Page 19 of Accidentally Kidnapping the Hitman

And it’s buzzing. The screen is lit up with an unknown number.

Not Wyatt, then.

Fuck, I can’t let myself hope.

“Hello?”

It’s too goddamn loud in this bar, and I press the burner against my ear. Is that an intake of breath? A quiet gasp down the other end of the line? Or is that just static?

“Dean?”

Her voice is so quiet I barely hear it over the din—but I’d know Annie’s voice anywhere. I shove to my feet, heart pounding, and clap a hand over my free ear, trying to muffle the noise of the bar.

“Annie. Wait a second. I’m moving somewhere quieter.” People grumble as I shove my way through the crowd to the door, not caring who I piss off, but they’ll get over it—and I need to talk to my girl. Need to keep her on the phone long enough to make sure she’s okay.

Even if Annie never wants to see me again… letting me know she got home safe is a gift. One that I’ll treasure.

It’s raining harder out in the street, but I burst out of the doorway and stride along the sidewalk. Each thud of my boots rattles through my bones, and I’m straining with all my might to hear her breaths.

“Annie? You still there?”

Her long pause is agonizing. Then—

“Yes. I’m here.”

Thank god. My eyes slam closed, blocking out the flickering store signs and wet rooftops all around. The cold rain and gurgling drains and the flyer that gusts against my leg, carried by the breeze. The couples hurrying down the street, hunched together under umbrellas, and the drinkers spilling out of the country bar to smoke.

Everything fades away.

There’s only my ragged breaths, and the soft voice in my ear.

“I’m sorry for running away like that,” Annie says. She sounds shy. Nervous. “I should have let you explain.”

My head shakes, even though she can’t see me. “No, you did the right thing. You kept yourself safe. Even though I’d never hurt you, Ialwayswant you to do the smart thing and run if you’re scared. Even from me.”

Even if it means I spend the rest of my life alone and wrecked.

Because Annie felt unsafe, and she fled. I will never, ever blame her for that. Hell, I’m proud.

“I didn’t think.” She sounds as miserable as I feel, and Christ, I hate that. My free hand balls into a fist by my side, my body desperate to find whatever’s bothering her and beat it to a pulp. ‘Course, the culprit is me. “I just panicked and ran, and I didn’t even think about how I don’t have your number. Or know where you live. Or have any way of reaching you again.”

My throat is so tight, I have to clear it to speak. “Seems like you figured your way around that.”

“Wyatt gave me your number.”

I grunt. “That’s good.”

So my twin brother kept my number, even if he never replied? My head swims, and yeah, I’ll have to process that another time when I’m not already fritzing out and overwhelmed.

Annie shudders out a breath. It crackles down the line. “So it’s okay that I’m calling you?”

A raw laugh bubbles out of my chest. “Annie, it’s the best fucking news of my life. Even if you never want to see me again, just hearing from you—”

“I do,” she interrupts. “I do want to see you again. But you have to tell me about that knife.”

Fair enough.

“It’s not pretty,” I warn, my fist rubbing circles against my chest. Prepping myself for the inevitable heartbreak when she hears about who I am now, then wants me gone. Still, I can’t lie to her. I never will. “But I want you to know: I wouldneverhurt you. Never.”

---