Page 42 of Finding Her Strength

I stand from my cot, waiting for the door to open. When it does, I step into the hallway while the guard cuffs my hands. My teeth clench in annoyance at being treated like every other criminal. Someday soon, I’ll be free of this fucking charade. I’m far too important to continue being degraded by people inferior to me.

The guard escorts me into the room with a bank of phones. “Last one on the left.” The guard motions to the end of the row ofphones, then steps out of the room. At least I’ll get a small amount of privacy.

I step to the booth, picking up the phone from its cradle. “Yes.”

“Boss, we found her,” my associate says through the line. His words send a bolt of triumph through my system. I knew we’d find her; it was only a matter of time.

“Good. Where is she?”

“Some hick town in North Carolina.”

“Hmm. Interesting. I’ll want a full report.”

“Yes, sir.”

“What about the other matter?”

“In the works. Should only be another week or two.”

“Fine. If this goes sideways, it’s on you.”

“It won’t, sir.”

“We’ll see.” I hang up the phone, not waiting for a sign-off. If he needed coddling from me, he wouldn’t be in my employ.

As I’m escorted back to my cell, my plans play over in my mind. I’m so close to having all the pieces in place to have everything back the way it was. I’ll have her exactly where she’s supposed to be.

With me.

24

HOPE

It’s the butt crack of dawn, and I’ve never been more excited to be awake this early. Levi will be picking me up for our adventure in ten minutes. I am terrified... and ecstatic. I have no idea where we’re going. Levi refused to tell me, saying it would ruin the surprise. You’d think after what happened in my past, I would be freaking out over the unknown, but after our conversation last night, I fully trust Levi to keep me safe.

The one thing I’m most concerned about is spending the whole night together. Since the first time was an accident, I’m nervous about navigating this situation without looking like a total idiot. The man is seriously sexy, and I am… not. I don’t even know how to be sexy. Am I supposed to be?

This is going to be a nightmare.

Levi has completely turned my world upside down. He’s reached down into the darkest parts of my soul and pulled out all my secret desires. Things I never dared to dream about have suddenly been laid in front of me. They’re so close, within reach, all I have to do is say yes. And, God, do I want to say yes. I’ve never wanted anything more.

If I do go through with taking our relationship to thephysical level, I’m going to need the courage to share my history with Levi. At least in the sex department. He deserves to know that part of my story. He deserves my whole story, but I’m not sure I’m ready to give it to him yet.

Levi’s headlights shine through the window as he pulls into my driveway. I grab my small overnight bag and walk out the front door, excitement buzzing through me. My smile is wide as Levi jumps out of his truck. He looks comfortable in loose-fitting jeans and a T-shirt, but it doesn’t give me any indication of where we’re going.

When I’m close, Levi takes my bag from my hands, placing it in the back seat next to his duffle. As soon as he turns back around, he scoops me into his arms for a hug, wrapping his arms around my waist. My arms naturally go around his neck, his spicy, cinnamon scent filling my senses.

“Good morning.” He grins down at me, and after a quick peck on the lips, he leads me around to the passenger side door, opening it for me to get in. He’s moving so quickly, I can barely keep up with him.

“Good morning,” I say when he’s in the truck behind the steering wheel. His excitement is almost palpable in the small space.

“Are you ready to get on the road?”

“I think so. Are you going to tell me where we’re going yet?”

“Nope.” He twists around to back out of the driveway, sending me a wink as he does. All I can do is shake my head at him. I have no idea how he knew I would enjoy an adventure like this. We haven’t even gotten to our destination yet, and I’m already having more fun than I’ve had in a long time. It further proves how different Levi is from every other experience I’ve had before.

“What I can tell you is we’ll be on the road for a while, so I thought we could cue up the audiobook you sent me last night.”

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