Page 47 of Lose Me In The Shadows

“I think Marcus got the hint,” Micah said.

“Aren’t you both supposed to be sleeping? And you shouldn’t be fucking with your shoulder like that.”

Kara looked up from where she lay prone on top of him. “Oh, it’s you two. And this was his idea, not mine.” She yawned.

Micah was smiling, the wily fuck. “Sleep, you two. We’ll talk to you later.”

The door shut. Kara flipped over and then flopped back down.

“I’m exhausted.”

“Good. Let’s go the fuck to sleep.”

She yawned and shut her eyes, a smile playing on her lips. “You better not snore.”

“Mesnore?” he asked, falsely indignant. “You’re the snorer.”

“Am not.”

He wrapped his left arm around her and pulled her tight against him, so her ass fit snugly against his now fully softened cock, and his left hand rested on her bare breast.

“I’m glad you’re safe, sweetheart.”

“Am I?” she asked him.

Troubled, Luke didn’t respond, waiting until her breathing evened out. He couldn’t sleep, her question plaguing him. She wasn’t safe, and it was his, Conor’s, and Micah’s fault. They’d brought her into this life, and everything that happened to her was on them.

And then Kara cried his name out in her sleep, begging him to save her.

He’d saved her on the climbing wall, once.

But he hadn’t been the one to save her this time. He shushed her back to sleep, and once she settled, he pulled her tighter, vowing to never let anyone hurt her again.

He’d sacrifice anything and everything for it.

Even himself.

12

“Everything good?” Billy asked when Micah and Conor entered the “war room,” joining Marcus, Billy, and the Doctor. Micah took a moment, just one, to appreciate the other men’s set up. There was a series of monitors and computers, one devoted to the news. There was camera footage of the area surrounding the compound, and a few blank screens. Briefly, he wondered if they had the budget for something similar, but then dismissed it, with an ache in his chest. They probably wouldn’t be home in the cabin for a long, long time. He wasn’t sure if he missed his computers more—he had his laptops with him—or the way Kara’s personal style had surrounded them. He’d put a lot of time and research into making sure the cabin was exactly the way she’d want it, even if he personally hated concrete and copper as an aesthetic.

Not that it mattered now. Not for a while at least. He wasn’t sure when the hell they were going home, if ever.

Didn’t matter. They had better than her style, they had her.

He hoped.

It wasn’t like Micah to question. Ever since he’d been kicked out of his family and community, and maybe before, Micah had decided that being sure about something was the way to go. It didn’t mean you didn’t have room for flexibility, but you didn’t hesitate or dither or question or get torn up over things. You took stock of the situation, and you acted. Simple.

But nothing about Kara was simple.

Focusing on the task at hand, he looked at Billy. “What do you know?”

Marcus answered. “Chris Johnathan is in the wind. Flat out disappeared. Can’t track him down anywhere.”

“His brothers are protecting him,” Conor said.

Billy nodded. “Either they actually consider him an asset, or familial loyalty won out.”

---