Page 53 of Mountain Protector

Turning off the water, I set the glass I’m rinsing in the drain. “I’m fine. Don’t worry about me.” I face her and ask, “Areyouokay?”

Her brows arch into a worried V, and a tiny line etches between them. “I’m okay. I told you that.”

But how could she be? She had a freaking gun pointed at her. Again.

“You don’t have to pretend you’re okay to make me feel better.”

“I’m not.” Lark cocks her head as she looks at me. Her hair is still damp from her shower, more auburn than red, and it glints ruby and copper as the sun hits it. She has no makeup on, and the tiny spray of freckles across her nose and cheeks makes her look ten yearsyounger than her thirty-four. She looks sweet and vulnerable, but there’s a lift to her chin that shows a strength she shouldn’t have had to rely on.

I should have protected her better. She shouldn’t have had to be strong today.

And she was. Facing off against Ric, against the very thing she has nightmares about, without panicking. Not just that, but she drew him out. Distracted him long enough for me to take him down without any bloodshed.

There would have been, if it had come to that. When I walked into the dining room and saw Ric holding a gun on my girlfriend, I almost lost it. Seeing Lark’s pale face, her eyes wide with fear, how she was shaking as she stood there…

Shit.

It took every bit of restraint to use non-lethal moves to neutralize him. But it’s one thing for Lark to know I’ve killed men—it’s another for her to actually see it.

And there’s a small part of me that feels sorry for Ric. I can’t erase the memories from before he started using, when he was just a nice guy who would bring donuts to the work site without being asked or sing U2 songs off key until the rest of the crew begged him to stop.

Fucking drugs.

Just… this whole thing fucking sucks.

“Knox.” Lark slips her hand inside mine. “Come with me.”

“Where?”

“Just in here.” She leads me into the living room and over to the couch, tugging me down beside her.

“Do you want to talk about it?” I ask. “Or do you want to try to set up a meeting with your counselor? I could see if Winter’s available?—”

“No.” She shifts so she’s turned toward me, her knees pressed against mine. “It’s not your fault, Knox. What happened back there; I know you’re blaming yourself. But it wasn’t your fault.”

My jaw clenches. “Yes, it was. Ric came looking for me. You shouldn’t have been involved at all. He saw my truck there, and just… It was my idea to bring you there. Mine. And I put you in danger.”

Frowning, she says, “That’s not true. It was a fluke. We went to the Edwardsons’ house, which was a totally normal thing to do. There was no way to know Ric would be driving by, high as a kite, with a gun in his truck that you knew nothing about.”

The guilt is suffocating. “I should have checked on him. Made sure.”

“No.” Her voice firms. “I’ve fired people, Knox. Unfortunately, when you’re in charge of other employees, it happens. If the person I’m firing acts erratic at the time, I might tell security about it. But I certainly wouldn’t expect to be—” She pauses as a shiver runs through her. “I would never expect to have that employee do what Ric did.”

“He seemed okay with it,” I say. “When I let him go. I even offered to let him come back if he could prove he was clean.”

Lark catches my hands, wrapping her fingers around mine. “You couldn’t have known. And look at us. We’re fine. I’m fine.”

“But your nightmares.”

“I have them already.”

Pain spears through me. “But they shouldn’t be because of me, Lark. I swore I’d keep you safe?—”

“You did.” Her eyes burn into mine. “I’m not going to lie and say it wasn’t scary. But I knew you could handle him. And I absolutely do not blame you for it. Not for a second.”

Emotion wells up so quickly I can’t speak for a moment. Throat thick, I finally manage, “I feel like I let you down.”

“Oh, no. No.” Lark drops my hands and climbs onto my lap. “Never. You didn’t.” Pain laces her words. “Please don’t ever think that, Knox. It’s not true.”

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