Page 74 of Before the Bond
Loosening my grip, I threw Elias against the tree. He slammed against it and stumbled onto the grass.
"Leave,” I warned him. “And don’t you ever come back.”
I caught a glimpse of panic across Elias’s face before he stood up and composed himself.
He turned away from me, but didn’t move just yet.
"Say hi to Olivia for me, won’t you?" he said, not sounding threatened at all.
With a gust of wind, he was gone.
I thought about what Donovan had warned me about from the start. Elias wouldn’t keep his mouth shut for long.
Then, I thought about what Olivia told me, what felt like ages ago now.“The moment it matters… you tell me. Whatever it is. You don’t wait for the right time.”
I’d been a fool.
I hadn't been at the fireplace for a while now. It wasn't a decision I intentionally made. I told myself it was the patrols.
I was certain Olivia noticed. I was just as certain it was something she was bothered by.
I closed my eyes.
I didn't think I was ever as scared as I was right now. I could deal with her reaction, but I couldn’t bear to see the look on her face when she understood what it meant. I'd seen it twice. I didn't want to be the reason for a third.
I went in.
The fire roared in the corner of the room. Uneven piles of wood burned in it. Olivia must have been tending it herself. The room smelled like woodsmoke and the quiet of a house at night.
I found her in the chair by the coffee table. No medical charts — Jake's condition wasn't a pressing concern anymore. She had a listless look about her as she went over an old fiction book, the kind of settled, unhurried stillness she only had when she thought no one was going to walk through the door.
When she saw me, that listlessness melted away.
"Hey." She put the book down. Her voice brightened. "It's been a while."
"It has," I said.
I moved toward my seat. The chair was exactly where I'd left it. I didn't know why I'd expected anything different.
Olivia straightened up, slowed herself, and then relaxed back into her chair. She was giving me room.
"You've been out more," she murmured. "Every night this week. Some mornings, too."
I rubbed my temples and nodded. "Sorry about that."
Olivia looked back at her book. "It's not like you have an obligation to be here or anything. And if it's important…"
I caught a glance from her. I said nothing.
She refrained from committing to a sigh. "I'm just saying, I get it. And I'm here to help. At least in the ways I can."
I managed a small smile. "That's just like you," I said. "But you don't have to worry about this specific thing. We're just taking note of activity in the area."
"Did something happen?" she asked. Her brows furrowed.
I shook my head. "Nothing eventful."
Olivia nodded.
