Page 36 of Finders Keep Her
“Pretty sure it was you that wanted to be full of me,” I tease her, wanting to lighten the mood. I don’t want her crying any more today.
“Ro!” Heat rushes to her cheeks, making her freckles stand out more. She bats my shoulder with her hand as though that will stop me. “You shouldn’t say those sorts of things to a lady in public. There’s so much you have to learn.” She shakes her head at me.
“You’ll just have to teach me, then.”
“It’s going to take a really long time with a barbarian like you.”
“Forever.” I throw that word out there to get her used to it. Before she can say anything else, I wrap my fingers through her hair and pull her mouth to mine.
Right where it belongs.
Chapter Eighteen
ELLIE
When we step outside of the coffee shop, I shouldn’t be shocked to see the truck sitting right there. I thought I’d ditched it, but Ronan and his freaky superpowers are at play here. Of course he found it.
“How do you do these things?” Ronan opens the passenger-side door for me. Normally when I leave my dad’s, I head into the city that is closest, which is heavily run by the Marino family. This time I’d gone in the opposite direction, thinking it would be easier to get lost there until I picked a route out of the city.
It was so last minute that I hadn’t had much put into place, but I always have a variety of identifications and such, but it’s hard to disappear anymore.
“I might not be as tech-savvy as you and Z, but I always have means,” he tells me as I climb in. He reaches over, clicking my seat belt for me. “If shit hits the fan, I have dozens of ways out of town and into different cities or countries. If you need to hide, I’m your man, little fox.”
“Aren’t you my man for everything?” I tease, but, okay, maybe it’s not a tease.
“You’re getting it.” He kisses the tip of my nose before closing the door. Yeah, I’m getting it. I kind of love that he’s takenrunning off the table for me. It means I need a new game plan, and this one is going to include Ronan at my side.
With that thought, a restlessness inside of me starts to settle.
“Where are we headed?” I ask when he pulls away from the curb. “I might need to do a check-in.”
“With Bruce or the girls?”
“You know, you’re a real know-it-all.”
“Maybe I do know it all.” He shoots me a smirk. “Like I know that I might not be pissed at you, but Cosima is going to lose it on you.”
“And Tova is going to guilt me. I’m not sure which is worse.”
“That’s what happens when you have people that love you, Ellie. Doesn’t matter if you’re here or hiding, they'll still care. Your location changes nothing.”
“I know.” I nod. He reaches over, putting his hand on my thigh.
“Taking you back to your dad’s so you can give him a proper goodbye, and then we’ll pack some of your things.”
“My dad gets it, and I have my go bag.” I pat it.
“No, your dadacceptsit, and we’re packing your bags so you start to get that the hiding and running is done. Over with,” he adds, making sure to emphasize that last part.
“Oh, right.” I throw my hands up. “So I can just go galivanting around life.”
“Yes.”
“That’s not how this works.” How does he not get that?
“Ellie, if you live like prey, you will always be hunted.Bethe hunter, not the hunted.”
“That sounds empowering.”
