To know these children have experienced something so traumatic that they don’t feel like they have a voice has my mouth moving before my brain can fully process.
“All right. Bring them here. They can stay as long as they need, but if he comes looking, it’s not up to me. It’s up to the club if we get involved,” I warn her.
“I know. You have to put it to a vote and all that. I suggest you do it soon because I don’t know who she is married to, but she is so certain he can find her that she hasn’t slept more than a night or two in one place. That doesn’t sound like some low-life wife beater to me.”
I tilt my head back with my eyes closed.
No, that sounds like trouble with a capitalT, but there’s nothing I can do now. I already agreed to it.
“Understood. Just get them here, and I’ll have the place ready.”
“Thanks, Mac. I appreciate your help on this,” she whispers.
“I know. I love you, and you know it, but do me a favor. Stop picking up strays. I can’t save everyone who tugs at your heartstrings,” I say, teasing her once again.
“Ronald was a very good dog who was taken too soon. You loved him too.” She huffs, talking about the road dog she adopted over a decade ago.
“Ronald was like seventeen and lived a long, full life. Take care of yourself. Be safe out there.”
“I will. See you soon.”
As she hangs up, I look back at the clubhouse. I know I need to tell them, but I don’t feel like it right now.
No, now I need to make one more call.
Dialing his number, I wait for him to answer.
“Crow, I need to borrow a crew for two days.”
As the truck rolls to a stop, I open my eyes. Nothing around me looks familiar, and it puts me on edge.
Where am I?
Everything hits me at once.
We’re in Florida. I left Evan, and we’ve been on the run ever since.
It’s the same feeling every time I wake up. You’d think I would get used to it, but I haven’t.
I don’t even know how to describe the level of exhaustion I’m feeling. I’m tired to the bone. My body and mind both feel sluggish, yet I feel like I’m on high alert.
Does he know where I am? Is he on the way? When he finally finds me, will it only be me he kills or our babies as well?
Make no mistake, it’s not anifhe finds me but awhen.
Men like Evan don’t stop when they lose what they think they own.
“Hey, you’re awake,” Bertha says quietly.
I look over at her and offer her a weak smile.
“How long was I out?” I rasp.
“About an hour. The kids passed out shortly after you did,” she says, offering me a kind smile.
Tears build behind my eyes, and I force myself to look away from her. She doesn’t need to see me cry anymore.
“So this is Florida, huh?” I say, looking out the window.
