Eve stared at him in puzzlement. “You’re right, I don’t understand.”
Donovan touched her cheek, stroking it with gentle fingertips. He traced a line down the curve to her jaw, warmth and compassion in his eyes. “Just give me a chance, Eve. That’s all I’m asking. Right now what you need is medical attention. A place to sleep where you don’t have to worry about being rained on. Food to eat. And you need to feel safe. I can do all those things for you if you just give me a chance. I don’t expect you to believe me overnight. But for now, trust me. Okay?”
Shocked at how simple he made it sound, all she could do was nod wordlessly. Satisfaction simmered in his eyes and he pulled his hand away, leaving her feeling bereft of his touch. As long as he touched her, she did feel safe, as insane as it sounded. But she absolutely believed this man when he told her no one would hurt her or her brother and sister. She just hoped to hell she didn’t regret her decision. And that Cammie and Travis didn’t pay for her mistakes.
Several minutes later, they pulled up to a huge gate. Joe reached up to push a button and the gate began to swing open. Travis and Cammie both stared in awe as they drove inside the fenced area.
It looked like a combat zone or at the very least a high-security military base. There was a landing strip and a hangar that housed two jets. There was also a helicopter parked on the pad. To the right there was a firing range and to the left a large building with no windows.
Then they got to the houses that dotted the landscape. There were five houses spread out, all lining the cliffs that overlooked the lake. Eve glanced uneasily at Travis as they exchanged wide-eyed stares. Had they jumped from the frying pan straight into the fire? Had she resigned them all to a prison there was no escape from? She couldn’t imagine that they could just walk out of such a heavily fortified fortress.
“What is this place?” Eve whispered.
“Home,” Donovan replied. “It’s home.”
She sent him a puzzled look. “Home? Who in the world lives in a place like this?”
“We do,” Joe said with an amused grin.
She looked up to see him watching her in the rearview mirror.
“Well, not me, at least not yet,” he continued. “Swanny and I still bunk in my oldest brother’s old place, but if my brothers get their way, I’ll be building a house here soon.”
Donovan grunted his agreement.
“I’m so lost,” Eve murmured. “Who are you people?”
“We’re people who help other people in trouble,” Swanny said, swiveling in his seat to look at Eve and her siblings. His expression was serious, but his eyes were soft and friendly, contradicting the harsh look given to him by the scar that raked across one side of his face.
His words should have reassured Eve. Because she and her brother and sister were definitely in trouble and they definitely needed help. But the words didn’t reassure her. They just made her more nervous about the man in whom she’d placed her and her siblings’ trust.
As if sensing her unease, Donovan reached for her hand again, curling his fingers around hers. Familiar warmth spread up her arm. She loved his touch. It was something she could become addicted to. Just a brief moment when she felt that all was well and that Walt didn’t exist. It was a stupid thought and one that could get her killed if she didn’t snap out of it.
There was no safe harbor from Walt. There never would be. She had to remember that.
“It’s going to be okay, Eve. I swear it.”
The quiet vow shook her to her core. He sounded absolute. How could anyone make such a promise? Especially when they had no idea what they were up against?