He spoke again, voice steady and sure. "Your mother''s case will be solved soon. Everyone who hurt you and your mom will get what they deserve."


    "It''s all handled now. No more trouble, not ever."


    He pulled her in tighter, arms wrapped around her as if he could shield her from the world.


    Reese knew he had done all of this for her, and she knew he had kept things from her just to keep her from worrying. Still, what scared her most was the idea of him facing danger somewhere out of her sight.


    She snuggled closer and gave his chest a gentle little punch, more yful than anything. "If you hide something like this from me again, I swear, I''ll stop talking to you. For real this time."


    "I wouldn''t dare. I promise," Matthew said quickly, a smile in his voice that was nothing but soft and affectionate. "From now on, I''ll tell you everything. I''ll listen to you. I won''t go off on my own and I''ll never put myself at risk again."


    He hesitated for a second, a flicker of uncertainty in his eyes.


    He thought about his mom, about getting Karter to help Reese. Did those really count?


    "What''s wrong?"


    Reese picked up on it right away. She looked up at him, one eyebrow raised. "Are you hiding something else from me?"


    "No, nothing at all," Matthew answered, looking away as his throat tightened.


    "Are you sure?" Reese narrowed her eyes at him.


    "I''m sure."


    He leaned down and pressed a gentle kiss to her forehead, his eyes shining with so much love and tenderness.


    "Reese, meeting you is the best thing that''s ever happened to me."


    "From now on, I''ll protect you, I''ll love you. I won''t let you get hurt again, and I''l never make you worry about me."


    His words rang with honesty, filling the small hospital room with a promise that wrapped right around her heart.


    Reese closed her eyes, letting herself sink into the warmth andfort of his arms.


    ***


    The lights in the Meyer family''s vi were bright, chasing away every shadow.


    Bailey sat on the sofa, brows drawn tight, face heavy with worry. He held a cigarette between his fingers but he wasn''t smoking it Ash had built up and fallen onto the shiny marble floor, but he didn''t even notice.


    The police raid at Bridger Lake tonight had been huge. Sirens had echoed all over


    the city, impossible to ignore, no matter how much he wanted to.


    Bailey had felt uneasy all night. He made call after call, finally learning that the police were after Nathaniel.


    He couldn''t believe Nathaniel had actually shown up at Bridger Lake, let alone gotten into a shootout with the police at an abandoned factory on the west side of town.


    Now Nathaniel was a wanted man, running from the police with nowhere to hide. At first, Bailey was too shocked to even react.


    He never thought Nathaniel would be reckless enough to actually exchange gunfire with the cops. That was just asking to get killed.


    But once the shock faded, a wild surge of relief and even happiness washed over him, so strong it was almost overwhelming.


    Nathaniel was finally in over his


    head. The man who had haunted et


    him for twenty years, the threat he could never shake, was now nothing but a fugitive, desperate and alone


    All those things they''d done together, back in the day, had hung over Bailey''s head like a de. Even when Nathaniel was forced to leave the country, to go on the run, Bailey couldn''t rx. Not as long Nathaniel was still out there somewhere, alive.