“Thank you,” I said, eyeing up my handsome hero.
Relief washed over me in waves, but I noted my brother’s hesitation and felt the air drain from my tired body.
“Please, Tate. It’s not charity. I’m hungry, tired, scared, and… I just can’t anymore. I want to finish school and go to college. This is not how our lives were supposed to turn out. You wanted to join the military. Maybe you could still do that.”
“I can get the parental signature waived,” Drake said. “If that’s what you want.”
My brother always talked about becoming a Marine, but without a parent’s signature, he had to wait until his eighteenthbirthday to join. But the biggest obstacle was the list of charges he’d accrued since kidnapping me from my foster home.
“How?” Tate croaked, his voice hoarse, and took a swig of water. “I don’t have parents. It doesn’t matter. They’ll lock me up for stealing Liv from her foster home.”
“I have connections,” Drake said in a patient, deep tone. “Let me worry about the paperwork.”
Tate glanced at me. “I can’t go anywhere. Liv needs me.”
“I’ll take care of her,” Drake said, and it sounded like a promise. “You have my word.”
Tate ran his tongue over his chapped lips. “Why are you doing this?”
Drake rolled his broad shoulders. “Because you need someone to give you a chance, and I’m in the position to do so.”
Tate held his gaze and sighed. He was beyond beaten down and on the verge of death if he didn’t take the handout. Charity or not, we needed Drake’s help. Either we accepted it or died on the streets.
“Fine,” Tate agreed. “But one day, you’ll tell me why you’ve been chasing after us for months. The real reason. Not some made-up bullshit about giving us a chance.”
I wanted to know why Drake had sought us out. At our lowest point, he was there to rescue us from going to jail. He spoke to the police, made arrangements involving an envelope of money, and escorted us from the police station.
Tate bolted the second he got outside, dragging me away from Drake. He didn’t trust anyone but me. Nor did he believe Drake was doing this out of the kindness of his heart.
Drake offered his hand and lifted me from the ground. I smelled of sweat and dirt, standing inches from him in ratty, worn clothing, but he didn’t even flinch. He was a kind soul and genuinely wanted to help us.
“Thank you,” I whispered, forced to put my hand on his shoulder when my legs slipped out from under me. “I don’t know how we’ll ever repay you… But we will.”
Drake hooked his arm around me. “Can you walk on your own, or do you need me to carry you?”
I took a step forward and fell into his muscular chest. He smelled of a sweet cologne and the mint from his toothpaste. When was the last time I brushed my teeth? Or taken a shower? Too long to remember.
“I got you, Liv,” Drake said as he held me in his arms. “Hold on tight.”
Drake was my hero.
I would never let him go.
CHAPTER 4
OLIVIA
Once upon a time, I lived like a princess in an expensive apartment overlooking the city. I had everything a girl could ever want. A loving family. More toys than I could count. But one day, the king dethroned the queen, and we lost everything.
After my mother lost her job at Verity Corp, we moved into a shitty apartment. That lasted a few months before we bounced between homes and shelters. My mother had boyfriends who let us crash. None of them were decent. Mostly junkies and alcoholics with wandering eyes.
On the worst nights, I closed my eyes and wished a white knight would save me. I imagined his big, strong arms wrapping around me, whispering I was safe.
Drake cradled me to his chest and held me like an egg about to crack open. If he had let go, I might have shattered into pieces. In his firm grip, I felt loved and special. He didn’t judge my torn, dirty clothing or the smell lingering from my body.
Drake guided us to a black sports car parked outside the bakery. He clicked the key fob and opened the door, which flew upward. “This is me.”
“Wow,” I muttered, staring in awe.
