Page 24 of Keel

Frankie met his gaze. “I think I need a nap.”

Keel stood, and she wished he would have pulled her onto his lap again, but that would be weird. They weren’t a couple. She needed to get that through her thick skull. They weren’t a couple, and they weren’t going to be together.

“I’ll get out of your hair. I’ll see you in the morning for breakfast?” Keel asked.

“Absolutely. You’ve been so nice, I want to make it up to you. How about I make dinner tomorrow night?”

“Sure, that would be great.”

“Good, now I’ve got to get some sleep and get rid of this headache so I can work on my journaling.”

Keel chuckled. “Yeah, you don’t need that headache before you journal because just doing that will give you a huge headache.”

“Totally.”

After he left, she turned the deadbolt and headed to the bedroom. Forest was still in jail, but she didn’t feel safe without having everything locked up.

With Keel next door, she felt safer. She hoped the offer was still out there for her to stay in his guest room. She would pay rent somehow. Or maybe he didn’t want her around. She’d have to figure out where to go if she wasn’t welcome at Keel’s place.

Keel ran his hands through his hair. Frankie most likely had money out there somewhere. They just had to find it. He hoped the money didn’t change their arrangement. He wanted her to use his guest room, even if she didn’t need to stay with him.

He tugged on the strands of his hair, wishing the pain would give him relief. “Dammit.”

Chase was going to chastise him. No question, Chase would kick his butt. He was getting too involved, too close, and for her sake, he needed to take a step back.

He fell back on his usual fix and headed out for a run. He added burpees and pushups to his regimen, wearing himself out. Keeping her safe was more important than telling her what he was feeling, thinking, and wanting.

The run was great, and when he walked up the stairs, he ran into Frankie coming down the stairs, tears streaking her face. He caught her and held her at arm’s length as he took her in.

“Hey, what’s wrong?”

“I messed up.”

He drew in a slow breath, then blew it out slowly. “What did you mess up?”

“I answered my phone. It was Forest’s brother. He is almost here.”

“Wait, why are you running?”

“If you think Forest is bad, his brother is worse.”

Frankie was shaking like a leaf, so he pulled her into a hug and held her. He couldn’t let her run off like this, not with some asshole chasing her.

“You’re not running off alone. Let’s go back up and pack your bags. We’ll bring your bags over to my place, and we’ll call the cops. We’ll take off this evening, after we know he’s not watching you.”

She shook her head, and he thought she was about to tell him no. Her gaze met his, and he saw the change in her expression. She was going to go with him, going to trust him.

“Come on. Let’s go back up, and I’ll help you pack up stuff.”

She nodded and followed him up. He stank, and he was dirty from doing burpees, but he didn’t have time to catch a shower. She needed help now.

After he washed his hands, he dialed the police and told them what was going on. They said they would send an officer their way. He ended the call and then helped Frankie finish packing her things.

They left her grandmother’s place and went next door to Link’s place. “I need to shower. I’ll be quick.”

Frankie nodded. “I know this sounds weird, but can I sit next to the bathroom? I just don’t feel safe. If he shows up…”

“Sure.”