Page 71 of Her Silver Fox Mountain Men

“We were ambushed,” Roman callously cuts in, his eyes never leaving mine.

My blood runs cold as a new kind of dread comes over me, filling my whole being with an icy sensation that ultimately burns through my skin as if it’s consuming me from the inside out.

“What did you say?” I whisper.

“When we got to Candy’s, our guys confirmed that Kara was inside. In fact, she texted me herself as well. We figured going through the back door was best in case anybody was watching the main entrance, but there were four gunmen already waiting for us in the alley.”

“Oh my God,” I gasp, covering my mouth with shaky hands.

“Hey, we’re okay,” he kneels and rests his hands on my thighs, rubbing them gently. I can feel his warmth through the denim of my jeans as I search his face for more explanation. “We took two of them down. Our guys are already running their info through every possible database.”

“The sheriff locked the crime scene down, put a lid on the whole thing,” Oliver adds.

“How did this happen? Howcouldthis happen?”

“We were most likely followed. There’s a high possibility that Kara’s phone was tapped. Our lines are all 100 percent secure, so we know the leak didn’t come from us,” James replies. “The other two hitmen got away. Kara was taken out of there as soon as the first shots rang out in the alley.”

“Where is she now?”

“Well, that’s the problem. We don’t know,” James sighs deeply. “We can’t get a hold of any of our guys or her. She’s in the wind.”

“Our guess is she got spooked at the restaurant and decided to part ways with our services,” Roman says.

“That’s pretty fucking convenient,” I mumble, shaking my head in dismay. “No, there’s something else going on here. It was Igor; it had to be him.”

“There’s no sign of him anywhere. We’re hoping we’ll have more information once we ID the two dead assailants, though,” James replies.

“I can’t stay here,” I whisper, beads of cold sweat blooming across my temples. My throat burns with the bitter fire of adecision I knew, deep down, that I would reach sooner or later. “Guys, it’s not safe. Not for me, clearly not for you, the guys, or the twins. There are too many innocent lives at risk. Why can’t you see that everyone’s better off if I just leave?”

James cups my face with his hands and pulls me into a quick but firm kiss. “You’re not going anywhere, Elise.”

“It’s too dangerous having me here! You’re all going to get killed because of it.”

“Elise, we told you we were in love with you, and we meant it. I love you, we all love you. The minute you came into our lives we knew you were special, knew that things were about to shift in a major way. There’s no coming back from what we feel for you. That being said, any one of us are prepared to do whatever it takes to keep you safe. We made you a promise, and we intend to keep it.”

Roman nods in agreement. “We’re not going to let anything happen to you. I know you want to believe that you’re making it safer for us by leaving, but do you really think we’re going to let you handle all of this on your own? That we wouldn’t continue to keep you safe from a distance? You keep trying to convince yourself that you’re more in danger here than out there on your own, but deep in your heart you know that’s not true.”

“I don’t want anybody else getting hurt because of me,” I say quietly, my eyes tearing up. “But… I concede.”

James laughs softly and kisses me again. It feels different this time. An unspoken declaration that says more than a thousand words ever could. Oliver comes closer and kisses me as well. Roman is next, and his kiss seals the deal for me. His lips brush over mine and I melt into his hot breath.

“I love you, Elise,” he whispers. “No fucking joke. You’re it for us. End of the line.”

“End of the line,” I repeat.

The words echo through my head, and for the first time in a long time, I perceive the certainty that comes attached to them. Tears roll down my cheeks. Of relief. Of joy. Of reciprocated, honest love.

“You really do love me,” I say.

“Is that so hard to believe?” Oliver chuckles, gently caressing my face.

“No, it’s just that bringing my past to your doorstep isn’t fair to any of you.”

“It’s not fair to you either,” James kindly reminds me. “You didn’t ask for any of this. You were trying to get away from it. You’ve been victimized, and it’s time someone came through for you. You came through for those you loved when you had to, even if it meant walking away in order to keep them safe.”

“You mean my brother.”

“Yes. Let us do this, Elise. Let us protect you.”

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