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I can see the desire on her face to help. The stubborn set of her jaw. If I say no, there is not a doubt in my mind that she will walk right out that door and into whatever danger is waiting for her.
Will she survive it? Or will I see her beautiful face plastered on the screen the next time I turn on the news?
Fine.
“Deal. But we’re going to have some ground rules.”
“Okay.”
“You’re going to take it easy until you’re healed.” When she opens her mouth to argue, I hold up a hand. “It’s non-negotiable. Until you can move around without choking back your pain, you’re not allowed to work.”
She takes a deep breath. “Okay.”
“And you’re going to let me get you some other clothes. You can’t be working around here in one outfit, and you can’t live in my clothes.” Mainly because seeing you in them is making me crazy.
“Only if you add those to my tab.”
I arch a brow. “Sure.” Even though I have absolutely zero intention of doing it, I agree because, once again, I get the sense she’ll refuse if I don’t. “One last thing. I want complete transparency when you’re in my bar. I don’t need to know everything, but if at any time you start to feel unsafe or there’s an issue, you come straight to me. Understood?”
“Agreed.”
“Great.” I hold out my hand. “Then we have a deal, Sadie.”
She eyes my hand warily, but I keep it out. For this to work, she has to know she can trust me. So, I wait patiently for her to take the opportunity to test it out. Finally, she slips her slender hand into mine.
The connection is instant. Warm. But there’s something more, too. A type of recognition that goes far beyond what I can even begin to explain. My heart kicks in my chest. I pull my hand back. “Let’s go get you some clothes.”
“Wait, what?”
“Clothes. There’s a boutique in town. It’s small, but it should have what you need.”
“I can’t leave. I can’t go out there, I’ll—”
“You’re safe with me, Sadie. We’ll put a baseball cap on you so no one will recognize you.”
“You don’t understand—”
“Is the person who did that to you here in Stormwatch Landing?” Please say yes so I can hunt them down now.
She shakes her head.
“Then, like I said, you’re safe here.” I move past her and head for the stairs leading up to the apartments. Sadie grabs her bag and follows me, so I open the door. She hesitates before moving in first though, so even as the manners ingrained in me ever since I was young insist I let her go first, I move through and go ahead of her. “I need to grab a few things, and I’ll be right out.”
“Okay.”
I head into my apartment. After changing into a pair of jeans and work boots, I shove my wallet and keys into my pocket, then grab my black baseball cap, the word ARMY written across the front in sandy brown.
Then, I head back out. Sadie is standing there in the exact spot she was in before, though her backpack is nowhere to be seen. I offer her the baseball cap and watch as she twirls her hair up and shoves it beneath the cap. The move is swift and clearly one she’s been doing for a long, long time.
“Ready?” I ask.
She nods, so I lock up, then start back down the stairs. Instead of taking a left and heading toward the bar, though, I turn right and open the back entrance into the alleyway.
Sadie follows.
As we step outside, my gaze momentarily flicks to the right, where she’d been hiding behind a stack of boxes. Had she really intended to sleep out here? Or was she just trying to take a momentary rest?
What if danger had found her before I did?
