Page 18 of Enduring Promise

Hillary clenched her jaw, the full picture beginning to take shape. “He’s threatening you. And he’s willing to go to extreme lengths to make sure you stay silent. But the caller the other night was a woman. Who was that?”

“Chelsea Villow. She’s the head of the lab. Another one of Michael’s girlfriends. Someone else he played for a fool. We didn’t know about each other. And when we did find out, she kept her loyalty to him and I didn’t. Now she’s trying to make sure I don’t expose everything.”

“Have you told them you planned to?”

Claire covered her face with her hands, her shoulders shaking. “No, but they know I’m acting strangely. They’ve known for a while. I don’t know what to do. I’m trapped, Hillary. I thought I could control it, but it’s spiraling.”

Hillary moved closer, her voice softening. “Do you plan to expose them?”

“I will disgrace my entire family. I’ll prove everything they’ve said about me is right. But there are people who suffered real consequences and losses. I have to make that right.”

Hillary placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. “We have to assume they are here. Either someone in the house you can’t trust or someone who has come all this way to threaten and silence you. Either way, you aren’t safe.”

“I can’t leave. I’m not safe anywhere.”

“I agree. But you are going to tell me everything that happened, everything you know, and get me whatever evidence you can. And you’re going to do it quickly.”

“Before they kill me?”

“Hey, looks like you and I have more in common than you thought.”

CHAPTER 18

“How can we be sure this isn’t about us?” Russ questioned as he paced the bedroom. “We’re supposed to get all dressed up and go to this celebration tonight, not knowing if that fire was meant for us.”

“It wasn’t.” Hillary said confidently. “If they’d found us, we’d be dead.”

“You saw that cop looking at me, right?” Russ shot her a knowing look.

“He recognized me, or at least thought he did. My face is likely plastered on the news or something. And if they dig deeper...” He let the sentence trail off, the implications hanging heavy between them.

Hillary sighed, leaning against the dresser, her gaze steady. “We’ll deal with it if it escalates. You’re probably running on adrenaline from the fire and everything feels worse than it is.”

Russ wasn’t so sure. “I really don’t want to get back on the road. This place works. It’s remote. No one expects us to be here. We have everything we need. I want it to last.” He moved in closer and took her hand. “I finally feel like I can breathe. Like you and I can...”

“That fire wasn’t for us, Russ. It was a message for Claire. And if we want to help her—and help ourselves in the process—we need to see this through. Keeping Claire safe might mean we can stay here longer.”

“I know you want to get home to your sister,” Russ said gently as he turned her toward him and pulled her in close. “Staying here with me isn’t that enticing.”

Hillary didn’t answer him with words. Instead, she stepped closer, cupping his face in her hands and pulling him down to meet her in a kiss. Her lips were soft, but there was an intensity in the way she kissed him, a quiet determination that seemed to chase away all his doubts. The scent of smoke still lingered on him, mingling with the clean, sharp smell of the soap, and it made the moment feel raw, real. Like everything they’d been through was etched into this touch.

Russ felt a thousand instincts flare up, caution screaming at him to slow down, to think this through. They were living on borrowed time, in a borrowed identity, and there was a weight that came with this connection—a danger he wasn’t sure either of them could afford. He pulled back, resting his forehead against hers, his breathing unsteady.

“Hillary...” he began, his voice hoarse from the smoke as he struggled to find the right words. “This is a dangerous game we’re playing, and I’m not just talking about the people who want me dead. There’s no way this can end well for us.”

She laughed softly, her fingers still tracing along his jaw. “I’m not focused on the ending, Russ. I want to see the next few pages.” Her voice was warm, resolute, as though she was making a promise to herself as much as to him.

Russ looked into her eyes, searching for any hesitation, any trace of fear, but found only that quiet, fierce confidence he’d come to admire. He was tired of running, tired of being alone in his own skin. Maybe this moment—this embrace, this kiss—wasexactly what they both needed to hold on to, if only for a little while.

With a sigh of surrender, he drew her close again, his fingers tangling in her hair as he kissed her deeply, letting himself sink into the feeling, into her. The future, with all its uncertainty and shadows, could wait.

CHAPTER 19

Russ held Hillary close, his fingers tracing a gentle line along her spine as he gazed at her, his expression softened by something rare and unguarded. She looked up, her heart thudding so loud she was sure he could hear it.

Their lips met slowly, softly, as if savoring every second of the moment. Hillary’s hands moved up to cradle his face, his skin warm and pulsing. The world around them faded, and all that mattered was the gentle rhythm of their breaths, the way they fit so effortlessly against each other.

Russ lifted her slightly, guiding her toward the bed, never breaking contact. As they sank onto the cool sheets, they took their time, exploring the new vulnerability between them. Hillary’s fingers traced patterns along his shoulders, and she shivered under his touch. Each hungry brush of their lips was filled with passion, promises neither of them dared to voice but felt deeply.

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