Page 29 of Montana Silence

“You’re right.”

Putting my food aside, I moved closer to her. “Thank you for telling me.”

She was the one to reach out this time, pulling on the fabric of my shirt until I was close enough. And she kissed me. My eyes stayed open in surprise for a long moment before I let myself go. The food was forgotten entirely. We could eat any time. I would kiss Mara as long as she was willing to kiss me.

The way she pulled me closer, I lost my balance, taking us down onto the grass. She was underneath me, andgod, it was everything. We weren’t ready for that. I knew it, and still, I was disappointed that we were outside in the middle of a park and not somewhere closer to home and privacy.

“Liam?” Mara asked, breaking away far enough to see my face.

“Mara.” I said her name because it was music. She deserved to hear it said.

Her whole face and neck were flushed, and it wasn’t from the cold of the wind. She was looking at my mouth instead of at me. “Will you…” She took a deep breath. “Will you come with me?”

“To the hearing?”

She nodded, still not meeting my eyes.

Slowly, I lifted a hand and eased it behind her neck so I could guide her gaze to mine. There was the true fear. Deeper than the hearing itself. She was afraid I would tell her no, and that she would be abandoned and alone. Like she had been when her mother disappeared or when she’d suddenly lost everything she’d ever known, despite her world being twisted.

“Of course I will,” I said quietly. “Of course.”

She dug her fingers into my arms. “I’m scared.”

“That’s okay,” I said. “It’s okay to be scared. I’ll be with you every step of the way. You’re not alone in this.”

She closed her eyes, and I kissed her again. When we finally separated, she was smiling again, and her expression was easy with relief. Mara’s voice was almost unnecessary. She told me so much without words.

In that moment, she might feel like she was the one who needed me. But as we walked back to the truck hand in hand, I knew I was the one who needed her.

More than anything.

Chapter10

Mara

I tookLiam’s advice and slowly, painfully, told Daniel and Jude the truth. Not all of it, but enough to let them know what I needed and why I needed it.

Daniel was relieved to know the truth about the veil. Or at least a piece of it.

My fear of being treated differently was completely unfounded. Their only concern had been for me and how they could help. I felt foolish for worrying.

But going to the lodge on Monday morning because they’d asked to see me had my stomach in knots. I’d been alternating back and forth between joy and happiness because of Liam and our date, along with a dose of dread about the upcoming hearing and what could happen.

What if Malcolm really had found a way to send me the veil? Right before he had the possibility of getting out? It was terrifying, and there was no way to deny it was a threat. Even if itwasn’tMalcolm, at best, it was someone trying to scare me. At worst…

I didn’t want to think about the worst.

Jude and Daniel were in the security office, and both of them looked relaxed and happy. Not like they were about to deliver news that would devastate me. That was good.

“Hey, Mara,” Daniel called. “You want some coffee?”

I shook my head. I had too much anxiety in my stomach to put anything in it. Later. I could have coffee later once I knew what they’d found.

“Come on in,” Daniel said, gesturing to one of the chairs by the table. I sat and looked between them.

Jude lifted a small file folder in his hand. “This is everything we managed to find on Malcolm and The Family since the time of his arrest.”

He put the folder in front of me, and I was relieved it was so thin. I opened it, and the first thing was a map. I recognized the layout, even though it was from above. The compound.

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