Page 90 of Reclaimed

I nudge Remy from her lap and wrap the leash around my hand before offering her both of mine. “Grab on, starshine.” With a tug, I assist her to her feet.

“It was a lot easier getting down there.” As she turns through the gate, I put my hand on her stomach to protect her from bumping into the sharp corner. The door clicks shut behind us. “Where to?”

“Wherever you want.” A slight tremble enters my voice. I pray she can’t hear it as we meander down the path leading to the trees on the edge of the meadow.

“There’s a lot of land out here.”

“The property is huge. We mainly stick to the trails except when we’re checking and fixing fences.”

“Do you come out here often?”

I rub a sweaty palm along the thigh of my jeans. “I haven’t been out this way for a while.”

Remy doesn’t seem to have the same problem that I do. His gait is sure and eager as he tucks his nose close to the dirt and leads us along the trail. My feet falter. My strides become unsteady as the path grows long and narrow.

Without a second thought, I wrap my hand around hers and hang on. “Let’s go this way.” Every cell in my body begs me toturn right around the loop, but I know I need to go left. There’s no better time than right now to walk that trail.

Isla doesn’t question my sudden command. With a twitch of the leash, Remy aims left.

“Is this where…” she trails off. I feel her quizzical stare on my face.

“A little up ahead.”

“And you haven’t been here since?”

Words stick in my throat. I shake my head. Swallow over the unmovable lump. “No.”

“Aiden, you don’t have to do this.” Her fingers tighten around mine. I squeeze back.

“I want to.”

“Will you tell me about it?”

My heart skips a beat. I inhale slowly, releasing the breath into the cool October air. It rises like a puff of smoke before vanishing into the sky.

“Frankie and I were walking dogs that day. We’d been out for hours taking them two at a time, enjoying the exercise and the fresh air. We were on the final two, Ashe and Remy. We took the left at the fork.”

I close my eyes, hearing the rustle in the distance. They pop open and scan the trees before I remember the sound is only a memory.

Isla’s quiet as we walk. My attention heightens the closer we get to that spot. Just ahead. Through the trees. I tense as a shudder runs through my body, sure she can feel it in my hand.

“A few more feet.” I direct us closer, ignoring the way my chest tightens. My next exhale chases the last, coming quicker. Scanning the ground, I look for signs of a struggle. Blood. Casings. Anything. But a summer of rain would have washed away any evidence the police didn’t collect long ago. The reminder only exists in my memory.

The helplessness comes rushing back. So much that I wish I hadn’t left my gun secured in the car. I don’t need it here. Logically I know that to be true. The man is in jail, and the situation was too unique to repeat. That doesn’t stop my mind from conjuring scenarios. From feeling unsafe out here alone with another woman and one of my brother’s dogs.

I protected Frankie out of sheer fucking luck. But what if that luck runs dry when I need it a second time?

Twigs snap between my shoes as I release Isla’s hand and step forward. X marks the spot.

“Here.” The word is forced out on a breath. Wind pushes my hair around my ears, tickling my already heightened nerves. Rolling my shoulders, the collar on my leather jacket blocks some of the cold air teasing my neck.

I can stand here. I can reclaim this part of my life. My second home.Myself.

A little of the tension leaks from my fingertips.

Without looking, I sense her presence beside me. That warmth from just being near. Isla moves into my side, close but not touching. She leaves the gap just small enough that I’ll have to reach out to eliminate the space between us.

I waste no time doing just that.

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