I shrug, not bothering to turn toward him. There’s too much conflict bubbling inside me that I don’t want him to see.
Not yet.
Not until I can make sense of it myself.
To his credit, he doesn’t push me.
I’m sure he’ll make me talk about it before long, but he allows the car to fall back into tense silence.
Rowan expertly weaves through traffic, only getting stuck at a handful of stoplights before we’re out of the city and on the way home.
Home.
When did I start thinking of their house as my home?
It’s only been a week.
Surely it should take longer than that for me to feel comfortable enough somewhere to consider it my safe place.
It took months in my college dorm and almost as long in my apartment in the city.
Or is it the two men who live within those walls that have become home?
The thought alone has a fresh wave of panic slamming into me.
I make a point of paying more attention to where we’re going this time. Even if I’m not considering making an immediate escape, I’d still like the option if needed.
Out of the corner of my eye, I notice Rowan checking the rearview mirror for the third time in as many minutes, his frown growing each time.
His fingers tighten around the steering wheel as he accelerates slightly.
I glance over my shoulder, checking to see if someone is tailgating us, which is when I notice the dark van without headlights on behind us.
That’s not good.
“Rowan?”
“We’re fine, sweetheart,” he says, but there’s an ounce of uncertainty I’m not used to hearing in his voice.
He’s always so sure, so certain, but this has him rattled.
I bite down on the inside of my cheek to stop myself from asking again, but the fresh wave of anxiety sitting in my chest makes it hard not to need reassurance.
Don’t be needy,I reprimand myself. The last thing Rowan needs if we’re in a dangerous situation is to have to comfort me.
The car accelerates again, and I gather my hands in my lap to stop myself from holding on to something.
I trust Rowan.
If there’s anyone I trust with my safety, it’s him.
But that doesn’t stop fear from skittering across my skin.
I startle when a phone ringtone plays through the car speaker, and Rowan curses under his breath before clicking something on the steering wheel to answer the call.
“This is Rowan.”
“See how easily I can get to her, Cane?” My grandfather’s voice comes over the speaker, and cold dread stutters in my chest. “My guy could run you off the road, and it would be hours before anyone even knew you were missing…except maybe that good-for-nothing son of yours. The apple didn’t fall far from the tree with that one.”
