“You hungry? There’s a spot up on the bypass. Or we can just hit the road.”
I realized my stomach was a hollow drum, but the thought of eating made me want to puke. “Road. Where are we going?”
He glanced at me. “Cool. I have a place for situations like this by the lake, about an hour outside the city.”
“Secret lake house? That’s the Blackest or whitest thing I ever heard. If you have hot water and a place to lay my head, I’m down.”
Ronan chuckled, making me smile. “I grew up fishing on those waters. Sometimes a man needs a getaway.”
“I definitely understand what you’re saying.”
Inside the car, I plugged my phone into the charger and waited for it to power up. I sent two quick texts to Mama and Talia:
Me: Safe. With a friend. Will call tomorrow. I need to decompress.
Ronan adjusted the rearview mirror and drove out of the parking lot. We left the city behind us, both quiet. I watched the skyline get smaller in the side mirror, city hall, the courthouse, old houses turning into strip malls, and trees. With every mile traveled, I felt less tense.
We didn’t talk for the first half hour. He drove like someone who didn’t trust cruise control, always alert. I watched him, pretending to look at the scenery, but really noticing new things about him. I tried not to make it a thing, but damn if it wasn’t a thing.
“You always bring fugitives to your lake house?” I asked, voice lighter than I felt.
He glanced at me, a faint smirk on his face. “Only the ones worth protecting.”
I let that sit. The world outside the window changed from city to small town to deep woods, the trees getting thicker, the roads narrower.
At some point, he reached for the radio and put on an old-school R&B station, low enough to be background noise. Bobby Womack and Chaka Khan filled the silence with the sound of home.
I could’ve stayed like that forever, the storm in my head settling into a quiet, steady rain.
Eventually, the trees cleared, and I saw a beautiful cabin by a dark blue lake, with a dock stretching out into the water. He parked next to the house and turned off the car, letting the music play for a moment.
We sat looking at the water. It wasn’t what I expected. The cabin wasn’t rustic, but modern, surrounded by tall pines and a wraparound deck. I sat up straighter in the seat, forgetting my exhaustion for a moment.
“This is your cabin? What exactly does being chief of police pay these days?” I asked, unable to keep the surprise from my voice.
Ronan chuckled. “It belonged to my grandfather. I fixed it up over the past few years. Nothing fancy inside, but it’s quiet.” He unbuckled his seat belt and stepped out, making his way around to the passenger side to open my door.
The breeze was colder here, and I got goosebumps. The sun was up, making everything look gold and blue. I stood on the porch and took a deep, unsteady breath, happy I could finally breathe again.
Ronan unlocked the door and waved me inside. The cabin was gorgeous with a leather couch, heavy wood furniture, and a couple of fishing poles by the window.
Ronan disappeared into the kitchen and came back with two bottles of water. I took mine and moved to the window to watch the lake.
I finally spoke. “You didn’t have to do all this.”
He looked at me directly. “Yes, I did.”
Something deep inside snapped, like a bone finally set right. Ronan was a man doing the best he could in a world built to break him. And that was when I knew I was in trouble. Real, no-bullshit, hold-on-tight trouble.
“The bedroom is through there. The hot water’s temperamental; run it for a minute. I’ll head to the store and grab a few things,” he said, pointing to a hallway off the main room.
I couldn’t believe I was standing in Ronan Banks’s personal space, talking about normal things like we hadn’t just been in jail together, like I hadn’t slept with my head in his lap.
“This is beautiful. I need a shower. I can’t stand being in these clothes another minute.”
“Of course. I keep the bathroom stocked with towels, soap, whatever you need; help yourself to anything. You can put on one of my big T-shirts from the drawer, and we’ll throw our clothes in the washer.”
After hours of being treated like less than human, Ronan’s kindness almost made me break down. Simple courtesy meant a lot right now.
