Page 52 of Into the Woods

He shook his head, jaw tight. “No, Becca, you’re not, which is why I can’t for the life of me figure out why you further insinuated yourself into a situation you wanted out of.”

I snapped my mouth shut. Okay, I had done that, but I’d done it to help him.

“What? No answer?” he mocked with a snort. “For someone who doesn’t want shit to do with me or Phoenix, you sure as hell are good at finding ways to keep yourself in my orbit.”

I jerked back like I’d been slapped, his words cutting through me like a thousand knives. “Are you kidding me? I left my home and an entire freaking continent to get away from you! Until tonight, I had no idea that Eric was mixed up in your shit.”

His jaw clenched, a muscle ticking.

“You want me done, Court? I’m done. Get out and forget I ever existed. That’s what you’re good at, right?” I arched a brow at him, wanting—no, needing—to make his heart ache the way mine did.

Instead, he took a step toward me, his long legs eating up the distance between us in a single move. His toes bumped mine as he towered over me. “Oh, sweetheart, you have no idea.”

Something in his dark gaze made me shiver, my insides lighting up with anticipation. I balled my hands into fists at my sides so I wouldn’t do something really stupid. Like kiss him. Right now, I was a trembling ball of emotion.

There had always been a connection between Court and me. It was as undeniable as the ocean being blue and grass being green. No matter what I did or how far I went, that wouldn’t change.

But I still never could’ve imagined what he’d say next.

“Pack a bag.”

I blinked, not sure I’d heard him right. “What?”

“Pack a bag,” he repeated, his tone firmer. “Unless you want me to start packing for you.”

“Where exactly am I going?” I asked, too confused to keep on being pissed.

“With me,” he replied, like the answer was obvious.

An astonished laugh burst from me. “Excuse me? No. No way.”

“Let’s recap what’s going on,” he started. “You met a guy who is a known human trafficker.” He ticked up a finger. “You started dating said asshole.” Another finger, and another. “Then you decided to not only let him know that you like him, but you cosigned on his lifestyle.”

“I didn’t—”

He pressed the final finger to my lips. “You did, which, to a guy like that? Is like finding a unicorn wrapped in bacon. Plus, you doubled down by letting him think you’re in with the big players—my and Linc’s dads.”

“I… I’ll still break things off with him. I can text him tonight and say I’m sick. I’ll be sick for a few days and then say I’ve had a chance to rethink—”

He scoffed and shook his head. “Sweetheart, Ash did a little more digging into Eric. Did you know his last girlfriend filed a restraining order and pressed charges for assault?”

My heart sank like a rock. “What?”

“The case was officially put on hold when she went missing a month later. The girl before that? Also gone without a fucking trace.” He paused, his lips pressed together. “You starting to see how bad you messed up yet?”

A sense of dread settled low in my belly as I remembered the almost manic look in Eric’s eyes. He’d been so excited… Oh, God, what had I done?

And his last two girlfriends were missing?

Court’s hands settled on my shoulders, wrenching my attention to him before I could fully spiral into panic. “Pack a bag, Becca.” His words were softer, kinder now. “I can’t keep you safe while you’re here.”

“Where am I going?” I mumbled, numbness setting in. “Back to California?”

“No, you’re staying in Paris,” he replied, “but you’ll stay with me.”

“You?” The word came out like a squeak, and I knew I must’ve looked like a googly-eyed cartoon character with the way I was gaping at him.

He tensed like he was readying for a fight. “Yes, me. I can’t protect you if you aren’t near me, and I’ll be damned if I let you get hurt again.”

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