AllFreeNovel
Share Us
A day later,after the brothers have paid a little visit to Judge Bailey and put the fear of god into him—or rather, the fear of having his disgusting private life broadcast to the entire world—I leave the hotel with Ransom.
It feels weird to not have to be hiding anymore, after spending so long looking over my shoulder, terrified of being caught. We’re still trying to stay under the radar until we’re ready to face Olivia, but with her still thinking I’m holed up with Troy, that’s not a huge concern at the moment.
Malice and Vic weren’t too keen on staying behind at the hotel though—especially Malice. The three brothers have been so much more protective in the couple of days since they rescued me, almost to the point of smothering me with attention. I can’t blame them for that, considering I was snatched away from them and dragged off in a Jeep while they watched in horror.
Ransom has always been affectionate and possessive with me, but it’s all been turned up a notch. He keeps an eye out on our surroundings as we step outside the hotel, making sure nothing and no one can get close. A man leaving right behind us gives me a second look, and Ransom glares at him with such intensity that the guy immediately averts his eyes and hurries to his own car.
“Ransom.” I purse my lips, shaking my head.
“What?”
“Are you going to give the stink eye to anyone who even looks at me funny?”
He shrugs, tucking his hands into his pockets as we cross the parking lot. “Why the hell not? You can never be too careful. And they shouldn’t be looking at you anyway.”
I shake my head, equal parts amused and touched by the complete sincerity in his voice.
When we get to the car—which they told me is one they stole on the way back from Mexico, swapping out the car Ransom hot-wired shortly after I was abducted—he opens the door for me before I can even reach for the handle. I’m sure if he wasn’t trying to give me a little space, he’d probably buckle my seatbelt for me too, but instead, he waits for me to get settled before closing the door and going to the driver’s side.
He starts the car, and we peel out of the parking lot, heading to a shopping center outside the heart of the city.
“I almost didn’t think Malice was going to let us leave without him,” I comment as we drive.
Ransom snorts. “He’s in mother hen mode—although he’d kill me if he knew I called it that. And I can’t really blame him for not wanting to let you out of his sight. The only reason I didn’t freak out is because I get to stay with you the whole time. Watch, if we’re not back in a couple of hours, he’s going to be calling every two minutes to make sure we’re alright.”
“You’reallin mother hen mode,” I correct him. “But I get it.”
He snorts in amusement, but he doesn’t disagree with my assessment.
“Anyway,” he continues, “Mal and Vic have their own jobs to do, so they’ll have plenty to keep them busy while we’re gone. We’ve gotta make sure everything is in place before we approach Olivia. Like Vic said, this is our best opportunity, and we don’t want to fuck that up.”
We already have a date in mind for when we’ll make that move, but everything has to be ready first.
Honestly, all of it makes me anxious. I don’t want to see Olivia or talk to her, but I know I don’t really have a choice if I want to ever be free of her. Eventually, she’s going to realize that Troy is dead. Killing him only bought us a temporary reprieve.
Having the brothers on my side does make me feel better about it though. I have a real family for the first time in my life—ride or die people who would do anything for me.
No matter what Olivia throws at us, we can handle it.
“It’s going to be okay,” Ransom says, as if he can sense the way my thoughts are going. “Vic’s going to plan this whole thing to within an inch of its life, and Malice is great at adjusting in the moment if need be to make sure it will go off without a hitch. It’s going to be fine.”
“What areyougoing to do?” I ask him.
He grins. “Keep them from going to their extremes and making shit crazier than it has to be. That’s my specialty.”
We both laugh at that, and it feels good to be able to find some humor in all of this.
Ransom drives us to a shopping center I’ve never been to before, and we get out, stepping into a dress shop. It’s not as fancy as the places Olivia took me to, but it’s definitely more upscale than the places I used to shop. But that’s not really hard to do.
A sales woman greets us brightly as we walk in, glancing past me to Ransom, her eyes sparkling. “Please let me know if there’s anything I can do to help you and your… friend,” she says, beaming at him.
“I think we’ll be okay,” Ransom replies. “But thanks.”
He steers me past her, not quite touching me. We move past row after row of colorful clothes until we get to the section full of fancier gowns. There are so many of them it makes my eyes blur. All kinds of fabrics and colors and lengths, patterns and designs jumping out at me.
The truth is, before Olivia, I never really knew how to shop for myself. I bought the things I could afford, which was never anything luxurious or all that nice. Now that I have a chance to buy things that are pretty and purposeful, I feel like a fish out of water.
I wander the racks, looking at dresses, pulling a couple off the rack and then wavering. I have no idea what I’m looking for when it comes to cut or color or anything.
