Death Valley

by Karina Halle

But I had hope. I always had, perhaps too much. No one ever talks about how destructive hope can be.

“I just assumed you were going to say it’s too dangerous for a lady or something like that.” The corner of his mouth quirks up, making his eyes dance, and damn if it doesn’t make my stomach clench. “Nah,” he says smoothly. “I never would have reckoned you for a lady.”

Yeah, he’s exactly my type, but I’m self-aware enough to know that I have a shitty taste in men. Grumpy as fuck, with rough hands, plus a gravelly voice, and potentially dangerous? Ticking all the red flags at once.

Fuck me. I should turn around. Should walk away, give her privacy. That would be the decent thing to do. But I’m not a decent man.

What will Aubrey do when she finally learns the truth about her sister? And what will she think of me when she discovers my part in it?

“Related to the same baby that was rescued and adopted into a new family. A family whose name eventually became Wells.”

We might not make it out of here. We might not have tomorrow or even the next hour. But for now? For this fleeting moment? We have each other. And right now, that’s more than enough.

You’re someone who sees through bullshit and still chooses to believe in people anyway. You’re someone worth keeping close. Keeping forever.”

Strange how healing works—how helping others heal can heal something in yourself.