Page 105 of Lost in the Moonlight

“You mean how you like to party?” she asked. Even though she’d put on her serious face, I knew her well enough to know she wasn’t truly upset by this fact, but Lincoln didn’t.

“My love of dancing has often been misconstrued as a love of partying,” he said. “And even those days of losing myself in a rhythm on a dance floor seem to be trailing behind me.”

“I see. I was sort of hoping you’d shove my girl out in the world. Make her behave a bit more like a twenty-three-year-old instead of a forty-three-year-old.”

“Mom!”

“Dancing and wild parties it is then,” he said with a chuckle.

But we all knew it wasn’t going to happen. Not only because that wasn’t who I was or who Lincoln was but because of the threat hovering around us.

“Kiddo, do me a favor. Go get my wooden music box from my room and bring it to me.”

My eyes narrowed. “Why?”

“Because I want something out of it and because I need a moment with your beau.”

“Mom.”

“Willow.”

We locked eyes, and in them I saw her determination, but also a little plea, and so I gave in. I wiped my hands, rounded the corner and fist bumped her shoulder. “Be nice or I’ll never forgive you.”

She just laughed.

In her bedroom, I went straight to the dresser where the music box always sat, only to find it wasn’t there. Frustrated, it took me several minutes before I discovered it tucked in her bedside table. I’d just stepped back into the hall when her words to Lincoln had my feet skidding to a stop.

“The Marshals can’t find Aaron.” She said it matter-of-factly, but I recognized the fear in her tone that matched the same fear in me.

Lincoln’s response was a singular, feral snap, “What?”

“Someone looking like him was playing the part. They think he’s been gone for days and that he might have skipped off to some non-extradition country.”

“I got confirmation that Poco is the one who sold the photographs to the press, but it’s unlikely he sent the notes.” I could hear the self-recrimination in his voice, and it was confusing. This wasn’t on him.

I didn’t want him to see this as something he’d failed at. Something else to blame himself for. Maybe I should let the Marshals take me away. Mom could stay here. Aaron didn’t care about her, he just hated me. But would he hurt her, thinking he could use her to find me? Would he hurt Lincoln? Hector? The thought of leaving any of them ripped me apart all over again.

Any decision I made left me feeling like a coward.

“The Marshals have given us forty-eight hours to decide whether to relocate or leave their protection,” Mom told him.

I couldn’t see them. Couldn’t see their faces, but I knew what would be on Lincoln’s. Anger. Determination. That love we hadn’t said.

“I swear to you, Erica, no one is going to hurt her. No one. I’ll protect her with every ounce of muscle and intelligence I have. I’ll spend every last dime at my disposal to hire the best people to keep her safe.” It was a fierce and protective vow I loved as much as I loved him.

Mom let out a shaky exhale I could hear all the way into the hall. “I’m glad to hear that’s how you feel. But if we walk away from the Marshals, that’s permanent for us. We won’t be able to go back.”

She was asking him for things she didn’t have a right to ask. Things Lincoln and I hadn’t even discussed and seemed ridiculous considering the limited time we’d known each other, and yet couldn’t be denied.

His sincere response of, “You won’t have to. I’ll always have someone there watching over you,” finally forced my feet to move.

I stepped between them at the barstools, setting the box down in front of my mother and nailing her with an irritated frown.

“Mom, stop.” I turned from her to Lincoln. “Whatever decision we make isn’t on you. It will never be on you. If we decide to walk away from witness protection, the responsibility for that is on us.”

His eyes narrowed, and his arms snaked out to wrap around my waist.

“I can almost hear you screaming how ridiculous this is in that beautiful head of yours,” he raised a brow that promised payment, but he was serious as he said, “I meant it when I told you I wasn’t going anywhere. That promise I just made your mom, it’s only the truth. Whether you steal my heart and walk out of my life or not, I will always make sure you’re safe.”

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