POV: Daniel

Daniel hadn’t expected her to come to him.

Days he’d prowled the lot like a caged animal, walking grooves in gravel as he waited for her to bolt or break. He thought he would have to drag her—rip her out of hiding, rope her down, force the final collision. But when the door at the top of the stairwell creaked open and her boots met the first step, his body froze.

The tether blazed bright and white, no longer muted with shame or hesitation. She wasn’t ...