Total pages in book: 37
Estimated words: 39414 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 197(@200wpm)___ 158(@250wpm)___ 131(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 39414 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 197(@200wpm)___ 158(@250wpm)___ 131(@300wpm)
Her breath catches. She glares at me like she hates that sentence more than she hates the lock.
I step past her and scan the street. People are pretending not to stare, which is how you know they’re staring. Two teenage girls slow down like they’re “window shopping.” Old Mr. Danner stands outside the diner with a coffee, watching like it’s a soap opera.
Ellie’s phone buzzes.
Her shoulders stiffen.
I hold out my hand. “Give it.”
She hesitates, pride flaring. “It’s my phone.”
“And you’re my wife,” I say, loud enough that Mrs. Hargrove across the street suddenly finds the clouds fascinating.
Ellie’s head snaps toward me. “Wyatt.”
I don’t look at her. I keep my gaze on the street. “Phone.”
She exhales hard and slaps it into my palm.
I glance at the screen. No new message. Just her bank alerts still screaming.
Good.
I tuck it into my pocket and tilt my head toward the shop window. “Back door.”
Ellie follows me around the side like she knows this place by heart. There’s a service entrance with another new lock. Whoever did it was thorough.
I study the hardware, then the frame. I don’t miss the fresh scratches near the latch, the kind you get when someone’s been practicing.
Ellie notices my stare. “What.”
“Later,” I say.
She huffs. “You keep doing that.”
“Doing what?”
“Acting like you’re ten steps ahead and I’m—” She stops, jaw tight.
I lean closer, voice low. “You’re not behind. You’re just not trained for this.”
Ellie’s eyes flash. “Trained for what. Being a paranoid caveman?”
“Being hunted,” I correct.
Her throat works as she swallows.
Before she can fire back, a voice booms from the alley behind us.
“Well, well, well. If it isn’t Devil’s Peak’s newest married couple.”
Levi.
Of course.
He strolls toward us like he owns the town, firefighter jacket open, grin sharp, eyes already locked on Ellie in my flannel like he’s about to throw a parade. Sadie walks beside him, hands tucked in her coat pockets, expression calm enough to be dangerous.
Ellie mutters, “Oh my God.”
Levi points at her. “You’re wearing his shirt.”
Ellie’s cheeks flush. “It’s cold.”
Levi nods solemnly. “Sure. It’s cold. And you decided the warmest thing in Devil’s Peak is Wyatt Cooper’s chest.”
Sadie elbows him hard. “Levi.”
He winces, then grins wider. “What? I’m supportive.”
Sadie’s eyes slide to me. “You okay?”
I hold her gaze. “We’re handling it.”
Sadie’s expression doesn’t change. “Uh-huh.”
Ellie turns toward her, voice sharp. “Don’t do that.”
Sadie’s brow lifts. “Do what?”
“That… ‘I see right through you’ thing.”
Sadie’s mouth twitches. “I can’t help it. It’s my face.”
Levi claps his hands together. “So. Protection detail. You brought the cavalry, right? I told Saxon you’d try to do this alone like an idiot.”
I ignore him and step closer to the back door, checking the latch again. “How’d you even know we were here?”
Levi gestures at the town around us. “Small-town Wi-Fi. News travels. Mrs. Hargrove texted three people and somehow it ended up in our group chat.”
Ellie groans. “Kill me.”
I glance down at her. “Not funny.”
She rolls her eyes. “It was a joke.”
“I don’t do jokes today,” I say.
Levi whistles. “Ooooh. Daddy voice.”
Sadie hits him again, this time with no warning. “Stop.”
Levi holds his hands up. “Okay, okay. I’m done.”
He’s not done.
He steps closer to the back door and sniffs the air theatrically. “Smells like chocolate and rage.”
Ellie glares. “You’re not helping.”
“I am helping,” Levi insists. “I’m here to provide emotional support and to confiscate contraband.”
Ellie blinks. “Confiscate what?”
Levi points at the shop. “Chocolate. Protection fee.”
Ellie’s eyes narrow. “Absolutely not.”
Levi puts a hand to his chest like she wounded him. “Wow. I risk my life for this town and this is how you treat me?”
Sadie leans in toward Ellie, deadpan. “He’ll cry about it for a week. Don’t let it move you.”
Levi gasps. “I do not cry.”
Sadie’s eyes flick to him. “You cried when you dropped your burrito last month.”
“That was grief,” Levi argues.
I don’t have time for this circus, but the truth is, Ellie’s shoulders loosen a fraction when they bicker. The tension in her throat eases. The fear dims—just slightly.
It pisses me off that it takes my friends making jokes to do what I can’t.
I shift my stance, blocking the alley with my body while I punch in the code Saxon got from the sheriff’s office. The lock clicks. I open the door and gesture Ellie inside.
Levi leans toward the opening like a vulture. “Chocolate. Now.”
Ellie shoots him a look. “Touch anything in my shop and I’ll—”
“You’ll what?” Levi teases. “Stab me with a truffle?”
Sadie’s voice cuts in, calm as a blade. “I’ll stab you with a stir stick.”
Levi pauses. Slowly looks at her. “Babe.”
Sadie smiles sweetly. “Try me.”
Levi immediately steps back. “Okay. No theft. I respect boundaries.”
I step inside first, scanning the dim back room. Nothing looks disturbed—no shattered glass, no obvious forced entry—but the air feels wrong. Like a space that’s been controlled by someone else.
Ellie moves past me, shoulders tight, eyes darting everywhere at once. Her shop is her heart. Seeing it locked up has to feel like someone put their hands around her throat.