Page 11 of Enduring Promise

“Motive? You make me sound calculated and manipulative.” She spun toward him and held up a finger. “Don’t you dare make a lawyer joke right now.”

“That was close,” he laughed. “I don’t think you’re either of those things. I was taken off guard by your agreement with Madame Fournier. I didn’t expect you to accept what she was saying so freely.”

“I didn’t,” Hillary corrected, the moonlight from the window lighting her face. “I learned a long time ago when a situation is complicated, your job isn’t to blow it up and hope it gets rebuilt. From the outside it might look like maybe they’d all be better off if it fell apart, got messy. But I’ve had those choices made for me before. It’s devastating. I look at the goal, and I move toward that.”

“What choices were made for you?” He kept his eyes locked on her face as she turned and stared up at the ceiling.

“That story I told Claire earlier, about my ex, that wasn’t some empty way to try to connect with her. I wasn’t sure if maybe she was dealing with a jerk she couldn’t handle.”

“You couldn’t handle a guy? I doubt that.”

“I wasn’t always the confident kick-ass woman you see today. I was very young and the part they don’t tell you when you start to date is you can’t really know when something has gone bad. It’s not milk. You can’t look at an expiration date or see that it’s chunky and know it’s time to pour it down the drain.”

“You should definitely write greeting cards. That’s a lovely analogy.” He tried to make her smile but she only blinked away some emotion. “Sorry, I make stupid jokes.”

“You really do.” Now she smiled. “But anyway I turned to my family and asked for help and they didn’t believe there was really a problem. It crushed me. He’d taken over my life. Isolated me.And really made me question my judgment. Eventually a friend came in and basically threw dynamite on the situation.”

“They made it worse?”

“No, she literally blew up his car. She was crazy. But I love her.” Hillary laughed and shook her head. “But I didn’t need someone to come complicate an already complicated situation. I needed a levelheaded person who believed me and cared about me to lead me out of that. The blowing up part of the situation really made it worse. It dragged on longer. It caused a lot of problems. I’m not looking to be the wrecking ball that frees Claire from the things that we think are wrong. But maybe we can help lead her out of it.”

“That’s really incredible,” Russ said, raising up on his elbow and looking down at her. “And I’m completely willing to do that. But if shit gets crazy, I will be lighting a fuse.”

“Fair enough,” Hillary agreed. “We can have plan A and plan B.” She yawned and nestled her head deeper into the lush pillow. “This bed is the best thing I’ve felt in ages.”

“You really need to stop setting me up for these jokes. I only have so much willpower.”

“I heard it as soon as I said it. You’re a strong man, I’m sure you can refrain from things that will get you in trouble.” Hillary closed her eyes and a smirk danced on her lips.

“For a little while,” he sighed. “But everyone has their breaking point.”

CHAPTER 10

Hillary again drifted in that soft, hazy space between sleep and wakefulness, a warm weight anchoring her in place. Her head rested on Russ's chest, rising and falling with each steady breath he took, and his arm was draped protectively around her. She felt cocooned, a rare sensation of safety she hadn’t experienced in a long time.

For a brief moment, she didn’t pull away. Her eyes fluttered open, and she looked up to find his face, peaceful and relaxed in sleep, the morning light casting a soft glow across his features. His dark lashes rested against his cheek, his expression devoid of the worry and intensity that usually hardened his face. She let herself linger there, savoring the moment in a way she knew she shouldn’t.

Hillary closed her eyes again, sinking deeper into the warmth of his embrace. In this fleeting, in-between moment, she let herself imagine that maybe, just maybe, this could be her life. That if she stayed still enough, the troubles and complexities of their situation would fade away, and they could simply be two people sharing a morning together.

But the reality was there, right below the surface, reminding her the connection, the closeness, was built in the shadow ofdanger. Still, she didn’t move. She let herself pretend a little longer, willing the peace to last a few more moments.

Russ stirred beside her, his arm tightening instinctively as he started to wake. Hillary’s pulse quickened, and before he could fully come to, she gently freed herself, rolling away to create a little distance. But before she got far, his hand found her wrist, and with a sleepy murmur, he pulled her back against him.

“Russ...” she whispered, her voice low, half a protest, half a question, as if his name alone could pull him into full wakefulness and out of this cozy closeness. Surely, if he were truly awake, he wouldn’t be holding her this way, keeping her so near, as though this was something they did every morning.

He opened his eyes, blinking down at her, a drowsy smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. “Five more minutes,” he murmured, his voice rough with sleep. “Just... let’s stay here five more minutes.”

She felt her heart stumble, the soft plea catching her off guard. Her gaze held his, searching his face for signs of hesitation or regret, but all she found was warmth and something unspoken in his eyes.

“Okay,” she breathed, her voice barely a whisper as she settled back against him, letting her guard down enough to enjoy this fleeting moment. His arm wrapped around her again, and she nestled her head against his chest, feeling his heart beat steady and reassuring under her cheek.

They lay there in silence, the only sound the quiet rhythm of their breaths mingling in the early morning light. She let herself relax, sinking into the warmth and comfort of his hold, willing time to slow, to make those five minutes stretch on indefinitely.

Hillary lay there, her cheek resting against Russ’s chest, feeling the warmth of his arm around her, but her mind was far away, drifting back to the series of choices that had brought her to this improbable moment. This was neversupposed to be her case—this was supposed to be her sister Mia’s case. Brave, levelheaded Mia, who’d been working with the Kinross organization for over five years, helping people escape impossible situations, making life-and-death calls with unshakeable calm and impeccable judgment.

It was Mia who knew how to handle situations like this, who understood protocol and carried the weight of each case with a strength that Hillary had always admired. Mia, the sister who had always been reliable, who never missed a step, never faltered. And Hillary... she had been the screw-up of the family, the one who’d tried to fit into that mold and failed time and again. Her choices hadn’t exactly inspired confidence, least of all from her own family.

When Mia had called, sick with the flu, Hillary had jumped at the chance to step in, thinking it would be a quick, simple thing—a way to prove herself, maybe even earn a bit of her sister’s respect. All she had to do was pretend to be Mia for a day, to gather statements, collect the evidence from Russ and Topeka, and then she’d be done. It was supposed to be one night’s work, in and out, no complications.

---