“It’s gorgeous. Where the hell are we?”

The show had gone wonderfully, not as many sales as New Orleans, but almost. And Bledsoe had hinted his review would be glowing. Charlie had left LA in a dazzled whirl of happiness.

Now this. She and Jake were who-knew-where, standing on a gentle rise, the late summer air tickling her nose.

He grinned. “Guess.”

Charlie looked around again. Jake had hijacked a plane. Well, not really, but apparently, one of his skills was flying, and Lucjan had a jet. Meaning Jake had been able to keep her in the dark about where they were headed. Somewhat, anyway. She did know they were back in the Midwest; she’d seen at least one of the Great Lakes before they landed.

The afternoon sun was bright on the water as far as the eye could see, and as they walked, a rocky, pebbled beach crunched under her feet. Her nose twitched. She couldn’t place the scent.

It was familiar, though. Vaguely, like a half-remembered—

“Oh. My. God.” Her heart stopped as a familiar bridge came into view. “Are we in Michigan?”

“Yup. Mackinac Island.” He laughed at the wondering expression on her face. Then sobered as her eyes instantly welled up. “Charlie?”

“I’m sorry,” she breathed, as the world swirled around her. Em’s laugher. Grandpa’s deep voice, along with Grandma’s higher pitched one, scolding the seagulls, but feeding them just the same. “It’s just . . .” She swayed. “Goddam you, Jake Harris.”

“I think the words you are looking for are ‘thank you.’” Jake’s tone was light, but he looked concerned as he pulled her into his arms.

“Yes, thank you.” The tears wouldn’t stop coming, no matter how hard she tried. She looked down the beach, her chest tight as she watched a pair of young girls race toward the water, hand in hand. Their hair was dark, but in her mind she saw Em’s Rumpelstiltskin hair and she gasped.

Frowning now, Jake tugged her down onto a nearby bench and knelt on the boardwalk in front of her.

“Did I do something wrong?” He cupped her cheek, swiping at her tears with the pad of his thumb. “Is this bad? We can go. I just thought—”

“No.” She shook her head, pressing her fingers to his lips. She knew what he had thought. She’d been happy here once, and Jake wanted her to be happy. It was the sweetest thing anyone had ever done for her. Even if it hurt. “No. We’re not going anywhere.”

She’d never told him her grandfather had died here, but thankfully, she didn’t remember much about that awful day. Mostly, she remembered the peace and happiness of the golden days before. She and Emily had relived the good parts of that trip over and over. So many sleepless nights when their mother and her friends were partying, her sister’s voice would drown out all the bad sounds until all Charlie could hear was the slap of the waves, the murmur of happier times. Then finally she’d be able to sleep.

Jake didn’t need to know how bittersweet his gift was. Maybe later, but not yet. She smiled and brushed away the tears. “It’s amazing.”

He frowned at her, but Jake was pretty good about knowing when not to push. About some things anyway. A smile curved her lips and he relaxed slightly. “A kiss would be a proper thank-you.”

So she kissed him. Hard and long, before dragging her lips to his ear. “There is your proper thank-you. Your improper one comes later tonight.”

Jake groaned as she pulled away with a wicked smile. “Christ, don’t look at me like that in public. We’ll both get arrested.”

She got to her feet, tugging at his arm impatiently, feeling a lighthearted excitement that was as unfamiliar as it was intriguing. Joy. She’d found it once in this place; maybe she could find it again.

“Let’s go down to the water. I want to see it up close.”

“Whatever you want, darl. Whatever you want.”

---

Stacia stared at Matthias, folding her arms. “What do you mean, I’m not allowed to go out?”

He smiled weakly but continued to block her doorway. “Boss’s orders. He says you’re still too sick.”

With a sigh, she nodded and shut the door in his face. It wasn’t worth the effort. Nothing but a bullet would move Matthias and possibly not even that. Besides, she really wasn’t feeling up to snuff just yet. Give it another day or two, though, and not even Lucjan would be able to cage her in.

Stacia sighed again and wandered back into her bedroom, tapping her fingers against her thigh as she eyed the chair he’d been in when she’d woken yesterday morning. It had been years since Lucjan had freed her from the cage of her nightmares, but she still dreamed. Just not of the horrors. Of him.

Only him.

Every goddamn night.

So she’d grown accustomed to seeing Lucjan when she woke, in that foggy realm between sleep and waking—if not accustomed to the pain. But she was also used to his image disappearing almost immediately. When he hadn’t, she found it hard to breathe, to think. To be strong.

Now Stacia forced herself to sit, her jaw tightening painfully as she looked around the small room. She was beginning to hate the sight of these walls. Too-bare walls. There was nothing of her own personality here. No heart, no soul. The random thought irritated her. Why should there be? This place was just a temporary convenience, a pit stop when she and Jake had to be in the States for any length of time. It wasn’t a home.

She’d only really had two of those, one she had been almost too young to remember and one she tried every day to forget. Lucjan didn’t live in the house he’d bought for her anymore. But he hadn’t sold it. Anata had told her that much. These days he stayed in his apartment in the city. Closer to his work.

Her teeth ground together and with practiced effort, she yanked her thoughts away from the past, focusing instead on the future. Jake hadn’t said the words yet, but she knew he wanted out.

And she knew why.

Her brother was falling in love. She recognized the signs. She’d been there herself not so long ago. Which is how she knew Charlie wasn’t there yet. But soon.

After all, her brother was a persuasive guy.

Her smile faded almost before it could form. She could only hope it worked out better for them than it had for her.

Her lips tightened as she glanced at the thin, red hardback on the nightstand, the single mocking rose on the cover, last touched by her husband’s fingers. Stacia swallowed and finally snatched the book up and threw it at the bed, cursing and jumping to her feet.

She could pretend to let Darnell go—maybe she could even fool Jake into believing it if she had to—but revenge was all she had left. She had made a promise to Mum all those years ago. Like a prayer to that deep unconditional love, the memory of which had kept her sane during everything that came after. Oh, she’d always had Jake, and god knew where she’d be without the bond they shared. But it wasn’t the same as a mother’s love. She was only twenty minutes older than her brother and she’d always tried to take care of him, even though even she had to admit their roles had been reversed more than once.

She closed her eyes, leaning against the wall, her arms tight over her chest. In the orphanage he’d taken the lead when all she’d wanted to do was hide under the covers and lose herself in memories. Jake had protected her from enemies present and past. To this day, he’d never told her the details of what he’d seen from the kitchen window. Not all of them. But she knew enough to know that if it had been her on the counter, she’d never have survived it.

Because of that, she’d always strived to take as much of the weight off her brother as she could. That’s how she’d ended up marrying Lucjan. Searching for the revenge they’d sworn to have one day.

Now she might have to go it alone.

Stacia leaned her head back and stared at the ceiling above her. She wasn’t mad at her brother. Jake had made his choice and she couldn’t blame him for it, but nothing would ever make her stop. Letting that monster slip back into the shadows was not an option.

Her eyes flicked to the book on the bed and her throat worked before she looked away again.

Unlike Jake, she had nothing left to lose.