That grin seemed to suggest that everything about me was a big fat joke. I could feel his eyes glancing at me, taking me in, not shy about it at all.
“Look,” I said, taking a deep breath, “I appreciate what you did for me. I really do. But you should just drop me off and get out of here.”
“Hartley, do those guys know where you live?” he asked me.
“Yes,” I said, “but I was heading out of town.”
“That’s probably smart. But do you think they’re going to stop looking for you just because you skipped out?”
“No. Probably not.”
“No, they won’t. I can promise that, especially now.”
“Whose fault is that?”
“I’m sorry. Should I have let that man rape you?”
I shook my head. “Point taken.”
“Listen to me. Come back to my hotel room. Let me get a look at that black eye you got. Stay the night and then make a new plan in the morning.”
I frowned. This total stranger wanted me to stay the night with him? That usually meant only one thing, from my experience. Truth was, though, I couldn’t act like I wasn’t interested in exactly that. Every second I was around this man I felt my pulse quickening, my body reacting. I was dripping wet already, and I had no idea exactly why.
He was frustrating, and an asshole, and a total stranger. It was probably a bad idea, following him home.
“I don’t have much choice in this, I guess,” I said.
“You do. You really want to go, I’ll drop you wherever you want to be. But I promise, you’ll be safer with me.”
I stared at him. I didn’t understand why he was doing this or who he really was. He’d seemed to take control of that situation so easily, like he’d done that sort of thing a million times before. He didn’t look like a cop or something like that, but he clearly wasn’t a mafia guy himself.
It made no sense why he’d reach out and put himself in the middle of this, but I knew I needed help, especially now. At least just for the night.
“Okay,” I said.
He nodded. “All right then.”
We drove in silence then and Travis switched on the radio. I leaned deeper into my seat, looking out the window, watching the trees flash by.
Knoxville was a beautiful town. Set deep in the southern part of Georgia, it had some of the prettiest landscapes around. But it was also such a deadly place, as I was finding out for myself. I never thought they’d come after me like that, to be completely honest. I figured they might come after my family, but I prayed that my father and them could figure something out.
This was different, though. They’d tried to rape me in broad daylight right outside a crowded bar. They had way more power in Knoxville than I could have ever dreamed.
Escaping was a damn fantasy. I couldn’t believe how dumb I was getting myself into this mess. If Travis hadn’t helped, something horrible would have happened to me.
I took a deep breath. I couldn’t think about that.
I was probably safe, at least for the time being. I didn’t know how much I trusted Travis, but I couldn’t really see any other options for me. I needed to get out of town, but I didn’t think I’d get very far.
For now, just for now, I was going to follow this handsome, asshole stranger back to his hotel. But that was all. It wasn’t going any further than that. I’d stay there and wait until this all blew over.
That was right. I’d wait and this would all blow over.
I just had to hope I could keep my hands to myself once he got me alone in a room.
Chapter 4
Travis
I was staying in a shit motel at the edge of town, the sort of place where a man could still be anonymous. I paid in cash and paid double, just in case. Probably wouldn’t do much if the mafia came looking for us, but it might make the front desk guy hesitate for a second at least.
I pulled the car into the parking lot and killed the engine, glancing over at Hartley. “Here we are,” I said.
“Nice place.”
“I like it. Has charm.”
She wrinkled her nose. “Is that a hooker?”
I followed her gaze and spotted a women dressed in a tube top. She was clearly fucked up on meth and was absolutely a prostitute.
“That is in fact a lady of the night,” I said, grinning.
“Charming,” she said. “Like the rest of this town.”
I laughed and climbed out of the car. She followed me.
“Shouldn’t talk shit about Knoxville,” I said. “This is my home.”
She raised an eyebrow. “Really?”
“Really. I know you can’t tell, but my family had deep roots in this place.”
“What happened?”