Burke nodded. “The last time Brianna and I took the boat out on the water was the day we scattered her mother’s ashes.”

* * *

Burke swung the small Honda back onto the main road and gunned the engine. It felt good to be in the driver’s seat, even though the car wasn’t exactly a thrill ride. And it felt invigorating to be out doing something, even if it was only inspecting the boat, and even though, by now, his back hurt like hell. Maybe he’d stopped the opioids too soon. But he wasn’t about to go back on them. With luck, he could find some ibuprofen in the medicine cabinet to take the edge off.

He glanced at Allison, his eyes tracing her fine-drawn profile against the side window of the car. She was everything a woman should be—beautiful, brave, tender, and passionate. He remembered last night, holding her in his arms, feeling her move against him as he’d kissed her. He’d begun to feel like a whole man again when that damn fool slip of the tongue had ruined the moment. He couldn’t blame her for walking out. What he feared was that one of these times, he might push her too far, and she wouldn’t come back.

He had loved Kate. Despite the rough patches over the years, they had fit each other like a pair of comfortable old shoes. But his love for Allison was something almost akin to worship. She was so elegant, so perfect, that sometimes he found it hard to believe she was his.

She hadn’t signed on for this present mess. But even when he’d told her to leave, she’d stuck by him like a champ. And now she was playing a dangerous game to help him win. The need to pull her back and charge into the fight was driving him crazy. But much as he hated to admit it, she was right. As long as Garrett trusted her, she was the only one who could do what needed to be done.

Still, the thought of her in that place, with those people, was like a waking nightmare. He would rather lose everything he owned than cause harm to come to the woman he loved.

Keeping his eyes on the road, he reached across the console, found her hand, and clasped it. Don’t go, he wanted to tell her again. But he knew that Allison wouldn’t listen.

* * *