BLISS CLUTCHED THE WHEEL and stared up at the large, metal building.She was late.Almost ten minutes late.She'd run red lights and broken every speed limit posted, but she was still late.Was Carlos still alive? What about her sister? Were they gone?She pulled the gun and bullets out of her hoodie pouch. One went in the other, right? She slid the row of bullets into the gun until it clicked. Now, she just had to hope it was as simple as removing the safety and firing. Otherwise she was shit out of luck. She really should have taken Travis up on that gun lesson he talked about. If she survived this, she was learning how to shoot.Bliss pushed her door open and stood. The bitter breeze bit into her limbs, leeching the warmth away.It was the mountains and snow all over again.She slid the gun into the waistband of her jeans like she'd seen Travis do. It felt weird and unnatural pressed against her spine, but at least this way her hoodie wasn't hanging down to her knees

"GET OVER HERE NOW," Daniel said again.Bliss' body shook. She had to take that step, but it was the snow and the motorhome all over again. Pure terror. She'd never known such fear. The kind that paralyzed her body and set her mind on a mental loop of those horrible hours she'd spent terrified for her life.Daniel took a step toward Wendy. She cried out and covered her head with her hands, but he reached past her into the shadows. Daniel dragged a small, kicking form out into the open and backhanded the boy."No!" Bliss took a step. "Carlos!" Wendy reached for the child, but Daniel lifted the kid by his shirt until his toes barely touched the ground.Think.She had to be smart.Fear could not win. Not now."I'll go with you, just leave him alone," she said.Whatever he wanted to hear, she had to say it. She needed him to lower the gun enough so she could stun him. Then she had to hope her sister and Carlos could run."It's your fault I had to do that anyway." Danie

BLISS WAS READY TO hurl her fancy wine glass full of punch in Wendy's neighbor's face.The entire neighborhood was crammed into the house. At some point between being rescued and their convoy arriving home, Mom had begun cooking all the Christmas food they hadn't consumed during her abduction. There was easily enough to feed everyone and then some.And where the hell was Travis?She made another noncommittal sound to whatever the neighbor was saying and glanced around for the shadow-shaped man sticking to the edge of the room. It hadn't taken more than a minute to realize how uncomfortable the large gathering made him. Travis had an amazing ability to belong in any high-stakes situation, but stick him in a social group, and he was immediately lost.There he was. Chatting with Jade in the corner with the curtains about to swallow them up. They both looked ready to bolt. She chuckled and sipped her drink.Travis caught her eye. She lifted her eyebrows and canted her head toward

BLISS SMILED AND SQUEEZED Travis' hand.Man of few words.He made her heart beat too fast, her head want things she hadn't realized she wanted, and her body, well, she'd never had a man set her insides on fire like Travis did. She loved him. And he'd told her he loved her. It was a curious place to be, confident and nervous all at once. Things between them were still new, and yet the more time she was around him, the more it felt as though he'd always been there. A silent, ever-present shadow watching over her.They spent the rest of the drive to her apartment in silence. It was nice to be free of the expectation to smile and say thank you to all the well wishes for living through the holiday nightmare. She could just-be. Travis didn't need her to put on an act. He'd see through that anyway."We're here." Travis killed the engine.She stretched and pushed her door open."Is it safe?" She stood and blinked at her apartment."Yeah. Cops went over it twice."Bliss followed

Six months later.TRAVIS JOGGED UP THE porch stairs, keeping on the balls of his feet and avoiding the squeaky board. Bliss wasn't expecting him home until tomorrow morning. These moments, coming back to the little two-bedroom house they shared, were the best. Second only to the hours of lovemaking that followed. Things weren't perfect, but they were making the best out of what they had. And it was a hell of a lot more than he'd ever expected.He disabled the security through his phone app and let himself in the front door. For a second, he stood on the little rug and listened. Music played softly from the spare-room-turned-office, and over that he could hear her humming.There wasn't an aspect of his life Bliss hadn't touched. From redecorating the boring house to his taste in food and music, she'd changed him. For the better. His life wasn't just work anymore. And though the long hours, days, and sometimes weeks apart sucked, he always got to come home to this.His home. With