Page 34 of Mountain Rogue
"Your woman's brave," Zeb finally says. "Not many could handle what she's been through."
"She's stronger than I gave her credit for."
"Caryn was the same way." He looks out at the dark mountains. "Thought I was protecting her by keeping her at adistance. Turned out she didn't need protecting. She needed the truth."
"Neve got the truth." I lean against the railing. "All of it. She's staying anyway."
"Then you're a lucky bastard." Zeb's tone is matter-of-fact. "Don't fuck it up."
"I don't plan to."
Zeb's contacts deliver exactly as promised. Within days, the SD card reaches the right people. The federal task force mobilizes. Predawn raids hit locations across the state. Dozens are arrested. The operation is shut down completely. Neve's name never appears in any reports. The official record shows Dr. Neve Dalton died in a tragic wilderness accident. She fell through ice during a research expedition. Her body was never recovered.
A memorial service was held. Her colleagues mourned. Her parents grieved. I watch Neve struggle with that part. The guilt of letting them think she's dead. But it's necessary. It's the only way to keep her safe. The only way to build this new life.
She writes letters she'll never send. She tells them things she can't say. Eventually, the writing helps. The grief becomes something she can carry.
Three months later, I wake to find Neve already up. She's standing at the window of our cabin. Morning light catches in her hair. She's watching the valley below. She's taking notes on something she sees through her binoculars.
"They're getting bolder." She doesn't turn around. She knows I'm awake. "The pack. Coming closer to the cabin."
"That a problem?"
"No. It's perfect." She sets down her binoculars and turns to me. Her smile is bright with excitement. "I'm getting incredible behavioral data. Things I never could have observed in a traditional research setting."
I watch her work. She sets up her equipment. She takes her photographs. She records her observations. She's building something here. Real science. Important conservation work. Exactly what Zeb predicted. She’ll funnel her work to where it’ll do the most good without taking credit for it.
Yesterday I tried to teach her to fly again. It was a disaster from start to finish. She overcorrected every turn. She forgot to check her instruments. She got airsick during turbulence. We landed early and laughed until our sides hurt. She'll keep trying though. Because it's my world and she wants to understand it. She wants to be part of it. She wants to share it with me.
We've become a team in every way that matters. She helps with logistics for my runs. She uses her scientific mind to optimize routes and timing. She calculates weather patterns and fuel efficiency. She makes me better at what I do. Safer. Smarter. More successful.
Every morning, I wake with her in my arms. She's a warm weight against my chest. Her soft breathing fills the quiet. I still can't quite believe she stayed. That she's here. That she's mine.
Tonight, a storm rages outside. There are always storms in these mountains. Wind howls and snow falls and the world beyond our walls disappears. But inside, it's warm. It's safe. It's perfect.
Neve curls against me in bed. Her naked skin is pressed to my naked skin. Her fingers trace idle patterns on my chest. These are touches that ground us both. That connect us.
"You ever think about what you gave up?" My voice is quiet in the darkness. "Your colleagues. Your research position. Your parents thinking you're alive."
"Every day." She's honest. Always honest. "But I think about what I gained more. This. You. A life that's actually mine instead of one I was supposed to want."
"Your parents..."
"I know." She shifts against me. "That part hurts. But they'd never understand this. They'd try to save me from it. From you. And I don't need saving."
"You sure about that?" I tighten my arms around her. "Because this life isn't getting any easier. I'm still smuggling. Still breaking laws. Still living outside the system."
"I'm sure." She lifts her head to meet my eyes. "I watched you kill three men and my first thought was gratitude that you're good at it. That tells you everything you need to know about who I am now."
"Who you always were." I brush hair back from her face. "You just needed a reason to stop pretending."
"Maybe." Her smile is small. Real. "You have any regrets?"
"About you? No." The answer comes easy. Certain. "About dragging you into this mess? Sometimes."
"Don't." Her hand flattens against my chest. "I dragged myself into it the moment those images showed up on my trail cam."
"You would have survived without me."
"Maybe." She kisses me soft and slow. "This is living. Everything else was just going through the motions."
The storm howls outside. Snow batters the windows. But inside, we're warm. We're safe. We're exactly where we're supposed to be.
