Page 14 of Saving Meri

“It never is,” Bear said, already shifting into battle mode. “I don’t care how long it takes. I want every name on my desk by morning. We will dismantle their supply lines, burn their resources, and leave no one standing to threaten her again.

Fitz grinned, but there was nothing friendly about it. “Now that’s the kind of enthusiasm I like to hear.”

Bear’s pulse was steady, despite the fury crawling under his skin. He knew what men like that were capable of. He’d spent years tracking them down, erasing them from the world. But this time, it wasn’t simply about eliminating a target. It was about her.

He wouldn’t lose Meri. Not to them. Not to her ghosts. Not even to herself.

Fitz studied him a moment longer before shaking his head. “You sure you’re up for this? Because, from where I’m standing, it’s starting to look like more than just another job for you.”

Bear didn’t answer. He didn’t need to. Fitz already knew the truth—Meri was his. Not in the way those bastards had tried to claim her. Not as property, not as a victim to be used and discarded. She was his in a way neither of them understood yet, but he sure as hell would not ignore it.

Fitz rubbed a hand over his jaw, letting out a low breath. “Gotta say, I don’t envy you. She’s a fighter, and she sure as hell doesn’t want to be saved.”

Bear’s mouth pulled into something close to a grin, but there was no humor in it. “Good. That means she’s still in there.”

Fitz snorted. “You planning on breaking down those walls she’s got wrapped so tight around herself?”

Bear’s eyes darkened. “No. I’m going to show her she doesn’t need them with me and let her pull them down herself.”

Fitz gave a low whistle. “Christ, you really are in deep.”

Bear didn’t respond, because what the hell was the point of denying it? He couldn’t pinpoint when, but between watching her battle the hell she’d been through and recognizing her continued disbelief in her safety, a shift occurred.

Meri had spent months learning how to survive, how to shut down, how to keep herself locked away where no one could touch her. Bear had seen women like her before—had rescued them, had done everything in his power to make sure they never had to be afraid again. But Meri? She was different.

She had been born into a world that had promised her safety, only to be dragged into one that made a mockery of that illusion. Now, she didn’t believe in anything. Not freedom. Not peace. Not herself.

That was going to change. Because if there was one thing Bear knew with absolute certainty, it was that Meri Vaughn had survived hell, but she wasn’t living. He’d be damned if he’d let her stay that way.

“Do what you need to do,” Bear ordered, pulling himself from his thoughts. “Find me the men who are still breathing.”

Fitz gave him a jaunty salute before striding toward the exit. “On it. Try not to scare the girl too much while I’m gone.”

Bear didn’t respond, because Fitz didn’t get it. Scaring Meri wasn’t the problem. She’d already lived her worst nightmare.No, what scared her was trusting anyone to hold her together while she rebuilt herself.

They took Meri, used her, and stripped her of every freedom she had once claimed. She had been told she belonged to men who had no right to her. But Bear knew the truth. She belonged to herself if and until she shared herself with someone else. Someone worthy.

And if she needed a man who wouldn’t let her drown in her own goddamn fears, if she needed someone who could handle the fight she was going to throw his way just to prove she could still stand on her own—then she’d come to the right place.

He stepped forward, curling his hand around the door handle. Meri could try to keep him out all she wanted, but he wasn’t going anywhere.

And neither was she.

4

MERI

Meri had never been good at waiting, and now that waiting had become the only thing she could do, it was unbearable. She sat on the edge of the bed, staring at the heavy door, knowing Bear was on the other side. His presence wasn’t a question. It was a certainty, the way the sun set at night and rose the next morning. Bear was there because he didn’t leave, didn’t waver, didn’t second-guess his decisions.

She hated him for that. She hated he had all the control, that he was making choices for her, structuring every second of her existence to make her fight him tooth and nail. And yet, here she was… still waiting… waiting… still not running.

She fisted the bedclothes and let out a slow breath, pushing to her feet. Every muscle ached. Her body was a roadmap of exhaustion and starvation, her limbs weaker than they should be, her reflexes slower than she remembered. The months in captivity had taken their toll, breaking her down in ways she refused to name, but that didn’t mean she would let him—or anyone else—ever win again.

She moved to the door, fingers hesitating only for a second before she opened it. The hallway was dim, the glow of a singleoverhead light casting everything in shadow. Bear was exactly where she expected him to be—leaning against the far wall, arms crossed, watching her like he had all the patience in the world.

His gaze traveled over her, assessing, searching, before settling on her eyes. "Didn’t think you’d stay in there forever," he said.

"I wasn’t hiding," she snapped, crossing her arms over her chest.

---