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“After you,” he replied with one of those respectful nods that Southern men seemed to have perfected.
Nervous for so many different reasons, I hurried inside, muttering, “Thank you,” without glancing his way again.
As attractive as he was, I needed him to stop getting closer. He was a stranger, and he was a man. I didn’t trust either.
Monsters could come in pretty packages. I knew that only too well.
• two •
“She had no idea what a picture she made to all the fucking swinging dicks out there.”
King
She was skittish as fuck. The bruise covering the side of her face and swollen lip made the reason why real clear. Not to mention the way she was favoring the left side of her body. She was hurt in other places, too, and not just physically.
Getting her to trust me was going to be more difficult than I had imagined. Typically, women came to me willingly. I didn’t have to do more than smile, wink, and they were putty in my hands. This one wouldn’t be softening anytime soon. There was a fighter shining back in those pretty sea-green eyes of hers. She had seen shit. Lived through hell. And now that she had the hope of freedom, she wasn’t letting anyone or anything stand in her way.
Problem with that was, she was a looker. All that thick caramel hair in long, wild ringlets, that heavy upper lip of hers, and don’t get me started on the eyes. She would turn heads and draw attention from men. All kinds of men. Just like the bastard I’d been forced to shove my pistol into his gut to get my point across.
Stepping inside the store, I watched her as she surveyed the place. Her back ramrod straight, her hand gripped so tightly on the handle of the suitcase she was pulling beside her that her knuckles were white. The side of her lip that wasn’t swollen and cut open was caught between her teeth. She was looking for someone. My guess would be anyone who appeared trustworthy and not of the male variety. Which left me standing back and keeping an eye on her from a distance. She spooked too easily, and if I tried to get her in my truck right now, she was likely to get back in the Mercedes and take off again.
She walked over to the snack aisle and picked up a bag of cashews, but her eyes never stopped scanning the area. I saw her lock in on an elderly woman who was walking out of the restroom. That particular lady had come inside with a younger man. Possibly her son. They were traveling together with a younger woman and two kids who were currently arguing over which gum they were going to buy.
When she took a step in the older lady’s direction, the younger man turned and called out, “You want me to get you Raisinets, Gram?”
The older lady beamed. “Yes! And a bottle of that soda pop I like.”
The woman’s shoulders dropped, and she moved back, turning away, and faced the snacks again. Not taking my eyes off her, I made my way toward the drinks and pulled out a bottle of water as she continued searching the place. She picked up a bag of pretzels next and then walked over to the fast-food area, where they sold pizza, burgers, corn dogs, and fried cheese sticks.
A younger guy, I’d guess to be about college age, did a double take as he was waiting on his order. I saw the slow grin cross his face, and I rolled my eyes and muttered a curse. This was going to require me to step in again. She had no idea what a picture she made to all the fucking swinging dicks out there. They saw needy, helpless, alone, and their radar went off. Straight to their cocks.
He stepped closer to her and said something I couldn’t hear. Whatever it was caused her to step away quickly and tense up. The guy laughed as if he’d made a joke and leaned close to her again. I could literally see her trembling from across the damn store. How did he not notice this? Shaking my head, I took a long drink of my water and waited. I needed her to be desperate enough to trust me. The more she had douchebags messing with her, the more likely she was to get inside my truck.
The guy held up his hands and shrugged, flashing her an I’m harmless smile. He was really bad at this. The kid needed to learn how to read a woman. She was about to run from this goddamn store with the unpurchased items in her hand and probably get chased down by security.
When he held out the pizza he’d just been given toward her and she shook her head, he took another step toward her and tilted his head as he spoke to her. She took another step back and bumped into a man on the other side of her who was ordering something. He glared down at her, then realized who had run into him. His face instantly turned to a pleased grin. Fuck me. Another damn trucker.
Her entire body went stiff as the man began to talk to her. I couldn’t stand here and watch this anymore. Sure, I needed her to be at a point where I was the best option she had, but she was fucking shaking. They were scaring the hell out of her. It was too damn painful to witness.
“Hey, sis. You order the pizza yet? I’m ready to get out of here,” I said with my best charismatic smile as I stepped between her and the younger kid. Him I could scare off with a scowl. The trucker, however, might require me to be a little more threatening. I had to be careful with that though. If she saw how scary I could be, I’d never get her out of this place. At least not willingly.
Her green eyes swung to me, and for a moment, I saw the relief there. It was only brief. The uncertainty came in real close and shoved that right on out of the way. But it was something. I was clearly the lesser of all the threats.
“N-n-not yet,” she stammered, her eyes locked on me as if she was trying to see my soul. I hoped like fuck she couldn’t because she’d realize just how dark it was.
“I’ll get it. You never add the pepperoni anyway,” I replied with a smirk.
“You’re with him?” the trucker asked her.
I smiled at her, then shifted my gaze to his and made sure he saw the threat. “Yeah, she is.”
His eyes went back to her, and I knew he was checking out her bruising. “Seems someone needs to be taking better care of her.”
No shit. “Yeah. And they are now,” I replied.
He leaned down toward her. “Are you safe? I’d be happy to take you if you need to escape.”
She took a step in my direction. “I’m with my…brother…now.”
