As Sloane and I lay together after we’d worn ourselves out, my arm circled her slender form. She’d gotten thinner. All of this stress, paired with our shitty diet, had been taking its toll.

Nestled along my side with her cheek on my chest, Sloane’s fingers traced an old scar on my ribs. Draped was an appropriate word. Sloane was draped over me. She draped like no other woman had.

“Where did we…” she began, her cheek moving against my chest as she spoke. “I’ve been trying to pinpoint it, but I can’t.”

“Don’t dwell,” I replied. I wouldn’t tell her, but I believed it was that night at the cabin. It was the second time she’d killed, but it was the most personal. “Dwelling won’t change anything.”

“Are we safe here?”

“Safe enough.”

I glanced at the bedside table, and her mother’s ring glinted in the artificial light filtering through the crack in the curtains. She’d been holding it a lot—studying the diamond, learning the curves of the gold claws holding the stone in place—but she never put it on. I assumed she was thinking about her, but she never voiced what those thoughts were.

“Do you want to talk about your mom?” I asked.

“Why?”

“Her ring…”

“No,” she said after a moment. “I don’t want to talk about that.”

I pulled in a deep breath, my chest rising, then let it out. It wasn’t a sigh, it was a reset. A deep breath to fill my lungs with life.

“Chaser?”

“Yeah?”

Headlights lit up the window, and I tensed, but the car beyond kept going. Whoever it was, wasn’t here for us.

“Are we just going to wait?” she asked.

“Yes.”

“Then?”

“I don’t know,” I admitted.

“We’ll figure something out. I’ll cut my hair, bleach it blonde. Get facial reconstruction surgery.”

“That’s a bit extreme.” I snorted and dragged my fingers through her hair. “Ten days.”

“That’s a bit specific,” she said, twisting my words into a comeback. “Why ten?”

“I’ve been thinking…”

“You can think while you fuck?” Her head rose, and her eyes sparkled in the half-light.

“Some men can multitask,” I retorted, my lips twisting into a smile.

Sloane propped herself up on her elbow and placed her fingers on my mouth. “I like when you do that.”

“Smile?” I narrowed my eyes.

“You brood a lot.”

“I thought brooding was sexy.”

She laughed and shook her head, her hair falling forward and spilling onto my bare chest. The fact she could laugh with King’s threats hanging over her head was unbelievable. It just proved her strength even more. Her insecurities didn’t weaken her one bit—they just showed she was human. Sloane was human, Marini was human…and so was King. He wasn’t an immortal tyrant. Humans could be killed.

“I’m going to have a shower,” I said.

“Can I come?”

My cock twitched, and she grinned.

Rolling out of bed, I padded across the room and into the bathroom, aware she followed my every step. Leaning into the shower, which was inconveniently placed over the bath, I gave the hot water a few spins before adding in a turn of cold.

“I don’t think I’ll ever get tired of this,” Sloane said, her gaze dropping to my cock.

“I agree.”

I stepped into the bath and tested the water. Dipping my head underneath the spray, my muscles coiled when I felt her palms caress my back. I turned slowly, facing my one and only.

It was still raw after my admission, and there was a seed of fear that was growing along with it. Caring let in emotions I’d tried to forget a long time ago. The anguish of loss was something I might struggle with for the rest of my life, but Sloane…she understood.

I reached for the soap and rubbed it in my hands, working up a lather. Without a word, I cupped both her breasts and kneaded, washing and arousing all at once. Her chest rose in short, sharp breaths.

“You can’t do anything without it turning erotic,” she murmured.

“Is that so bad?”

She shook her head, and water trickled down her face.

I moved my hand down her body, cupping the bar of soap against her skin, following her soft curves until I reached the sweet spot. Cupping her pussy, I massaged her clit as my fingers delved between her softness. I forged a path into her, allowing the soap to fall away.

“See?” she declared with a moan as I fingered her.

“It’s how I feel closest to you.”

“Really? Not into conversation?”

“Not usually, but you know that.”

She rolled her hips, grinding into my palm.

“I don’t let just anyone put their cock in me,” she murmured. “Especially bare.”

“That’s my point.”

“Remember when we first met?” she asked. “You said, ‘I don’t need to force any woman onto my cock. They come to me and just slide right on.’” She laughed and dug her fingers into my ass cheeks.

I pulled my hand away with a growl and lifted her into my arms, pressing her back against the tiled wall. She let out a gasp, wrapping her legs tightly around my middle.

Cupping her ass, I guided her onto my cock, then slid out before pulling her back down to hit deep within her core. I anchored her shoulders against the wall and fucked her in long strokes, the water slicking our bodies together. She came suddenly, quivering around my shaft, her fingers biting into my skin.

She pushed away from me with the flats of her palms, and I let her stand on shaky legs. When I went to turn her around so I could take her from behind, she resisted my touch. Confused, I let her go, mainly to see what she had in mind.

Sloane dropped to her knees, then took me in her mouth and sucked, her tongue caressing my cock in generous strokes. My balls flared, and I fisted a hand in her hair, my gaze locked onto her mouth. She took me deep, gagged, then drew back, flicking the tip of her tongue over my crown. I moaned, then guided her movements, her lips dragging along my skin.

Fuck, she felt so good. So warm, so… Fuck.

She sucked hard, her teeth pressing into my cock as she pulled back, and I came without warning, pulsing hot and hard into her mouth. She didn’t pull away, she took me deep, her hand fisting around my base and squeezing.

“Shit,” I cursed, my balls emptying.

Sloane swallowed, looking up at me as she let my cock fall from her lips.

Totally spent, I lowered myself into the bath and pulled Sloane onto my lap. The warm water rained over us, and I picked up the soap again, caressing the tender spot between her legs. She trembled and nestled against my chest, allowing me to do what I wished.

“Freedom, love, forever,” she mumbled.

I didn’t have to ask her what it meant.

* * *

I sat on the edge of the bath, watching Sloane dry herself with one of the threadbare motel towels.

Another day had passed in blissful solitude. It seemed our whereabouts were still a secret, but the comings and goings at the motel still had me on edge. A drug dealer had taken up residence next door, and I was entirely sure he listened at the wall when we had sex. Not that Sloane seemed to mind. We had bigger fish to fry.

“The deadline has passed,” she said.

“I know.”

The downtime had forced me to think more than ever. The more I dwelled on our failed attempt to get into the Halcyon, the more I realized we’d been impatient. I was caught up in the chase and never thought about all the consequences. I hadn’t thought like King. Embody your enemies, and you can find their weaknesses. I had focused on the wrong things.

As I watched Sloane rub the moisture from her naked body, I didn’t like the bruises I saw marring her skin. There were lines around her wrists from those handcuffs, and her upper arms were peppered with spots roughly the size of thumbprints. She was constantly acquiring new marks. I didn’t like it.

The rim of the bath dug into my ass, and I shifted before settling back down. Those were strange words. Settling down. Sloane had said something about horses and green a while back. Montana.

“When this is over, what do you want to do?” I asked. “Do you really want to go to Montana?”

She stopped squeezing the moisture out of her hair and looked at me. “You remember that?”

“Of course I do.”

“I don’t know. What do you want?”

I hesitated, frowning at her question. It was simple enough, but I hadn’t thought farther than the moment of revenge. Sloane was what I wanted, but anything more specific than that and I was at a loss. I couldn’t go back to my old life, and even though Gasket would likely welcome me back into the ranks of Fortitude, I wasn’t sure going back to the compound was the right place for us. Not long term, anyway. Maybe Sloane had it right when she said Montana. It was far away from California and Nevada, and far away from all this chaos. Maybe I could get a job on a ranch. I floated the idea for a moment and couldn’t fathom it. It didn’t mesh.

“Love, family, and a future,” I said.

“Huh?”

“It’s something Gasket reminded me of.”

“Is that what he was beating into your head out there?” She smirked, combing her fingers through her hair.

“I closed myself off for so long,” I began, studying the curve of her breasts.

“I’m not keen on kids,” she declared.

I raised an eyebrow.

“Can you see me doing a school run in one of those ugly station wagons?” She made a face. “Please.”

“No, but I never mentioned…”

“I saw you looking.” She wiggled a finger at me. “Besides, you said family.”

It was a metaphor, but I knew better than to bite back. If I did, we’d be at it all morning, and it was time to get moving again. Now we were past due on King’s demands, the shit would hit the fan. Big time.

“You never explained what you’re going to do in those mysterious ten days,” Sloane said. “Care to elaborate?”

“War,” I replied. “All-out fucking war.”