AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Hunter had gotten in front of them. She didn’t think he’d stand a chance all alone against the three muscle-bound men blocking their way, and she had stiffened in Dylan’s arms ready to take on at least one guy to help out. But Hunter put them down one after another like he was merely swatting flies out of his way to make a clear path for their escape.
She caught Hunter’s gaze in the rearview mirror. “You were amazing back there. I’ve never seen anyone do anything like that before.”
He nodded. “Thanks.”
“No. Thank you for getting me past Sammy’s bone breaker. I thought I was caught for sure.”
“My pleasure,” he responded. “Are you okay?”
“I’m perfectly fine. Thanks to you.” Her face likely didn’t reflect one bit of relief. Sammy wouldn’t just lick his wounds and go away. He’d send more goons to the area. Maybe even Ted once more, only now he’d be angry with a chip on his shoulder and something to prove. She’d probably have to leave the state under the cover of darkness to be completely safe.
“Problem?” Hunter suddenly asked her. She met his gaze in the rearview mirror once more. She saw his concern.
“Not exactly. I just don’t want to bring my troubles to your doorstep, that’s all. I expect Sammy won’t give up his quest so easily. Someone else will be sent to fetch me. Or possibly the same guy, who’ll be much less cooperative next time.”
Hunter huffed. “I didn’t find him particularly cooperative this time,” his said under his breath, but she heard him in the quiet confines of the vehicle.
“Do you mind telling us who this guy, Sammy, is and why he’s after you?” Dylan asked.
Regardless of what happened next with the three of them—and Lilianna truly wanted to know what it would be like to be shared by these two sexy men—she felt like she owed them an explanation. “Sammy Heller is a reputed loan shark in Winston where I’m from, and he’s decided that I’m obligated in a debt that’s owed to him.”
“What kind of debt?” Dylan asked.
Lilianna sighed. “From an under-the-table loan he made to someone I know.”
“So the loan was not for you?”
“No. It was for my cousin, Mick.” Lilianna still remembered the argument that had ensued between them when Mick had mentioned the foolish loan. Betting on a “sure thing” was bad enough. Borrowing money from a depraved loan shark to fund it had been completely ludicrous.
She’d warned him not to do it, but Mick refused to listen. Instead, he’d insisted that “when” he won this bet, everything in his life would change for the better. He further tried to convince her that once he was rich, he’d also help her. As if his benevolence of helping her would somehow add validity to his foolish gambling venture.
Lilianna had declined his aid even if he won, and a very angry disagreement had ensued. She regretted it, but not in enough time.
Unfortunately, that contentious argument had also been their last conversation. It wasn’t like she and Mick had ever been truly close, but family was family. At the time, he’d been one of the two remaining members left of hers. The other, an ailing great-aunt living in a Florida nursing home, she’d never even met.
“Where’s Mick now?” Dylan kept his hand resting on her thigh. The warmth of his strong fingers seeped through her jeans, as if he touched her bare leg.
“He’s dead.” Lilianna crossed her arms and sat back in the leather seat.
“Because of the loan shark?”
“No. There was an accident at the warehouse where he worked. He got crushed under a wood crate that fell from a very high perch.”
“Sorry for your loss.” Dylan stroked his hand down her thigh this time.
“It’s okay. We truly weren’t very close, but for better or worse, he was still my cousin. Sammy discovered me at Mick’s funeral—of all the nerve—and latched on trying to instill in me that I was now on the hook for his unpaid debt.”
Dylan shook his head. “That’s not right.”
She shrugged. “Well, I’ve been telling him that, but he disagrees. So I left town. Actually, I’d intended to leave anyway. For as big a city as Winston is, there’s nothing for me back there. I’m in search of a new place to settle down.”
