Page 85 of One Last Promise

“No. But we do want someone to make amove. We’ve been trying to figure out who might be behind some events that happened globally. And she’s the key to that.”

Silence.

“Not going to fill me in?”

“I don’t even know everything. But I do know that she can’t go missing. And if she does, then we’re back at ground zero. So keep her close.”

“I don’t want to keep lying to her.”

Colt picked up his cup. “Listen. I get it. No one likes to keep secrets from someone they care about. Believe me—my fiancée, Tae, kept so many secrets from me she nearly got my family killed. But she thought she was keeping us safe.”

“That’s a terrible excuse.”

“Look. She’s already been betrayed once. If you tell her, it’s over. And she’s in the wind.” He finished his coffee. “You see anything out of order, or she starts to act strangely, you tell us.”

The whole conversation had left a pit in Shep’s stomach, especially when he picked London up from the Samsons’ B and B and drove to Anchorage.

They’d talked about Hazel and Tillie, and then Moose had called them about the rescue, and by the time they reached the Tooth, London had downloaded the weather report and the wind report and gone quiet, in the zone, ready to fly.

He always returned from a rescue a little buzzed on adrenaline, tired and yet wired, needing to work out the knots of his rescues, and sometimes, he hit the gym in the Tooth.

Especially tonight. After they’d gotten back to the Tooth, Shep had watched London leave with Boo, and she’d been friendly enough.

Because,hello, that’s all they were. Friends. And that’s probably all they would ever be. Even with Oaken’s words in his head.“When you find the one, you know, right?”

If he could, Shep would go back to themoment he’d invited her to Anchorage and tell her the truth. Or instead, he’d return to that day on the mountain three years ago and not let her leave.

As if he had had a choice, but . . .

He finished his sandwich, grabbed a pickle, ate it, and put the jar in the fridge.

Then he went into the locker room, changed clothes, and came out in workout gear. Moose hadn’t exactly built a full gym, but the workout room contained mirrored walls, a weight set, a Nordic track, a treadmill, and an elliptical.

He got on the elliptical and turned on the flatscreen.

Oh, perfect, the finale of their stupid show, and this one had the scene with Oaken returning to greet Mike Grizz and his happy family.

Never mind the fact that someone Mike had trusted had tried to kill him.

Shep turned up the resistance. The fact was, he’d never wanted to be her babysitter. But he owed Colt. And shoot, of course he cared for London.

Colt’s words in his head burned through him.“The more she believes that she’s started over, that she’s safe, that no one knows what she’s done and who she is, the more she relaxes. And then, maybe we get lucky.”

Get lucky how? Someone would try to kill her?

Yeah, Shep wanted out. Or at least, he wanted to tell her the truth.

“I thought I’d find you here.”

He looked over his shoulder.

London stood in the doorway, her hair pulled back, dressed in workout gear.

“Hey.” Did he sound guilty? He felt like he sounded guilty. He slowed the elliptical. He hadn’t broken a sweat yet, but his heart thundered.

“Are youhere to work out?”

“Nope.”

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