Total pages in book: 23
Estimated words: 20394 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 102(@200wpm)___ 82(@250wpm)___ 68(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 20394 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 102(@200wpm)___ 82(@250wpm)___ 68(@300wpm)
He nods. He unclenches his arms from his chest and lays them on the table in front of him. "You'll stay with me then."
My eyes widen, and I jerk back. "You? I'm not going anywhere with you. I don't know you."
His face lifts up in a little smirk. "I'm your safest bet."
I know he’s probably right, but it would be insane for me to agree to leave with some biker I don’t even know. "Sure. I'll take my chances on my own."
Violet has been sitting here the whole time, her head volleying back and forth as each of us talk. Someone from the back of the restaurant hollers for her, and she stands up with a sigh. She looks at me with a worried look on her face. "Allison, I wouldn't have called Kane if I didn't trust him. I know you feel hopeless right now, and he will be the one to give you the time you need to make a plan. He will keep you safe.” She squeezes my hand. “I'll be back."
I nod my head and watch her walk away. Kane leans forward. "You got a problem with me?"
I shake my head no.
He lifts his big, heavy shoulders in a shrug. "You embarrassed to be seen with me?"
My forehead creases. "No, I'm almost offended by that question. I’m not a snob."
"So what's your problem then?"
It's then that I decide to just lay it all on the line. "Kane, think about it from my side. I found my husband dead on our living room floor. Someone broke into my house and is after me. I have no phone, no friends, no money. No friends that were not my husband's ‘friends,’ and I show up in this town and instantly Violet and now you are wanting to help. That doesn't happen in my world. So you have to forgive me if I'm just not ready to trust you."
For the first time, he breaks eye contact. He looks around the restaurant and then back outside the front big windows up and down the street before turning back to look at me. "I understand that. But one thing that you need to understand is that all of this transpired for a reason. You showed up in this town because you needed help. And the one thing about this town is that we do help people. You asked me why I want to help, and I'll tell you. This is what I'm trained to do. I was in the military for 10 years, and since then I've been doing work to help others. So the reason that I want to help you is because I can."
I take a deep breath and try to think about all the different options I have. And the truth is, I really don't have any. I don't have any money. So unless I plan on going to the police station here in town, I'm going to have to trust this biker. And even though he seems a little bit gruff, he does seem as if he truly wants to help me. "Okay, I'll go with you."
For the first time since he sat down, his tense shoulders seem to relax. "Okay," he says.
Chapter 4
Pres
I dig money out of my pocket and lay it on the table to pay for the pie and to leave Violet a tip. I look over at the woman sitting across from me. She still looks scared, and I feel bad that I don't know what I can say or do to make her feel like this is the right decision. The only thing I can do is prove it to her. "Are you ready to go?"
She looks at me uneasily. "Are you sure about this? I don't have any money to pay you. I mean, when this gets solved, I can pay you then, but right now, I don't have any access to any of my money in the bank or anything."
I hold my hand up to stop her. "I'm not taking your money."
She crosses her arms over her chest. "I don't have any clothes."
She looks so vulnerable. It's the first time in a long time that I've wanted to comfort a woman. I can usually distance myself on a mission, but already I can feel myself softening toward Allison.
"Hey there, Kane. How's it going?" I draw my head up and see Josh, Violet's husband, walking up to me. Obviously, I'm losing my touch. Normally, I would've seen him coming down the sidewalk before he's already on top of me. "Hey, man, how's it going?" I say to him, holding my hand out for him to shake.
Violet walks up behind him and throws her arms around his waist. He turns, and they hug, and both Allison and I are watching them. I flinch when I see the longing on Allison’s face. It’s obvious she’s been through some shit, and I don’t just mean the death of her husband. There’s more to it.