Page 109 of Her Wild Coast Refuge

When our eyes connect, there’s a moment of grief before he smiles. “Hey, girl.”

I hurry over to hug him. He’s firm and strong, just like I remember. “Hi.”

Grams slips into her coat. “Charlie could use a stroll.” At the sound of his name, Charlie rises from his bed and trots after her.

Once they’re gone, I flip the kettle on. “Can I make you some tea?”

Quinn lifts his empty mug. “I’ll take a refill.”

The ritual gives me a few moments to settle my turbulent thoughts, but when I carry both mugs to the couch, my fingers shake.

“I heard about your injuries,” I say. “Are you okay?”

He gives me a soft smile. “Yeah.”

I sit and cross my knees. “How’s Dawson?”

Quinn cradles his cup and stares into it. “I’m the reason for what happened. I lied that Dawson signed the Bealer contract.”

My heart judders to a stop. I stare at him, but my mind is too messy to form questions.

“You pegged it when you called me the strategist.” He grimaces. “I was trying to be clever. Dawson had agreed to sign if the contract was airtight. It was. But Dawson kept asking for more time. By then, we had realized that this land was tied to your family. I think Dawson was trying to find a solution that could satisfy Brielle but spare Soren Creek. He created an alternative proposition to recycle e-scraps of copper and nickel. It’s very new in the US, but it’s growing fast, and the profit margins are impressive.”

Emotions crowd into my throat. That he drafted this new idea so fast has me in awe. But there’s still something I need to know.

“That night, he was lying to me?” I try to block out the passionate way he cared for me, the devotion and hunger. I’ve never once in my life felt so free. How can what I feel not be real?

“Dawson believed Brielle had taken his offer. I was the one who lied.”

“Say that was what really happened,” I fire back. “Would Dawson have told me?”

Quinn rubs the side of his neck. “Yes, but he wanted the solution first. He wanted to fix everything.”

I punch the couch pillow with my fist. “That’s still lying!”

“I know,” he says. “But he did it because he cares about you.”

“You said that same thing to me up in the camp. Why did you come up there?”

“To keep you safe.”

I frown.

“Remember Odessa? Dawson wasn’t going to lose you too.”

I remember Hunter’s words:they saved your life.

“What about Brielle? Dawson isn’t free, is he?”

Quinn’s gaze warms. “I think you should ask him yourself.”

Tears sting my eyes. “How?”

Quinn rises and offers his hand. “I’ll take you.”

Through the noisy churn of my emotions, the pieces of my shattered heart start to vibrate. “Okay.”

Quinn waits for me to dress, and then we walk in silence to the parking lot. To my surprise, two brand-new electric car charging stations have been installed side by side. I stop to inspect them, but the port and the display and the charger are legit.

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