Page 32 of Ensnared

Bending,Ipick it up.It’sa glorious hardcover ofLittleWomen.Ilet myself into my room asIexamine it and curl up on one of the soft armchairs by the dying orange coals of the fire.Icrack open the front cover and a note slips out.

Thisfamily of ours is messy.Complicated.Buttry to be brave,Eden.Ourpieces may fit together better than one might think.

—Jasper

Istare at the note for a long time beforeIfinally set it down and turn the first page of my present.It’ssmooth and comfortable in my hands, just like the hundreds of books that have been my only friends for too many years now.Ithas a familiar weight, and a familiar smell, and it’s enough to make me emotional after such a flood of unfamiliar things today.

DidJaspersee this in me today, while we were alone in that abyss together?Howquickly he worked out just whatIneeded.

Thenext page slides between my fingers in a soft caress, andIread until day fades into shadows, and long into the night.

Chapter9

Beau

Survivaltip #85

Dealwith your messes when you make them.

Thelonger you leave them, the harder they are to clean up.

Anotheryawn cracks my jaw asIstep through the thick forest, armed and ready.ButIhave to fight to keep from glaring a hole clear through the back ofDom’shead.Now,Igenerally consider myself a man slow to anger, butIhave been known, on a handful of not-so-proud occasions, to boil over to bursting.Andthis morning?I’mstruggling to keep myself to a simmer.

Betweentrying to scareEdenaway from coming home with us, shunning her in the games room, and then dragging me out of the house at the crack of dawn this morning beforeIcould even steal a good-morning cuddle,Domis getting on my last nerve.

He’sluckyI’mso even tempered.Notone to hold a grudge.Infact, it’s only becauseI’msucha professional thatIhaven’t given him the old what for.Nope, you’d best believe thatI’vekept my mind on the mission and eyes on the trees—and not on theJudasto my right.

ThoughIam counting every one of my lucky stars he isn’t at my back.

SinceI’mrunning out of places he can stab me in it.

“So,”Dombegins, breaking the four-hour silence between us.Henods at the river of wildflowers running between the trees. “ShouldIbe picking you a nice bouquet to get my ass out of this doghouse?”Helooks over at me and lifts a brow. “Oris this a fancy tennis bracelet kind of deal?”

Iblink, spluttering a laugh—then can’t help but roll my eyes. “Youknow damn wellIwon’t wear a tennis bracelet.”CheckingmyMK16,Iadd with a prim sniff, “Notwithout the matching earrings.”

Hismouth snags up in a half-smile, andIscowl... because it makes me want to smile too.Damnit.Ihate that he can do that—get me laughing when he hasn’t even apologized yet.Butno, that would requireCaptainSladeto actually admit fault, andI’venever met anyone so sure they’re right.Orharder on themselves when it turns out they’re not.

Butit takes a good dose of hard reality to smack him round his thick head before he ever comes tothatrealization.

Ilower my rifle even asIraise a scolding finger, just the way my ma used to.

“Don’tyou just brush over these last few days,I’m—”Ibreak off, grinding my teeth.

Nope.There’sno point in getting all worked up.I’mcalm.Abreeze through a cornfield.

I’llbe back atBristlebrookand helpingEdenget settled in tonight.Itdoesnotmatter thatDomseems to be doing his level best to keep us apart.Itdoesn’t matter that he’s been rude and mean and petty about her and not at all willing to consider what she could mean for us.

It.Does.Not.Matter.

Atall.

Iturn abruptly, stalking ahead through the undergrowth.

Domsighs.SighslikeIam the problem here. “Theword is ‘mad,’Beau.Sayit with me, ‘I.Am.Mad.’Theworld won’t break.”

Duckingunder a low branch,Isquint into the greenery. “Howabout we just focus on cleaning up our tracks?I’mgood with silence.Realgood with it.”

Domfollows after me, watching my back.

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