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gift is that?” she mumbled, picking at a string on Cole's jacket.
    I waited for her to meet my gaze before I answered, speaking slowly and deliberately. “If it were up to me, you'd still be back at the estate. She may not be in the car with us right now, she may not have fired the shots that cleared the path to your rescue, but my wife helped save your life.”

Chapter Eighteen
    T he moment I opened the door, I knew my wife had been pacing the floor from the moment we left.
    She stopped short, her eyes widening like someone that had been caught doing something they shouldn't. She brought her hand to her chest, like she was taking her thundering heart, beating wildly with all the things that could have happened, and putting it back in place.
    “You're back,” she whispered, her body slack with relief as she rushed toward me. I knew she was safe and sound back here at the hotel, far from bullets and the seedy underworld that Cole and I ventured into, but I felt like a weight had been lifted for me too. Her embrace felt like going home. Like everything would be okay.
    She wrapped her arms around my neck, breathing me deep in her lungs and exhaling before she took another hit. I echoed her sighs, strumming her curls, slipping into the warmth of the moment like a hot shower after a long day.
    I let her steady breaths wash me clean, scrub away the edges and fear and hollowness. The silence was welcome—we were back together, and in this moment, we were safe. Once the question was asked, we'd have to leave this place...and I'd have to tell her the details that were seared in my brain.
    She hitched a breath and I held my own, preparing myself for the question.
    So what happened?
    “I'm so glad you're okay.”
    The first smile I'd felt in days rushed to my lips. “Leila, I l-”
    “I'm surprised Jacob Whitmore didn't want to stay somewhere hoity toity.”
    Leila went rigid when Brittany's high pitched voice rang out in the hallway behind us.
    I took her face in my hands, looking deep into her eyes. “I'll be right here. If you feel unsafe-”
    She pulled my hands from their position, forcing a smile as she put distance between us. “I'm fine, Jacob.”
    I wanted to believe her. After what happened with Cole—her blood drenched fingers and her tears—her hurt had evolved. She'd been within arms reach of Cole and hadn't flinched once. But that was because he'd only played the role of the kidnapper to protect her. He hadn't meant to harm her, but did so to save her from his sister.
    The sister that stopped in the doorway, eyeballing Leila warily.
    I saw the color drain from Leila's face, but she didn't retreat or give any other indication that she wasn't ready to be in the same room as the girl who'd hurt her.
    Brittany pursed her swollen lips and I knew she was about to ignore what I'd said in the car. Luckily, Cole steered her away from my ire before she could drop a syllable.
    “C'mon, let's get you cleaned up so we can head home.”
    Leila didn't turn to follow their path, but I stepped up, blocking the barbed smile Brittany tried to throw Leila's way as Cole dragged her toward the bathroom.
    “But I just wanted to say hi...”
    I waited until I heard the door click shut before the fight in me died down. I knew that Leila was in no physical danger. I was concerned about the emotional toll. The glare, the offhand comment—the joke about what she'd done to Leila.
    When I reached for Leila's hand I expected her to dodge me, squeeze out the briefest smile before she told me she was fine. She'd repeat that word so many times that it would become maddening and she'd shatter completely.
    But she interlaced her fingers with mine and squeezed and whispered a ‘thank you’ as I pulled her toward the mini bar.
    I released her just long enough to search the shelves and landed on a can of ginger ale.
    I smirked at her vaulted eyebrow as I popped the cap and took a swig before I offered it to her. “I'm sure we could both use