Page 104 of Forbidden Forget-Me-Not

Even when committing a crime, she still thought of her horse’s needs first.

“About forty minutes. I’ll send you the address.”

I handed her Atlas’s treats and nodded.

“Hey, handsome,” she murmured, holding them out one at a time for him to eat.

Kaylani exhaled, the sound itself seemed to ease something inside her.

I watched her face while she talked quietly to Atlas. It was like they were in their own universe. Seeing them together made it impossible to deny how real their bond was.

Dimitri didn’t understand it. He understood deals, assets, and leverage. He didn’t understand loving something that couldn’t be bought once it was gone.

Once she was done, she locked the window again and closed the feed door.

“He’s okay,” she said, turning to face me. But it sounded like she was reassuring herself.

“It’s going to be difficult keeping him that way when your father finds out he’s gone.”

Her eyes narrowed.

“Don’t do that.”

“Do what?”

“Say things like that.” She stepped closer until she was right in my space, looking up at me with that stubborn fire that had ruined my life in the best way possible. “We did it. We got him. He’s safe. That’s all that matters.”

My hand slid around to the back of her neck.

“Lani. He’s safer than he was. That’s not the same as safe.”

Her throat worked as she swallowed. Then she nodded slowly.

“Okay,” she whispered.

“I’ll call Nathaniel and let him know where we are.”

Her eyes flicked up to mine.

“Are you sure he’s okay with us?”

“I am.”

“Okay.” She lifted her hand to shield her eyes from the brightening sun. “We’d better get going.”

Drawing her close, I kissed her quickly. It was soft. A reassurance that we were both here and that I had her back.

Back on the road, the sun climbed higher. The world woke up, the traffic increased, and with it, the chance of someone recognizing her truck, plate, or trailer.

I tapped Nathaniel’s name on my phone.

He answered on the second ring. “Talk to me.”

“She has Atlas.”

There was a pause. It was brief, but carried weight.

“Jesus. How?”