Page 119 of Dear John

“Yeah. You need some rest.” I got to my feet and pressed a kiss to her forehead. Then I dragged the chair to the corner where I could give her some space for the night.

“Kavanaugh,” she said softly.

I turned around, my eyes roaming over her body as she curled up on her side in bed. “Yeah?”

“Thank you for finding me.”

“I’ll always come for you, Isla.”

“I know.”

I took a seat and watched as the minutes dragged her under until she was sleeping peacefully in bed. Tomorrow would come too soon, along with a reality I wasn’t sure I was ready for. So, I sat in that chair all night and I watched her sleep, knowing I might not get the privilege ever again.

42

ISABELLE

He camefor me every day. Sometimes, we walked around the compound, but every couple of days, he would take me toward the gate. Those days were always hard on me. I wanted to claw at him and cry out that I wouldn’t allow him to take me away from the only place I had left that brought me any joy.

But I didn’t do any of that. I could almost hear Ebarardo’s voice in my head, telling me to be strong. He knew what I could handle and constantly tested me on it.

Today was one of those days we headed through the gate. I didn’t panic as much as that first day. I knew Hudson wouldn’t make me go further than I was comfortable with. He always seemed to know when it was far enough for the day. Since that first day, we’d walked down the road a little further every time. I had a feeling today would be unlike the other times.

The gates slid open and I prepared myself for the onslaught of terror. I could feel it thrumming beneath my skin, but it wasn’t tearing me apart like it had in the past.

“Tell me how you met him,” Hudson asked as we passed the gates.

My gaze snapped to him at the question. “What?”

“Zavala. You miss him and need to talk about him.”

“But—” I knew Hudson was like the rest of them. He didn’t agree with my feelings for Ebarardo. He just didn’t call me out on it.

“You don’t have to tell me. I just thought you might need to talk about him.”

I swallowed the lump in my throat at his kindness. I did need to talk about him. All this time, I kept him to myself. I didn’t want anyone to taint his memory, but the idea of being able to tell someone…

“He saw me at a club,” I admitted softly. “He wanted to dance, but I got a strange feeling from him.”

“What kind of feeling?”

“Like…like maybe he was dangerous. If I let him into my life, it wouldn’t be good.”

“And what happened?”

“I decided to leave with my friends. Before I left, he trapped me against a wall and told me he wasn’t through with me yet.”

I expected some kind of outraged reaction from him, but instead, he just kept walking beside me.

“He showed up at a coffee house I was at with my friends. As soon as I saw him, my heart beat faster and my palms were sweating. I knew he was going to change my life.”

“How did he get to you?”

I shook my head. “I don’t remember that part. It was like going to sleep. And then I was on the island,” I smiled.

“What was it like when you woke up?”

“At first, it was scary. I was in this cell and the doors were locked. I remember thinking I shouldn’t be there. I wanted to see my mom. That was the hardest part, I think. It was just a stark change for me.”

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