Page 59 of Undying Resilience

I run my thumbs across the backs of her hands as we sit in silence. I’m not sure if she’s trying to figure out what to say or if she’s refusing to talk. It doesn’t matter. I’d sit with her in silence for years if that’s what she wanted from me.

“What if you were right?” she whispers eventually.

“About what?” I ask, but I already know, and it causes my mouth to instantly go dry. The mournful look Wren gives me has my heart twisting painfully, and I release her hands.

“The three of you have changed my life for the better in so many ways,” she says. “It’s barely been two weeks, but it’s true. I’ve come to care for you more than I...” She trails off, shaking her head. “A lot. I care for you a lot. But what if it’s too dangerous?”

“Please don’t,” is all I can manage to get out. It’s like my throat is closing in on itself, like my body is attacking the very notion of what she’s saying and leaving me spiraling out of control.

“I can’t go through that again, Ell. I didn’t think I’d make it that last time. Everything was starting to slow down, and it felt like I was two seconds from losing consciousness. From...” She stops, swallowing hard. “You said before that you’ve made a lot of enemies. Which ones will do worse? Which ones will kill me on the spot?”

“No. No, this won’t happen again, Wren.”

“You can’t guarantee that, and you know it.”

“We can.”

“You can’t!”

“Love.” Gently, I take her face in my hands, tilting it so she has to look at me. “The three of us have already discussed it. We’re not taking any more jobs that take us away from you for the foreseeable future. Not until you’re able to protect yourself. And not until we’ve killed Ludo and neutralized anyone who’s a threat to you. To any of us.”

She blinks slowly, frowning. “You’d do that?”

“Of course.”

“But... you don’t have to work?”

“We mostly take jobs for networking purposes and to get closer to Ludo. So no. Money is the least of our concerns. From now on, we won’t take any jobs without your personal stamp of approval. We’ll run everything by you. And if you’re not comfortable with something, all you have to do is say so.”

Her hands cover mine as she processes. “You... you mean it?”

“Absolutely,” I whisper. “We just talked about it, and we’re all on the same page.”

She inhales deeply, letting her eyes slide closed again. “Thank you.”

I kiss her softly in response. Wren sighs into my mouth as I pull her into my lap. Her legs end up wrapped around my waist, her hands running up and down my arms. When we pull away, she rests her forehead against mine.

“I almost got away,” she says quietly.

I rub her back, hoping to bring her some sense of reassurance or comfort. “Oliver told me. How did you manage?”

She brushes the tip of her nose against mine. “I tried to think like you do. Oliver says you’re always thinking ten moves ahead. So I tried to do that. And I almost made it. I was literally in a car, and I was halfway down the driveway. I just didn’t anticipate Jordan and his men coming back with Oliver at that exact moment.

“Maybe it was for the best. If they came back and I was already gone, who knows what they would’ve done to Oliver. But I was so angry and scared. Jordan was going to kill me. I think he took me escaping as a personal insult to his intelligence. And I understand he’s upset because his brother is dead, but that’s not my fault.”

“I know,” I murmur.

“Is it horrible of me?” she whispers. “To want to put him through what he did to me? Does it make me like him? Because I don’t want that.”

“I don’t think so, love. But my moral compass is a little broken.”

She lets out a small laugh. “That’s fine with me.”

“Oh? Why’s that?”

Finally, she opens her eyes, pulling away so she can take in my whole face. “Because it means you’ll stop at nothing to protect me. I’ve never had someone like that in my life. Not even my mom. It makes me feel safe. Cared for.”

“I’m glad you know it,” I say.

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