Page 96 of The Outpost (Jamison Valley 4)
“So when I told you that we weren’t going to tell anyone you were here, did that not sink in? Exactly how long did you wait after I left before getting ahold of Felicity? Five minutes? Ten?”
“Beau, they—”
“And you pulled my sister and nephew into this too? For Christ’s sake, Sabrina.” He yanked off his cap and threw it on the island with his keys. “You’re supposed to be in hiding. It’s dangerous for people to know you’re here. I brought you back from the outpost to keep you safe, not for you to have a social life.”
I fisted my hands on my hips to mirror his stance. “Now wait a second. I didn’t invite them over here. I was cleaning and they just showed up. What was I supposed to do?”
“How about hide? I can’t protect you if people know where you are!”
“I was standing right there!” I shouted, pointing to the spot where I’d been scrubbing. “And don’t get mad at me, you weren’t here. You were busy running off to rescue someone else and leaving me behind.”
The words came out without thought, but before I could take them back, Beau’s anger spiked.
“That’s right. I’m always doing something for someone else. Excuse me for fucking helping other people. Do you think I like it? Always on the run, doing things for others while my life gets put on hold? But what else should I say, Sabrina? You’ve got all the answers, tell me. I guess the next time two kids get lost or a woman comes to Montana in the middle of the night and needs a place to hide out, I should just say, ‘Sorry, I’m fucking busy.’ Is that how I can get out of the hassle of everyone else’s shit?”
I’d walked right into an argument I couldn’t win. I didn’t have any answers to his questions. But I did know that it really hurt to be called a hassle. “You’re right. You’re trying to help everyone else out. I guess if you told people no, maybe those of us that are such a fucking hassle would have to figure it out ourselves.” I stormed past Beau, rushing upsta
irs as anger and guilt settled heavy on my back.
Beau had likely saved my life. He’d taken me on as a burden, and any time I’d apologized for inconveniencing his life, he’d sworn it had been fine.
I didn’t know where I’d be without Beau’s help. I had needed him. Not just to keep me safe, but just . . . for me. I still needed him. Just like his mom. His sister. His nephew.
The line of people that needed Beau was stacked deep and I wasn’t at the front.
I was halfway up the stairs when the doorbell rang, but I didn’t stop moving.
I went upstairs and sank onto the end of the bed, burying my face in my hands.
If the chaos of my life ever settled, Beau wouldn’t want me to stay. I’d been kidding myself to think a life in Montana could be my future, that Beau and I might make a relationship out of this thing between us.
The truth was, I didn’t belong in Montana. I didn’t belong with Beau.
We’d always been temporary and he’d been nothing but up front about expectations. Anything else had just been my imagination running wild. My romance novels must have made me delusional, because clearly, I’d been reading much more into Beau’s words and actions than he had intended.
And fuck, did that hurt.
When the one man you wanted more than any other thought you were a hassle, it hurt.
His footsteps sounded in the hallway and I looked up, waiting for his body to fill the doorframe. When he appeared, the scowl on his face had just gotten harder.
“You have a visitor.”
I stood up. “Me?”
He nodded.
“Who?”
“Your FBI friend.”
“What? Henry’s here?”
“See for yourself.” He spun around and walked down the hallway.
I rushed across the room, following Beau downstairs. Henry Dalton stood in the living room, wearing his signature black suit and white shirt.
Another visit from the FBI could not mean good things.
