claim. No ominous shadows or suspicious behavior.

But we’ve only been out of the hospital for three days. We haven’t left the privacy and security of the island.

Time will tell.

When Monty returns, his eyes probe, searching for something in our expressions, trying to read us like he knows we were talking about him.

I keep my face neutral.

“How did the interviews go?” He reclines in the chair.

“As expected.” I roll my neck, ready to put the past few days behind me. “I stayed with the narrative. Didn’t give away anything that would cause suspicion.”

“Same.” Leo nods. “They had a lot of questions about our family dynamic. How happy we must be to have finally found each other.”

“Are you?” Monty smirks.

“Thrilled,” Leo deadpans.

“How did you handle those questions?” I ask.

“I played along.”

I make a noise in my throat. “So basically, you showed your teeth and said nothing.”

“Pretty much.” He props a boot on the coffee table. “Did you tell them how much you love your new big brother?”

“Kept that to myself.” I stare into Monty’s eyes, the depths as blue as a cold sea, reflecting no warmth or invitation. “They asked about the reunited couple. I didn’t comment, letting them believe the marriage is still intact.”

“Good.” His jaw twitches. “No one cares about a perfect marriage. It makes a boring news story. They won’t spend any time on it.”

“You know,” I say, my voice dropping, “all that will change when we start going out in public. I won’t hide my relationship with her, nor will Leo.”

“Discretion is the goal here. The story we created is delicate. We don’t want to give them anything to squawk about.”

“I understand the need for caution. But I won’t pretend forever.”

“We all want what’s best for Frankie.” Leo taps his fingers on his leg. “We just need to find a balance between protecting her and being honest about our relationships.”

“We need to stay united on this,” Monty says. “No surprises.”

The distrust lingers on both sides like a shadow that doesn’t fade. But we need to push through it. We have no choice.

I take a deep breath, forcing the next words. “Thanks for sending the message about her panic attack.”

Monty nods, his expression guarded. “How are you doing with the tech? Any trouble with the phones?”

“It’s been harder than I care to admit,” I say. “I never thought I’d be struggling with something as simple as making a call or sending a text.”

“Actually, I have a question.” Leo pulls out his device. “I was trying to look up something earlier but couldn’t figure out how to switch between the screens.”

“The browser tabs?” Monty scoots forward on the chair, gesturing at the empty spot on the couch. “May I?”

Leo makes room for him and hands over his phone.

After a few swipes on the screen, Monty passes it back. “See this icon here? Yeah. Tap that. Now you see all your open tabs. You can switch between them or close the ones you don’t need.”

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