“Oh, little one.Nothing is going to hurt you.I won’t let it.”
The panic in his voice almost makes me smile.This giant seems so worried about me.I should be fighting him off, but it feels too good being in his arms, to have someone assure me that everything will be okay.The scary thing is that I believe him.I believe that he’ll take care of me.This guy doesn’t know anything about me, or he wouldn’t be making promises like that.
How did my life end up like this?I was happy… well, nothappy, but I was doing okay.I wasn’t in the group home anymore.I had a job and an apartment, and I was making a few friends.I was okay.Safe.
And now, I’m on the run from the police.
I take a few deep breaths, trying to get myself under control.I need to calm down and come up with a new plan to get away.I need to put more distance between Joe and I.
“I’m not cut out to be a fugitive,” I mumble against the guy’s chest.
He tenses around me.“What do you mean?”
I wish I hadn’t said that out loud.How do I explain all this?What will he do?Will he turn me in to the police?
“Where did you come from?”I ask, pushing away from him in case I need to run.Not that it will make a difference.This guy is huge, at least a foot taller than my 5’4” stature.I also haven’t run since high school, and I suspect he works out daily because the dude is seriously ripped.
“I was out for a walk,” he says, frowning down at me.
“It’s the middle of the night,” I point out dryly.
He shrugs easily as he moves close again and tucks a strand of hair behind my ear.“What about you?Why are you out here?”
“Well, my car broke down.”
He shakes his head.“That’s not what I meant.Why drive down this road in the first place?It’s a backwoods road.No map would tell you to use it.The highway and major roads are faster and safer.”
I shift on my feet, trying to decide what to do.Can I trust this guy with the truth?Or should I come up with a lie?
I don’t know why, but I decide to go with the truth.The man has been nothing but nice to me so far.Plus, something about him makes me instinctively trust him.I feel… comfortable around him, which is weird because that’s never happened to me before.Usually, I’m anxious and on edge with the opposite sex.
“I—” My throat closes.
He waits patiently for me to find the words, his hand smoothing circles on my back.“I was framed for a crime by the police, and now I’m on the run.I can’t go to jail.”
“Whoa,what?”
I take a deep breath and start at the beginning.“I grew up in foster care, and when I aged out last year, I moved to Denver.My apartment was down the block from Joe’s.He was my only friend.I didn’t have much in common with the people at work.It’s hard for me to make friends.”
He finds my hand with his and squeezes in encouragement.
I gather my courage and tell him the rest.“I thought Joe and I were just friends.Then one day, I went over to his house to see if he wanted to grab dinner, and that’s when I saw it.He had pictures of me.A bunch.He wasn’t my friend at all.”
“He’s a stalker,” the guy finishes, looking pissed.
I nod.“Uh, Joe is a cop.He asked me out, and I said no.I told him I didn’t want to see him again, and he didn’t take it well.A few days later, some cops came up to me at work and brought me in for questioning.They said I robbed this mansion in town.Said they had evidence.Except I’ve never been near that part of town.I didn’t do it, but they wouldn’t believe me.”
“So, you ran.”
“They let me out while they gathered more evidence, or fabricated it, and I knew I couldn’t stay.I wouldn’t get a fair trial.”
I tense, wondering if he’s about to turn me in.
He surprises me again by squeezing my hand again.“That’s fucked up.”
I bark a laugh.“Tell me about it.”
“Don’t worry.We’ll get it sorted out.We should be able to refute their timeline and evidence.I mean, you were at work or out somewhere.We should be able to prove that they’re wrong.”
