"It weighs almost 500pounds and is way too fast. You’d be a real danger to everyone on the road."
Sophie shoots me an angry glance, but I ignore it.
"Besides, you’re too small. Your feet wouldn’t even touch the ground."
I don’t let her pout get to me. Instead, I keep talking as I pick up Buster’s leash and my keys. "It’s too dangerous. I just found you, and I don’t want to lose you right away, little darling."
At my words, Sophie freezes and looks at me with wide eyes. "You don’t want to lose me?" she asks, barely audible, as if it were the only thing I said.
I walk over to her and cup her face with my hands. "No. Absolutely not." Then I kiss her as if she’s everything I need even though I have no idea how it came to this.
I don’t care that it’s all rushed and Sophie has turned my life upside down in a matter of days. I don’t care that she’s been reported missing and that shit could hit the fan pretty fast. And I don’t care that I’m actually way too caught up in my own anger and don’t want to let anyone in, becausefuck…Sophie gets to me. She gets so goddamn close that I want to let go of the pain and the sadness. With her, I see a glimmer of light at the end of the tunnel, which until now had seemed only dark and endless.
I know she’s far too pure for a man like me. But still, I want to be allowed to keep her because with her, I finally feel alive again instead of just surviving.
Seven hours, three repair shops, two walks with Buster, and a visit to the supermarket later, I finally pull off the interstate to get back home. I’ve gotten all the parts I need to make the Kawasaki roadworthy again, and I’m eager to start.
Sophie sits beside me, lost in her thoughts and drinking an iced tea. "How long will it take you to fix it?"
"I don’t know. A few days?" I turn on the headlights because it’s starting to get dark.
"Can I help you with that?"
"If you want to. But it’s going to be quite a mess."
"Can I ride along when you’re done?"
I throw a glance at her, which she returns with a sparkle of excitement in her eyes. "Yes. But you’ll be wearing a helmet."
She nods with satisfaction and looks ahead again before I turn into the abandoned industrial area. As the headlights illuminate my warehouse, all my muscles tense up. Cursing, I step on the brakes and switch off the lights.
"What’s wrong?" Sophie wants to know with worry in her voice and sits up straight.
Instead of answering her, everything in me wants to smash the dashboard of my truck to pieces. "Goddamn…Fuck."
A black Escalade with tasteless gold rims is parked right in front of my door. But even without the tasteless rims, I’d know exactly whose car that is. There are only utilitarian pickups and SUVs or old rust buckets in this area, so there’s no question who wanted to pay me a visit and has obviously let himself in since the steel door is wide open.Steve.
I make a U-turn, drive around one of the vacant buildings, and park behind it to unfasten my seat belt and turn to Sophie, who is looking at me with her eyes widened in horror.
"You stay right here. If you even think about getting out…" Panic wants to overtake me at the thought of her and Steve running into each other again, but I wrestle it down. "Just stay in the truck."
She gazes in the direction of my place for a moment before looking at me again. "Who is that?"
I ignore her question and bring my hand to her cheek. "Did you hear what I said, Sophie?"
She flinches as my thumb strokes her delicate skin far too harshly, anger and worry rising in me.
"You stay in the truck."
Finally, she nods. I want to breathe a sigh of relief, but instead bend to her and kiss her briefly.
"Lock the doors as soon as I’m out," I instruct her after I pull away.
She nods again, the fear in her eyes not making it easier for me to leave her alone. Nevertheless, I get out and throw the door shut. Sophie does as told, reaching over and pushing the little button on the key that locks the doors. I nod to her one last time and then turn away.
When I reach the warehouse, I immediately see that the door has been forced open. I briefly wonder why he didn’t just smash one of the windows, but in the end, it doesn’t really matter.
Quietly, I walk up the stairs to the upper floor, cursing under my breath as I reach the landing.
