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“The shelter is for women with no other place to go,” he says, and I almost give in and look back at him.
The accusation in his tone tells me I’m making the right decision.
“And I have nowhere else to go.”
I can go home, and I know that’s where I’ll more than likely end up, but that doesn’t mean I have to jump on a plane today.
When I pull open the door, he doesn’t even bother to stand from his position on the edge of the bed, and it’s proof that he wants me gone.
I pull my suitcase to the front door before going into the kitchen to find Emmalyn.
She must be a mind reader because when she makes eye contact with me from her spot at the sink, she simply turns off the water and grabs a hand towel to dry her hands on her way to me.
I stay silent, walking into the hallway to speak with her.
“I wanted to ask you about the shelter.”
“What about it, hon?”
She looks concerned. She may possibly be the kindest woman I’ve ever met.
“Staying here isn’t going to work out for me, and I was wondering since there are three empty rooms there, I was hoping that—"
“There are rules,” she interrupts. “For the safety and integrity of the shelter, we have to abide by them. With the grants and contracts we have, there are certain criteria the people who stay there have to meet for us to stay in compliance.”
She presses a soft hand to my shoulder. I know she’s only trying to comfort me, but the touch feels like a brand.
She drops her hand away a second later, and a wave of guilt settles in my stomach.
“You can stay with Kincaid and me,” she offers. “We have an extra room at our house you’re more than welcome to use.”
“That’s very kind of you, but I can get a hotel room.”
She looks past me down the hall, and I can tell by the look in her eyes that she wishes Oracle would come out of the room so he can be the one to talk me out of leaving.
“Can I get a ride to the shelter?” I ask, but feel the need to clarify. “I promised Brielle that I would be there while she tests today.”
Emmalyn pulls in a long breath. “I’m afraid everyone is busy except Oracle.”
I search her eyes for manipulation, but I don’t see an ounce of it in her kind eyes.
Derrick mentioned yesterday that there are a lot of cogs that are constantly moving to keep Cerberus operating smoothly.
“I wish you luck, Beth. Please know that you’re always welcome here.”
“Thank you,” I say right after someone calls her name from the kitchen.
Tears burn my eyes because, honestly, her words show more kindness than my own brother’s did when I spoke to him about my plans to come to New Mexico.
I wait, fighting another wave of tears as I stare down the hallway at the closed bedroom door.
I know I have to ask him. I’m not going to drag my suitcase down the road and throw a thumb out to hitch a ride. I heard what he told me yesterday about the dangers we face every damn day. I’m not going to risk it just because I’m mad and hurt.
I fight the urge to run when the bedroom door opens, and he steps out into the hallway.
My heart races at the notion that maybe he was planning to look for me, that he made up his mind that I was worth fighting for.
He looks surprised to find me standing there, but he doesn’t smile. There’s no relief in his eyes as he approaches me.
“Can you take me to the shelter? Everyone else is busy.”
He blinks in my direction, as if I have a lot of nerve to ask anything else of him after ruining his life. At least that’s what I think I see, but he quickly dips his head in agreement. I think that hurts more than anything else could.
How can he be so over me? I’m already having to plan how to treat my broken heart wherever it is that I end up.
Chapter 31
Oracle
If I thought for a second that begging her would keep her here, I’d hit my knees in a heartbeat, but the resolved look in her eyes, when she asks me for a ride, tells me all I need to know.
I knew the end would come. I just thought I’d be the one to pull the plug.
It was arrogant of me to think that she’d fall head over heels in love with me, like it was rumored that she does with everyone else she gets close to. It tells me that she deserves more than what I’ve given her if those thoughts are able to enter my head so easily.
