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“Do I look alright?” she asked, her voice shaky. She smoothed her hands over her thighs, making sure her skirt was perfect before moving on to perfecting her top.
“You look beautiful. As you always do.” I didn’t have to look at her to know that. She was utterly perfect.
I turned down a street, and my stomach twisted. We were getting closer to her house. Just one more turn and that long dirt road before we got there.
I eased my foot off the gas, letting my car creep along at a slower pace. If she noticed, she said nothing. Her leg bounced wildly as she fidgeted with her hands in her lap. Reaching over, I rested my hand on her knee, trying to calm her.
“It’s alright,” I said softly.
She roughly shook her head. “I can’t be late. We shouldn’t have done that.”
“You regret it?” My voice came out harsher than I wanted it to, but I had to know.
Sighing, she looked out her window. I wanted to force her to look at me, to tell me to my face. But she surprised me.
She slid her hand over mine, wrapping her fingers around mine, and squeezed. “I don’t regret it,” she whispered. “At all.”
I stroked the back of her hand with my thumb, wanting to take all the heavy feelings I knew she was feeling away. They were palpable between us, and even though I didn’t know what they were, I wanted to save her from them. She shouldn’t have to feel like this.
“I’ll get you out of there,” I vowed, and she let out a humorless laugh.
“I think I’ll be stuck there forever.”
I turned down the road, the mud squelching under my tires. The massive truck was parked in front of the porch, and I felt her body begin to shake harder.
“Say the word, and I’ll turn around,” I said darkly. “I’ll take you away right now.”
I felt her hesitation. I could almost taste the words she wanted to say. But she gave my hand a final squeeze and let go, reaching down to grab her bag. As I parked beside the massive truck, the front door of the trailer swung open, and the man stepped out.
His gaze met mine, and it took all I had not to climb out of my car and beat him to death. She opened the car door, pulling my attention away from him.
Ducking down, she kept her voice loud so he could hear. “Thanks for the ride, Professor.”
“Anytime, Winona.” I turned back to him as I said it. I knew he couldn’t hear me through the window and rain, but I hoped he could read my face clearly enough—she’s mine.
I watched her hurry from the car and up the steps. When she got close enough, he immediately wrapped his hand around the back of her neck and yanked her closer, hissing something at her. My hands tightened around the steering wheel as I watched him lead her inside.
She didn’t give me a backward glance before disappearing behind the door. If he was that rough with her where I could see, what was he doing in that trailer? It seemed I needed to keep an even closer eye on my little fawn.
Chapter Fifteen
The bell above the door chimed, but instead of being greeted by the smell of disinfectant, the scent of old forgotten items was overwhelming. I shook the rain from my hands as I made my way through the pawnshop, heading straight for the counter at the back. I knew what I wanted. I didn’t need to look around.
I squinted at the fluorescent lights above—they were too bright. Too all knowing. They didn’t allow shadows, so I had nowhere to hide. No one in this store did. We were all here for one reason and one reason only:
To buy a gun.
Rows of guns hung on the wall behind the counter. Walking up to it, I looked past the clear glass, seeing pistol after pistol ready to be bought and used.
“Need help findin’ anything?” My head snapped up at the voice, and I gave him a tight smile.
“I’m looking to buy a gun.” He didn’t look phased at the statement—why would he? This was Texas. Everyone had a gun. The people who didn’t were the odd ones.
“Alright. What are you wanting it for?”
The question made my stomach drop. What did I want it for? To use it on that son-of-a-bitch in Winnie’s house. To save her from him. To get her away from that fucking monster.
“Protection,” I said, and he nodded again.
