Fatally Yours

Chapter 61

•INDIANA•

A week had passed since that night, and I was finally starting to feel like myself again. My ribs had healed, my bruises had faded, and the physical pain was nothing more than a dull ache now.

Mentally, though, the scars still lingered, but I pushed those thoughts away every time they tried to surface.

My uncle had insisted—no, demanded—that I take leave from work to fully recover. He'd barely given me a choice in the matter, and while I hated the idea of sitting around, doing nothing productive, I complied.

For now.

Dressed in my favorite black workout leggings and a fitted tank top, I stepped out of my bedroom, feeling a little lighter than I had in days. I grabbed my gym bag off the counter and filled up my water bottle.

It felt good to be going back to my Pilates class—something that had always been part of my routine before my undercover assignment consumed my life.

The familiar rhythm of normalcy was comforting.

As I screwed the cap onto my bottle, I reached for my phone and dialed Hailey. She picked up a minute later.

"Hey, sis!" she greeted cheerfully, and I couldn't help but smile.

"Morning, Hails. You sound chipper today." I tucked the phone between my ear and shoulder while zipping up my bag.

"I'm just in a good mood," she replied with a laugh. "How are you feeling? Are you finally taking it easy like uncle told you to?"

"Let's just say I'm complying for now," I said, rolling my eyes even though she couldn't see me. "But hey, I have Pilates today, so at least I'm not completely lazing around."

"That's good," Hailey replied. "I remember how much you loved it before—good to see you're back at it."

"Trying to find a sense of normal again," I admitted. "Anyway, what are you up to today? Any big plans?"

"Yeah, actually," she said, her tone bright. "I'm going shopping. Keith's coming along to play bodyguard, you know, since I'm still stuck in this safehouse situation."

I froze mid-step, blinking at my reflection in the kitchen window.

"Keith, huh? You two have been spending a lot of time together these days..." I teased lightly, trying to keep my tone casual.

Hailey chuckled on the other end.

"As if there's something going on between us. Please, all he ever talks about is you."

My smile faltered slightly. "Me?"

"Uh-huh. It's like you're his favorite topic or something," she said with mock exasperation.

I forced a small laugh, but my thoughts immediately wandered. Keith and I had been through so much together during the mission—he'd been my partner, my rock through all the chaos.

I couldn't deny that there had been...moments. Times when he looked at me a little longer than necessary, or when he'd say things like, "We should grab dinner sometime when this is all over."

At the time, I'd brushed it off. But now, with Hailey's words echoing in my mind, I couldn't help but wonder. Had Keith developed some kind of interest in me?

The idea sat heavily in my chest, and I swallowed hard. I cared about Keith, I did—but not like that. My heart belonged to someone else, no matter how much I tried to fight it.