Total pages in book: 108
Estimated words: 102754 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 514(@200wpm)___ 411(@250wpm)___ 343(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 102754 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 514(@200wpm)___ 411(@250wpm)___ 343(@300wpm)
I was honestly impressed. Kaida, at eighteen months, was surprisingly neat for a toddler. My niece at that age had been in a full-body food war every time we fed her—hair, ears, socks, nothing was safe. But Kaida had ended up with just a little icing on her chin and that satisfied, sleepy look only kids could pull off.
I’d read The Very Hungry Caterpillar to her while she curled up with a stuffed frog and jabbed her finger at the pages, babbling happily at every picture. Roque had been with Kairo down the hall, reading something about a monster truck with feelings. I didn’t ask.
Now we were on the couch, finally still, with the soft white noise of the baby monitor in the background and his fingers gently moving through my hair like it was second nature.
“You being here…” he murmured, “it makes it easier.”
I smiled and leaned in closer, just a little. “Glad I can help.”
He shifted, letting out a small breath. “Usually, I have to put them both in Kairo’s room and read two different books every night. One for each of them. Then I wait until Kaida’s asleep and carry her to bed.”
“That’s adorable,” I said, teasing gently.
He gave a tired chuckle, but it faded quickly. His hand paused in my hair, and I felt his mood shift before he spoke.
“Sayla, I need to ask you something.”
“Okay.” I sat up slightly to look at him.
“Be careful while you’re out. I don’t care if it’s the grocery store, work, or even getting gas—just be aware. And when you get home at night, I want you to call me. Let me hear your voice when you walk through the door.”
I blinked. “What’s going on?”
He rubbed the back of his neck. “You remember your old neighbor, Ailee?”
How could I forget, she wasn’t the one with the sunhats and hydrangeas.
My answer was short. “Yes.”
“She was found in the woods, five miles from Coopers Supermarket. There were no signs of forced entry to her home, but the autopsy said she’d been sedated and strangled.”
My stomach twisted. “What?”
He nodded slowly. “And then your tire, it wasn’t random, Sayla. The way it was done was targeted, That’s why I’ve put trackers on your stuff, and why I’m asking you to use them.”
I didn’t answer right away. The independent part of me flared up. I’d spent much of my life being self-sufficient, moving my own furniture, and making my own rules. The idea of having someone track me—even someone I cared about—tugged at something stubborn in me.
But then I really looked at him. His shoulders were tight, his jaw locked. He wasn’t just asking—he was bracing like he expected me to say no and wasn’t sure what he’d do if I did.
So I exhaled and nodded. “Okay. If it helps you sleep a little easier, I’ll do it.”
His eyes met mine, and I could see some of the weight lift from his chest.
I leaned back against the couch again and let my eyes wander—and for the first time, I really saw the space. I noticed the small cameras in the corners, the blinking light above the shelf, the front door with multiple locks, and two separate panels on the wall nearby.
I frowned. “Roque… what is all this?”
He followed my gaze and gave a quiet sigh. “Just keeping the kids safe from the ugly world outside.”
The way he said it made my chest ache.
I turned back to him, watching the tension still in his body, even as he tried to relax. “Are you okay?”
He didn’t answer right away. Then, finally, his eyes softened, and he gave a small, tired smile. “Now that you’re here? Yeah. I think I am.”
I curled into him, letting his warmth settle over me like a blanket I hadn’t realized I needed. Just being close to him, feeling the steady rhythm of his breathing, the way his arm wrapped around me instinctively made everything else fade into the background. For the first time in what felt like forever, I didn’t feel like I had to be on guard.
His fingers brushed along my arm, slow and thoughtful, and when I tilted my head up to look at him, his eyes were already on me—dark, steady, and full of that familiar intensity that always made my breath catch.
The kiss was inevitable.
Soft at first, just a whisper of mouths meeting like a question. But it deepened quickly, his hand sliding into my hair again as I leaned into him, hungry for more. The way he kissed me made it impossible to think—like he needed me just as badly as I needed him.
I wanted him. God, I wanted him so much it made my skin feel too tight like I didn’t quite fit in my body anymore. Every cell in me pulled toward him.
But reality, cruel and ever-present, whispered between us.