Page 91 of Secret Love

Chapter 30

Dani

“Fox!”

I rush outside, taking long strides to catch up with him. “Wait—”

“Go back inside, Dani,” Fox says over his shoulder.

I keep moving forward, refusing to stop. “You’re leaving now?”

“The sooner the better. I’ve wasted enough time already,” he explains as we reach the cabin.

“Fox, please. Can you just stop for a minute? We should talk about this.”

“12-24-07.”

I close the cabin door behind us. “What?”

“12-24-07.” He lowers to his knees and pulls a large case out from under his bed. “Say it back.”

“12-24-07. What the hell is that?”

He opens the case. My eyes grow wide at the selection of guns inside nestled in black foam.

“It’s the night we met,” he says. “Christmas Eve, 2007.”

I stare into his eyes, unsure what to say.

“My mother got you that hideous red and white scarf,” he says. “I could tell you hated it but you wore it the entire night anyway just to prove me wrong.”

“Yeah, I remember,” I say. “Why are you telling me this?”

Fox grabs a Glock from the foam and slides the case back under the bed. “12-24-07. It’s the combination to the safe in the closet. There’s plenty of money in there. It’ll last you for a long time.”

He hands me the gun. My heart breaks.

“Fox, I can’t…”

“Dani, I want you to stay here. Mercer can’t find you out here, so you’ll be safe until this all blows over.”

He moves around me, but I rush for the door before he can get there first.

“Fox, stop,” I beg.

He reaches through my arm for the handle, but I press my body against the door. “Dani, there’s no time—”

“Are you really going to leave like this, Fox?” My eyes swell. “Is this really how you’re leaving me?”

He hangs his head with closed eyes. “I came back to protect you.”

“So, do it! But don’t drop me off out in the middle of nowhere and leave!”

“This is the safest place for you.”

“And what about you?” I ask. “What’s going to happen to you? When will I see you again?”

“You won’t.”