Page 16 of Meet Me In The Dark

But he wasn’t sure how much time he had left, which was why he needed to leave, now. Leaveher.

As if she’d heard him, the woman in his arms, warm and soft and oh-so-vulnerable, cried out in her sleep.

“Micah? Luke! Conor!”

He didn’t know what she was dreaming, but her obvious pain ripped his heart out. Just like he was about to rip out hers.

He’d been here before, long ago, holding her for a few moments in her sleep before sneaking out the door. He’d never planned on leaving her again. In fact, he’d promised himself he never would. But then, god laughed whenever a man made the mistake of making plans. Even at Micah, who was a planner down to his core.

He didn’t have much of a plan, now, but he would do anything to protect his family, to rescue the men they had lost. And that meant forcing his ass out of bed so he could leave Kara in Billy’s safekeeping and start the long, lonely journey into the dark to reunite them.

There was a part of him that wasn’t sure leaving her was the right choice, especially with the state she was in. But the only thing that would stop the panic attacks, that would help her, would be to bring Luke and Conor home. She’d be safe; Billy was going to take her to Marcus’s compound and watch over her there, indefinitely.

But even that rationale couldn’t stop him from feeling like he was betraying her, all over again.

He kissed the back of her neck, light as a butterfly’s wings. He’d done this before—that Christmas Eve when he’d first felt this unbreakable connection to her, and then left.Fuck.Still, no matter how much his body yearned to stay and pull her tighter into his arms, he had a job to do.

Slipping quietly from the old, musty bedsheets, he rose off the bed and dressed, while wracking his mind for a way to soften the blow. To make it clear he wasn’t leaving her, that he would come back—or at least try to.

Finding a half-dead pen in the desk, he scribbled a note:

Baby, I’m sorry, but I need to go rescue them, and I can’t risk your safety in the process.

Do what Billy tells you to do.

I love you. More than is measurable.

M

There, that would have to do. Last time, he hadn’t left a note.

He took one last look at her, memorizing the way her hair fell across her face as she curled into a ball and reached out a hand, seeking him out even in sleep. They’d come so far in their relationship, and even though he accepted he might never see her again—might not make it back alive—he was glad for every second he’d had with her.

He hadn’t told her he’d loved her enough times. She’d never said it to him. But he knew.

Time to go.

Closing the door behind him, he turned toward the bald man who stood outside the door, facing the railing, smoking a cigarette, eyes on the desolate parking lot, empty save for two cars. Billy’s car, and Micah’s temporary getaway.

Holy hell. He shivered, not because of the cold, justremembering the freezing water they’d been submerged in as their rental car sank into the ocean. Kara had gotten them out, had saved them. She could’ve left them there to die. Probably should’ve. But she was strong, and she had a big heart, and she cared deeply about them.

Although she was going to kill him for leaving her.

That made him smile.

“You sure about this?” Billy asked.

No, he wasn’t. But what choice did he have? He couldn’t bring her with him, and trust that she’d be safe while he did what he needed to do. She’d be fine with Billy. He’d take her to Marcus’s compound. She’d hate it, but she’d be safe. If she wasn’t, Micah would destroy Marcus, Billy, and the Doctor—blood ties to Marcus be damned.

“Keep her safe. Give her whatever she wants. And if we—I–don’t make it…” he swallowed. Breathed. Accepted the possibility of that reality. “…then make sure she has a good life.”

Billy tapped him on the back—his version of a promise—and with one last look back at the door, Micah headed down the stairs with peeling paint and out to the car waiting for him. Thank fuck Marcus was willing to help. For a favor, of course. Blood ties only went so far with his half-brother…you always paid a price for his help.

And Micah would pay any price.

4

When she woke, the bed was empty. Someone had dressed her while she’d slept—leggings and an actual bra with underwire and everything, underwear and a sweater and socks. The bra hurt, unfamiliar, the underwear tight and alien. When was the last time she wore socks? But then it was fall in Idaho, and socks were a necessity now.

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