Total pages in book: 24
Estimated words: 22175 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 111(@200wpm)___ 89(@250wpm)___ 74(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 22175 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 111(@200wpm)___ 89(@250wpm)___ 74(@300wpm)
“You have a choice, but staying here isn’t smart.” I nod back to the club. “There could be someone out there waiting for you right now. Let me take you someplace safe.”
“Here,” Hartley says as she holds out an envelope. “I took it from Stowe. It’s what he owes you.”
“Thanks,” Whitley says as the two of them embrace.
“Is there a way out from here?” I ask, looking around for an exit.
“Yes, but you have to be fast or the alarm will trip,” Hartley says as she leads us to the rear of the room and pulls back a dark velvet curtain. There’s another red door, and she uses a pin from her braid to pick the lock.
“Not bad.” I nod at her speedy fingers. I could use someone like her on our team.
“Hurry,” Hartley says to Whitley. “They’re going to come looking for you soon.”
“Thank you for everything.” Whitley gives her one last hug before we fling open the door.
Then I grab her by the hand, and we run out into the night.
Chapter Seven
WHITLEY
“I don’t even know your name,” I tell the handsome stranger when he gets into the driver’s seat.
Why the heck am I trusting him again? I suppose I don’t have a lot of options, but there’s also something about him that feels safe. From the start, I thought he was different from the normal men that came into The Bald Beaver.
“Mack, Mack Reins.” He gives me a charming smirk. One that I’m sure is meant to make me swoon, and I hate how my heart gives a flutter. His smile makes me relax, and I have to remind myself that I’m naïve about people. Quinn constantly reminded me of that.
“Are you really a detective?”
“I’m a private one, yes.” He pulls out of the parking lot, and I glance in the side mirror, knowing I’ll never be back here again.
I knew the second I saw Stowe today that he didn’t get the ID. When he came into the back and saw me standing there, his face lit up. That only happens when money is involved. That meant the man from the night before was already back.
All Stowe cared about was the money. He pushed me to go into that room and said I’d make double what I did last night. The guy in the room was the whole reason I freaked out to begin with.
Though the more I thought about it, my fear began to taper off. He could have taken me last night, but he didn’t. When I told Stowe I’d go in the private room, he swore he’d work on getting me an ID. He was so full of shit, and we both knew it.
The whole walk to the room, I was freaking out and wondering why he wanted to talk to me. Then I overheard him talking to Hartley, and it sounded like he wanted to help me. Why? The craziest part is that I believed him. Or maybe I longed to believe in someone.
Mack was right, though. If he tracked me down, it was only a matter of time before someone else did. Getting out of town was the best option, and I think he can help me do that. If I start to suspect he’s lying, I can run. It would be easier to escape him than the gates of my father’s home. Maybe.
“Can we swing by the motel? My things are there.”
“Yeah, but we need to be quick.” He takes a left at the light.
I watch him as he drives, taking him in. He’s bigger than I remember. I was sure I’d built up how good-looking he was in my head, but if anything, he’s better. That same warm scent fills the inside of the car, and I love how it relaxes me.
It’s not until we’re pulling into the motel that I realize I never told him where to go. “I didn’t mention what motel I was staying at.”
He parks right in front of my room and sighs. “No, but you said motel. This is the only one in town. It’s also the only hotel or motel in this town that takes cash,” he says as he grabs his keys. “Plus, I followed you,” Mack admits honestly.
Should that freak me out or make me feel better? Again, he had a chance to grab me, and he didn’t.
“You know where I live?” I ask, and he nods. Again he’s telling me the truth.
“Come on. Let’s get your bags.” He gets out of the car, and I follow after him. “Wait.” Mack moves in front of me and pushes open the door of my room. My eyes widen as a gun appears in his hand, and he steps inside, glancing around. He quickly goes to the closet and then the bathroom before coming back to me. “All right, it’s safe.”