Anthony never held me like that. Kissed me, treasured me. At first, he showered me with attention. He was intense and demanding, but never like this.
Poppy laughs and lifts on her toes, and I can see she’s wearing the cutest sandals. She’s beauty, light, and joy, and she’s a mother with another on the way.
“Claire, is it?” Phantom has let Poppy go, and he’s bending down to peer into the back seat. “Poppy’s going to take good care of you.” He slaps her behind, and she shakes her head then gives him another kiss before he walks back to his bike.
Poppy gives me a huge grin and waves her beautiful, tanned, slim arms. “Come on,” she says. “Let’s get you settled.”
Settled? I don’t know what that means. Who these people are. What they think of me, what they want from me. In that moment, I can’t believe that I feel worse being around pretty people, people who love and care for each other, than I did being trapped with Mad Dog, Anthony, and the Hellfires club.
I can’t say anything, and I can’t move.
It’s all too much, and it hits me all at once, like a freight train to the chest. I look down at what’s left of the months-old polish and the dirt and grime from being forced out of the compound barefoot this morning. I feel sick to my stomach.
“Are you okay? You look pale, honey… Savage!” Poppy turns, and all I hear is white noise in my ears, a sudden ringing.
I rest my head back against the seat. I don’t know who Savage is, and I don’t have the strength to care. The truck is off and the AC has stopped blowing, so the temperature is rising.
“Hey.” The guy whoboughtme from Mad Dog climbs into the back of the truck with me and slides across the seat. He stays a good distance away from me, like I’m a wild, caged animal. “Claire?”
He looks me in the eye, and for the first time, I notice how beautiful he is. Not picture-perfect like an actor, but he’s rugged. His deep brown eyes meet mine, and the next thing I know, he’s nodding at me, holding out his arms.
“Take my hand,” he says. “I’m going to get you and your baby out of this truck. We’re going to take it nice and slow. Get you food, a shower, and some rest.”
I must bristle at the word shower… I need one so badly, but… What will they expect from me in return? I shake my head. “I don’t want to. I don’t want to go with you.”
“Claire.” His voice is so soft and low. “I’m going to say this as many times as you need to hear it, so listen good. You’re safe here. You and your baby are safe. Nobody’s going to hurt you here. We’re going to help you get on your feet. You don’t have to worry about anything but getting your strength back.”
I don’t know how he knows I’m weak. I must look as bad as I feel. I don’t even want to think how I look to them. I only know for sure how bad I feel.
“Claire,” he says again, and his voice is so gentle. “No one here is going to hurt you. I’m not going to let anything happen to you for as long as you’re under our roof. Do you understand?”
I lift my head slowly, but I can’t speak. I can’tbelieve what he says. I can’t dare to trust that maybe, maybe, he’s telling the truth. Luck doesn’t happen to people like me.
I used to believe in luck and happy endings. I used to laugh and feel beautiful, but that was a long time ago.
He holds out a hand to me. “Come with me,” he says. “Get out of the truck. Let’s go inside. You’ll have a room just for you and the baby.”
I look at Poppy. She’s standing beside him, and I notice she’s leaning forward, her beautiful, soft curls framing her face like an angel. She’s resting a hand on his shoulder and nodding. “You look like you’re going to faint, honey,” she says gently. “You need food and some water. Let us help you.”
I swallow a wave of nausea and allow their words to sink in. I can’t stay stuck to this seat forever, and both my daughter and I will need a place to sleep tonight.
I promise myself I will steal what I need and we will run at the first sign of anything we don’t like.
I promise myself I won’t make the same mistakes I made with Anthony.
I make myself a promise that we will be okay.
I’m not strong right now, but there is nothing I wouldn’t do to protect my daughter. Even if that means doing the thing I cannot fathom ever doing again and trusting someone.
Poppy is smiling so big, I have to look away. When I look at Savage, there is something I can’t read in his eyes. He’s big and tattooed and mean-looking, for sure.But there’s something else. The same thing I saw when he gave me his water when I was in Mad Dog’s truck. The same thing I saw when he watched Mad Dog yank me so hard I almost dropped Aurora.
I don’t know what it is I see in him. And I sure don’t understand why. But I sit up slowly, hug my baby closer to my chest, and take his hand.
“Follow me,”Poppy says, motioning for me to follow her.
I do, but my steps are heavy. This place is a heck of a lot nicer than what the Hellfires call home. But it has the same vibe. Pool table, big TVs, a huge bar. Posters on the walls, recliner chairs and couches that look very comfortable.
There are a lot of people around—guys in jeans and T-shirts, some wearing their leather vests. Some women too. Just like over at the Hellfires’ compound. But something about this place feels less desperate and more homey. A woman is standing behind the bar, popping the cap off a bottle of beer and handing it to a guy whose massive back is covered in leather. I make quick eye contact with her, take in her big, fake boobs and her heavily made-up face. I’m braced for her to scowl or curse, but she looks at me and smiles.
