Page 36 of Hero's Heart

He’s gone. You’re safe now.

She repeated the thought like a mantra, willing herself to believe it. But the ghost of Nikola’s breath on her neck wouldn’t fade. She sank to the floor, the water mixing with her tears as she hugged her knees. The vulnerability was suffocating, threatening to drag her under.

A soft knock at the door broke through the haze. She froze, her sobs catching in her throat.

“Sloane?” Callum’s voice was low, steady, yet tinged with concern. “Are you okay in there?”

She swallowed hard, shame heating her cheeks that he’d heard her.

“I’m fine,” she called back, her voice weak. She cleared her throat, forcing strength into her tone. “I’ll be out in a minute.”

“All right,” he replied, but his hesitation lingered. “Let me know if I can do anything.”

Sloane didn’t trust her voice to answer, so she focused on dragging herself to her feet.

She needed to focus on the task at hand—that was her mind-set at home and needed to be her mind-set here. Focusing on the past was just going to cause her to fall apart.

There was no shampoo, so she washed her hair with the soap. The water was starting to cool as she finished rinsing, so she quickly got out. The threadbare towel hanging nearby felt rough against her tender skin, but she used it to dry off, grateful for even the smallest semblance of normalcy.

She pulled her shoplifted farm dress over her head. The reflection staring back at her in the cracked mirror was raw and grim. But she was alive. That had to count for something.

With a deep breath, she opened the door.

Callum stood near the bed, his arms crossed. “You okay?”

She nodded, avoiding his eyes. “Yes. Thanks.”

He gestured to the rickety table where the food he’d swiped sat—a loaf of bread, a block of cheese, and a couple of bruised apples. Her stomach growled audibly and she flushed, but Callum only chuckled.

“Dig in,” he said, breaking the bread and handing her a piece.

“You waited for me?”

He nodded.

The tiny act of kindness had tears pricking her eyes again. “Thank you.”

The simple meal felt like a feast after days of hunger. She savored each bite, letting the food ground her. The tension in her shoulders eased slightly as they ate in silence, the dim glow of the bedside lamp casting soft shadows on the walls.

Callum took a shower once they were done, his much quicker than hers.

“Do you think they’re still looking for us?” she asked hesitantly, breaking the quiet as he came out dressed in his newclothes. The pants were the slightest bit too short, but hardly noticeable.

Callum’s expression darkened. “I hope not. Their leverage is gone now that you’re free, and Marissa is out of reach. They’ll probably move on to other targets.”

Relief washed over her, but it was fleeting. “Marissa… She’s safe? She went with your friends?”

“I have no doubt Theo and Bear got her to the drop point. She’ll be fine.” He pulled a damaged phone from his pocket, his frustration evident. “This thing got killed sometime yesterday during everything that happened. I need to contact my team, let them know we’re alive. But using a public line here is too risky.”

Sloane bit her lip. “I’m sorry. If it weren’t for me?—”

“Stop.” Callum’s voice was firm, cutting through her self-recrimination. He reached for her hand, his touch grounding. “None of this is your fault. We’ll figure it out. One step at a time.”

She nodded, but his reassurance couldn’t banish the bitterness swirling in her chest. “You didn’t know I was there, did you? My father sent you in to rescue Marissa, but not me.”

He shrugged. “Technically, we weren’t supposed to rescue anyone. We were supposed to drop money off in exchange for Marissa. When we found out where she was being held, we decided to veer off the original plans of the mission.”

“But my father hadn’t made any plans to pay a ransom for me.”

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