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"Hey," I say softly, gently squeezing her hand. "It's going to be okay. Mal runs a tight ship here. You'll be safe."
She nods, offering me a grateful smile before we leave the cruiser and head toward the reception area.
Mal, a burly man with a gruff demeanor softened by a warm smile, greets us as we enter. "Lucas! I’ve been expecting you. Got a room all ready for this young lady."
I offer him a nod of greeting. "Hey, Mal. Thanks for setting everything up."
Mal's gaze shifts to Amalie, and his expression softens. "Ah, yes. Jace dropped this off earlier," he says, retrieving Amalie's car key from beneath the desk. "Your car is parked out back in the private lot," he adds, holding the key out to Amalie.
I swipe it from his hand. "How about we get Amalie checked in, and then I'll grab her stuff from the car?"
Mal nods and quickly keys in the necessary information before giving Amalie her key card. "Room one-ten. Head back out the way you came in, and it's at the end on the right. The room next to you is vacant, so you'll have no issues with noisy neighbors. If you need anything, don't hesitate to ask. We all look out for each other here."
"Thank you, Mal," Amalie says, her voice filled with genuine appreciation.
"I'll go grab your stuff and meet you up there," I tell her.
"Thanks. It's just the one bag in the trunk," Amalie replies.
She's traveling light, which suggests she left in a hurry.
I quickly retrieve Amalie's belongings from her car and head straight to her room. I tap lightly on her door. There's a pause before it opens, and I know she's checking the peephole. The door opens a crack as if she still doesn't quite trust who's on the other side before she opens it fully.
I nod in approval. “Good to see you’re protecting yourself. Don’t open this door for anyone but me, Understand?”
Amalie nods. “I won’t.”
“Good girl. Here you go," I say, handing her the bag. "And here's my card with my number."
Amalie smiles as she takes it, the first genuine smile since we met, and it almost knocks my balls off. Fuck, she's beautiful.
"I can't thank you enough, Lucas," she murmurs. "It's been a long time since anyone has taken care of me." She meets my gaze, her eyes filled with a mixture of gratitude and something else, something I can't quite name.
Her words almost break my damn heart. Why the hell hasn't someone treasured this woman? Treated her like the goddess she is? The answers are irrelevant because their loss is my gain.
With a final nod, I watch as she disappears into her room, the door closing softly behind her. Turning away, I make my way back to my car, my mind swirling with thoughts of the curvy blonde who's unexpectedly entered my life.
Dr. Bennett unknowingly handed me a lifeline when he instructed Amalie not to drive. It gives me the opportunity to learn everything about her. To discover who or what she's running from. What makes her tick. And more importantly, time to convince her to stay in Shelby. With me.
Because Amalie Vasti doesn't know it yet, but she's mine.
Chapter Three
Amalie
I close the door on Lucas's handsome face and lean against it, closing my eyes for a second.
Dropping the bag on the floor, I unzip it and tip out all the contents in a heap. I locate the false bottom and lift it, expelling a relieved breath when I see the wads of cash are still there. Not a great hiding place, I know, but it was the best I could come up with on short notice.
Dear God, what am I doing?
The last thing I expected today was to be pulled over by a hulking cop with eyes I could drown in and a mouth made for sinful pleasures. Lucas went out of his way to help me. He's so large and towers over me, yet his big hands were gentle on my shoulders earlier. My hands had itched with the desire to push the dark lock of hair off his forehead. What would it feel like to have his arms wrapped around me? His lips on mine?
A tremor runs through me as confusion and uncertainty swirl in my mind. I don't know what's happening to me, but I know Lucas makes me feel safe. He could've given me a ticket and sent me on my way, but he took care of me instead. And he was right—I could've caused an accident. I was almost asleep at the wheel when he pulled me over. I should be grateful for all he's done, but I'm scared.
I'm scared because my injury and exhaustion have forced me to stop. I want—need—to be further from Chicago than I am. The only saving grace is that Shelby is a small town in the middle of Montana, which I hope is vast enough to shield me for the next week.
My plan is to get far from Chicago as quickly as possible. But now I'm stalled. I guess it had to happen at some point. I couldn't continue to drive forever on little sleep and food. But I also can’t stay in one place for long. I need to stay one step ahead because I know my father and his men will pursue me. No one crosses my father and gets away with it, not even his daughter.
