Page 126 of Love Me Dangerous

“How are you feeling?” she asks.

Stroking her forehead, I force down the raw emotions splitting open inside me.

“Better now.”

She smiles, lighting up the dim room.

I glance at the sleeping Linnie, her gangly limbs askew on the big chair. “She okay?”

“Yeah.”

“What about Jesse?”

Sofie blinks, but a tear trickles free. “He hasn’t said much. But… he’s here.”

I rub her fallen tear with my thumb.

Her eyes lock on mine. “Nobody will tell me anything.”

“Dustin is part of a drug smuggling operation.”

Sofie blinks in disbelief. “What?”

“The drugs come through the mountains. When we ran into him up there, he was in the process of moving product. We surprised him.”

“But Dustin is in charge of The Winter Range Proje—” Realization dawns on her face. “You mean it’s some kind of front? The Winter Range Project… it’s a lie?

“The only lie was how he used it.” I shake my head. “The project doesn’t lose its impact or importance.”

More tears spill from her eyes. “How did I not see it?”

“Don’t go there,” I warn. “Okay? He tricked a lot of people.”

“You found out,” she says. “That’s what went wrong up there.”

“Yeah.”

“You’re the one he called.”

“Dustin and my stepdad know each other. He threatened to expose me to him. I couldn’t risk William’s safety.”

“Zach, that’s terrible. You must have been so scared.”

I press my forehead to hers. This kindness and compassion… after what I’ve done, the harm I’ve caused her… A shaky breath rattles through my chest.

“I should have found some other way,” I say in a rush, my raw emotions squeezing the words.

“In that moment, there was no other way.”

I force out a steadying breath.

“Is William still in danger?”

I lean back and wipe her temples again. “Things are happening fast. Our stepdad has been arrested in Alaska. He’s going to jail.”

Her eyes light up. “Oh, Zach, that’s the best news.”

“I’ll have to testify, maybe even take the stand at his trial.”

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