The Day Our Promise Breaks

Chapter 570

The distance between them closed, inch by inch.

Their breaths tangled together, heavy and warm.

But just before his lips met Evelyn's, Brooks stopped himself, holding back.

He gazed down at the softness so close he could nearly taste it.

Brooks' breathing lost its rhythm.

His Adam's apple bobbed involuntarily, tension thrumming through him.

A storm of emotions flickered in his eyes.

But in the end, the kiss landed gently on Evelyn's forehead-a feather-light touch.

A whisper of a kiss.

Gone before it could even begin.

It wasn't that Brooks didn't desire Evelyn.

On the contrary, he ached to be close to her.

But he wanted their next step-any deeper intimacy-to happen when Evelyn was fully awake, fully aware.

Halfway through the drive, rain began to fall, tapping insistently against the windows.

Evelyn slept on, undisturbed by the storm outside.

When the car finally stopped in front of Evelyn's new place, Brooks glanced over and saw she was still sound asleep.

He signaled for the driver to leave them alone.

He didn't wake her.

Sitting so still for so long, his legs prickled with uncomfortable numbness, but he didn't move, not wanting to disturb her.

he picked up his tablet, slipped on his Bluetooth earpiece, and dealt

calls, he'd glance over at Evelyn, his gaze soft, simply waiting

At the hospital

to check on

updates about Dahlia from the

over a month

barely boarded the boat when she realized something was wrong. The route

phone pointed to sent

words made Dahlia's skin crawl, a cold dread washing over

exactly what awaited her

she'd felt

sea, there was nowhere to

nothing left but her body, and used it to

say no-Dahlia had been their distraction,

played along, did

keep them satisfied, hoping

to the northern border.

them not

already made a

Dahlia go would mean

stupid they knew which

along, from one man to the next, all the

she arrived, she

she welcomed every customer, doing what she did best charming, pleasing,

month this way, always waiting

of something straight out of a

could

her sights on one

best act,

And finally, it worked.

fell for her, enough to risk everything and arrange for her

compound, Dahlia felt, for once, that fate was on

alive

expected that escaping the compound wouldn't mean

had set things