“Well?” I ask.
His eyes slowly meet mine, making me swallow hard.
I’m brave. I can do this.
I can see her shaking, and it’s driving me insane. It’s making this protective part of me want to emerge and kill whatever put that fear in her eyes. Or should I say who.
I had Fox run a background check on what little I knew about her, but he couldn’t figure out who she was. He needs something more to be able to run a check.
He suggested I grab some DNA, but we use a local place to run it, and if she is truly running from someone who has influence and power like I think she is, then they would be able to find her that way. I refuse to put her in more danger because of my need to eliminate the threat.
I watch as Jane steels herself, her back straightening as she looks at me. When I allow my eyes to meet hers, I see a small fire behind them.
Good. She isn’t a total doormat. She’s got a feisty side inside of her. It’s just dormant. She needs a chance to find herself again. I’m going to do my damndest to give that to her.
“Bertha said that you were running from an ex. I don’t need to know what your situation was. If my sister thinks you need my protection, then you have it. You see this patch?” I point to it.
“Yeah?” She looks down at it.
“That’s my club. If you run into any trouble, anyone with this patch will protect you. I don’t know what the likelihood is that whatever you are running from will catch up to you here, but you will be protected. We won’t let anything happen to you.”
She sniffles as she nods, her hand tightening on the doorknob.
“Enough depressing shit,” I tell her. “Do you have everything you need?”
“We do. Thank you. This was more than I expected, but we appreciate it.”
I nod once. “If you need anything else, you let me know. This is my phone number. I know Bertha got you a phone on her plan, but I’ll be taking that over from her.”
“Oh, you don’t need to do that. I can figure something out,” she mumbles.
I move my hand to run it over my head, frowning when she flinches.
My fist tightens as anger surges through my veins. I push it down, though. It seems this woman has dealt with enough anger from a man. She doesn’t need to see the anger I have for the kids piece of shit sperm donor.
Forcing a smile, I clear my throat. “I know you probably could, but the main priority with you being here is to keep you safe. It’s not worth the trouble of putting your name anywhere that could be traced. I’ll keep it in my name. It only makes sensein case you need to replace your phone or anything. I’m closer since Bertha is on the road a lot.”
“Oh, yeah, that does make sense. Can I at least pay part of the bill?” she asks.
“Sure, when you get a job. Have you thought about that?”
She looks behind her as if she can see the kids through the walls.
“I haven’t. I’m not sure I can get one unless you know somewhere hiring under the table. Even then, I don’t know what I would do with the kids. It’s a lot to think about.”
I hate how anxious she looks. I didn’t want to get involved with this, but now that I’m in it, I can’t step back and let her figure it out herself. Not when I can make her life a whole hell of a lot easier.
“I need some basic info about you and the kids.”
She looks startled by my sudden question.
She bites her bottom lip before meeting my stare. “Why?”
“I can get some stuff handled for you, but I need to know some things. Like, how old are the kids?”
She hesitates. “Tanner is eight. Emily is five.”
“Good. I know they probably know their birthdays, but it’s best to change them. You can still celebrate privately, but having it be a few days different will help hide them. So when are their birthdays?” I ask.
