“My truck is parked outside. It’s the black one. You can put your bag in the back,” she stops, her hand on the door, head turned towards me. “I want you to go with me.”
Her eyes widen as every thought and feeling flit across her face. She’s struggling with the decision to head out on her own or trust me to keep her safe. She understands the danger she faces on her own, always looking over her shoulder. Something tells me this isn’t the first run in with him. She’s not always going to be this lucky and she knows it.
She also knows the fear she has to conquer if she comes with me. She could leave here on her own and I would let her go, but her chance of survival is higher with me. Allowing herself close to another is going to be difficult for her. Hell, it’s going to be difficult for me. I haven’t let anyone in since...No, don’t think about that right now!
“Detective Edwards, the officer who arrested your husband called while I was out,” her face falls and she tenses for bad news. It is bad news but Edwards has been good to his word. He’s kept me informed regarding the situation. They didn’t have enough on Erik to hold him and without her statement they’d have to release him. “He’s going to be released in a few hours.”
Fear. Pure unadulterated fear fills her eyes. Her fingers fidget wildly as she contemplates her options. I patiently wait, ready to support whatever decision she comes to.
Bullshit, I’m going to throw her ass over my shoulder and lock her in the truck if she walks out that door without me!
“I’m headed north, to my home in Oregon. You are welcome to come along. He won’t be able to track you if you travel with someone, plus everyone believes you’ve left already.”
She frowns.
“I told them I heard you leave,” I pause debating if I should tell her about Edwards’ suspicions. I can’t, she’s already too wound up. “I know you’re afraid but I also know you want to trust me. You wouldn’t have knocked on my door, slept in my closet, if you didn’t already believe I am worthy of that trust. Please, let me help you.”
She tilts her head to the side and sighs. Questions and doubt cloud her eyes, her fear temporarily placed on the side table.
“I’m not married, no girlfriend or anyone who’d be upset if you came along. I’m not looking for someone to fill the role either. I live in a fairly small town, my sister lives down the street from me. She’s kind of nosey but she and my brother are all I have. My place is small but there’s a bed for you if you’d like one,” I can’t stop, it’s like word vomit spewing from my mouth. “I want you to be safe. No, I need you to be safe and I know if you walk out the door, you’ll never be safe. He will always be one step behind, on your heels. He will never let you rest. He will hunt until there is nothing left to hunt.”
When I stop my breathing is labored and heavy in my chest. She is staring at me, shock written all over her face.
I can’t blame her. I’m a complete stranger, obsessed with her safety. She probably thinks I’m a lunatic now. I’d think the same thing in her position.
I run my hands through my hair and over my face. Crazy didn’t run in my family but I was beginning to question my sanity. I’m not equipped to handle her issues, I can barely handle my own. But I can’t walk away from her. It’s like there is some cosmic power pushing us together, getting stronger by the minute. I wonder if she feels it too.
“I bet you think I am one crazy son of a bitch right now,” I say, an attempt to diffuse the tension in the room. I sit down onto the bed exhausted from the mental diatribe. I cover my face with my hands and sigh frustrated. What was I thinking?
You aren’t supposed to care anymore. You aren’t supposed to let anyone in.
I feel movement on the bed beside me. I look over and she is sitting a foot away. This is the closest she’s ever allowed me to be to her. My heart rate picks up.
Chapter 5
Alice
I don’t know why I walked across the room and sat down next to him and I don’t know why I sat so close. It was the closest I’ve allowed anyone to be near me, of my own choosing, in years but I find his concern for me touching. It’s not something I’m used to. People don’t worry about me, at least not anymore. Erik made sure of it. Listening to Hudson talk about my safety and arguing my best chance for survival is with him was not something I expected, as much as I hoped for it.
Last night, as I lay in his closet, I made the choice to accept any help he may offer me. I didn’t question the choice either. He made me feel safe, even cared for and I hadn’t felt that way in years. I wanted some way to keep him in my life, another shocking revelation for me but one I didn’t hesitate to embrace.