I spin, raising the gun, but I'm too slow. A hand knocks my arm aside, sending the weapon skittering across the floor. Another hand grabs my throat, shoving me back against the wall with crushing force.
And I find myself face to face with Robert Vance.
He's nothing like I expected. Not a monster, not visibly deranged. Just an ordinary looking man with eyes that contain nothing human as they stare into mine.
"Finally," he says, his voice surprisingly soft. "Do you know how long I've been waiting for this moment? How long I've been watching you? Planning for us?"
"There is no us," I choke out, his hand still tight around my throat. "There never was."
"You don't understand yet." His grip loosens slightly, allowing me to breathe. "But you will. Once I've shown you how perfect we are together. How I'm the only one who truly sees you."
"The only thing I see is a man who's about to die." I put every ounce of conviction I can muster into the words. "The McKennas are coming. They know you're here."
"The McKennas are scattered through the forest, chasing ghosts." He smiles, and it's the most terrifying thing I've ever seen. "That's the problem with protectors. They're so easy to manipulate once you understand what they value."
Understanding dawns with sickening clarity. "You let Finn see you. You wanted him to pursue you."
"Of course. The noble protector, rushing off alone to confront the threat." His free hand traces my cheek in a grotesque parody of affection. "So predictable. So useful."
"If you've hurt him."
"You'll what?" He laughs, soft and intimate, as if we're sharing a joke. "You'll kill me? You'll make me pay? Such fierce words from a woman who's been running scared for months."
He's right. I have been running. Hiding. Letting others fight my battles.
But not anymore.
"I'm not running now," I say, meeting his gaze directly. "I'm right here."
Something in my tone gives him pause.
"Yes, you are. Finally where you belong. With me."
"I belong with Finn McKenna," I say, the truth of it filling me with strength I didn't know I possessed. "I love him. And there is nothing you can do to change that."
Rage transforms his face, twisting those ordinary features into something monstrous. "You don't know what love is. None of you do. You think it's about pleasure, about what feels good. Real love is about pain. About sacrifice. About proving what you're willing to endure."
His hand tightens around my throat again, cutting off my air. Spots dance at the edges of my vision as I claw at his arm, fighting for breath.
"I'm going to show you real love," he whispers, his face inches from mine. "And when I'm done, you'll understand. You'll be grateful. You'll..."
The rest of his sentence is lost in the deafening roar of a gunshot.
Vance jerks, his grip on my throat loosening as blood blooms across his shoulder. He spins, reaching for a weapon at his belt, but he's too slow.
Finn stands in the doorway, blood streaking one side of his face, gun aimed with unwavering precision at Vance's head.
"Get away from her," he says, his voice deadly calm. "Now."
Vance doesn't comply. Instead, he pulls me against him, using my body as a shield, the cold press of a gun barrel against my temple.
"Drop the weapon, McKenna," he says. "Or I paint the wall with her brains."
Time seems to slow. I meet Finn's eyes across the room, seeing the rage there, the fear, but also something else. A question. Trust.
He's asking if I trust him. If I'm willing to risk everything on his ability to save me.
I don't hesitate. I nod once, a tiny movement Vance can't see but Finn doesn't miss.
