“It’s a pleasure. I’ve heard a lot about you,” he says. He has kind eyes.
“I can’t say the same,” I say with a smile. “But it’s nice to meet you, too.”
“I was just telling Wyatt that he would love the cathedral we were in today. He’s an architect.”
“You’ve never been?” I ask, surprised.
“Not inside,” he replies. “But it sounds like Lia will be dragging me there soon. I mean, taking me there soon.”
I sit on the loveseat next to Archer and watch the blue water shimmer in the pool. It’s warm today, despite summer almost being over.
“How are you?” Archer asks.
“Exhausted,” I reply honestly. “I don’t think anyone recognized me, even after my contact fell out. I was afraid that my cousin may have placed me because, of course, he looked at me after the lens fell out, but he just kept walking.”
“There’s no way anyone knew who you were,” Lia says with confidence. “You didn’t speak, and your disguise was iron-clad. You’re safe.”
I nod. “Thank you. So much. I don’t think I can ever repay you for today.”
“You don’t need to repay me,” Lia says. “You’re my friend, Elena. Even after all this time. And friends help each other.”
The tears want to come again. God, how I missed this family. The Montgomerys were always so loving, so welcoming to me. I felt at home with them, and it seems that even after all this time, nothing has changed.
I wish things were different. I’d love to make a life with Archer and his wonderful family.
But that’s not meant to be, and I have a life in Oregon to get back to.
“We should go,” I say, turning to Archer.
He raises a brow. “Where are we going?”
“Back to where you found me, of course. I have work tomorrow, and I need to get out of Seattle.”
Lia’s face falls. “Can’t you stay for a day or two? You can stay here, with us.”
“Thank you so much for the offer, but no. I need to go. And as much as it hurts me to say this, I won’t be back, Lia. Not anytime soon, anyway.”
“But Anastasia hasn’t seen you, and she’ll be so upset.”
My head whips around to Archer. “Does she know I’m here?”
“She knows I found you, but I haven’t said anything else.” He turns to Lia. “Did you?”
“Well, of course not, because Elena told me not to. But—”
“Good.” I sigh in relief. “The fewer people who know I’m here, the better. I really do have to go. It’s not safe for me to be here. For any of you either.”
“I hate this,” Lia says as we stand, and she hugs me once more. She’s done that a lot today. I know she was young when everything between Archer and me went down, but we always liked each other very much. “Please stay safe. And come home when you can. I’ve really missed you.”
The guilt is swift and deep. I didn’t expect to feel so much of that. “Same here. Take care, okay?”
Archer hasn’t said much, and once we’re in his car and headed out of town, he’s still quiet.
“You don’t agree with what I’m doing.”
He rubs his fingers over his lips. “No. I don’t.”
“I’ve been gone for a long time. Grandma didn’t ask the family for permission to help me disappear. For all I know, she never told them that she helped me. I just left one day. So, I don’t know if they were looking for me. I don’t know anything about how it went down for them. But it was made clear to me that there would be repercussions for my leaving. Because this isn’t permanent. You don’t just leave the mob, even if you’re born into it and involved through no fault of your own.”
“If you don’t even know if they’re looking for you, why do you have to hide?”
“Because they might be. Or worse, the people responsible for my parents’ murders could be looking for me. I don’t know what they were involved in that caused their deaths. It could have been as simple as being in the family, and someone was trying to teach us all a lesson.”
“Why wouldn’t your uncle and the others simply retaliate? Kill them all?”
“Oh, they will. Eventually. It’s rarely swift. The mafia has a long memory, Archer. Which is why I can’t risk my life in Oregon. I love it there, and if they find me, they’ll demand I come back to work for the family.”
“Work how?”
I shrug. “In any way they need me.”
“Christ.”
The farther behind us Seattle gets, the more I relax. I truly am exhausted. I lean my head on the passenger window and close my eyes, enjoying the sunshine on my skin.* * *“Hey, sweetheart. Time to wake up.”
I blink my eyes open and frown when I see that it’s dark and we’re parked in front of my cottage.