help you? How did you end up…” How could Alex let her end up like this?
She snuggled her face into the puppy’s fur. “I stayed with him for a while. Until Striker started poking around and Alex made me leave.”
Horror and disbelief circled and pounced, dug their claws into me. That bastard kicked her out? “Did he know what Striker did to you?” I asked, and shook my head. “It doesn’t fucking matter. Alex knew. He fucking knew we were getting the—” I couldn’t breathe through the rage. Alex knew we were getting the fuck beat out of us, and he didn’t protect her. “He fucking got out!” I gripped the headrest in front of me.
“Hey!” the cab driver said. “I’ll pull over and let you out here, you keep swearing and grabbing my seat like that.”
Danny reached over and put her hand over mine. “Let go,” she whispered.
I let my hands fall and looked at the driver in his rear view mirror. “Sorry, man.”
He held up a hand and dismissed it, but glared at me in warning.
“Alex got out and didn’t want dragged back in,” Danny said, handing me the puppy. “Stroke his fur. It’ll help keep you calm.”
Holding the dog had to keep me calm, or else I’d end up squeezing the living shit out of it. We drove in silence for a while then her phone beeped with a text.
I watched her read it. She pursed her lips and made a puffing sound from her nose, jabbing a response back with her thumbs. Her hands were jittery and she was pale. “What’d he say?” I asked.
“Don’t worry about it.” She finished the text and tucked her phone under her thigh.
“Let me see.” I slid my hand across the seat and under her leg, but she grabbed my wrist and held tight.
“I know how to deal with Alex,” she said. “Leave it to me.” There was a fierce look in her eye. One I’d never seen before. Life hadn’t been good to Danny while we were apart. It made her hard. Scared. Desperate. I’d been there and knew those emotions made for a dangerous combination.
She was small and couldn’t fight physically, but I could tell this woman beside me knew how to win her battles. A fifteen-year-old girl who survived abuse and kept running while being hunted learned how to use manipulation as a weapon. I hadn’t seen it yet, but I had a feeling Alex had helped her—no matter how little—more than he wanted to. She would’ve used their closeness in the past to her advantage.
Danny knew she had me—that I’d die for her if I had to—she didn’t need to manipulate me.
Every time I looked at her, a fissure cracked through my center. She was so petite and delicate. I wanted to put her in a bottle and carry her in my pocket. Wisps of fair hair touching her cheeks, wide light eyes, long, slim fingers. My heart ached for her to be whole again, to be the nine-year-old girl who jumped on my bed, giggling, waking me up for school. The girl she was before Striker broke her.
I wouldn’t rest until she was safe and happy again.
A muffled beep sounded under her thigh. She slid the phone out and glanced at the message before leaning forward between the seats and rattling off an address to the driver.
“So, he’s good with us coming?” I asked as she sat back.
She smiled at me and pet the dog. “He’s good with me coming. You’re a surprise.”
“Great.” She was the one we needed to hide. If Alex kicked me out, I could stay anywhere. “How long will he let you stay?”
She shrugged and turned her head toward the window. “We’ll find out.”
I put my arm across her shoulders and pulled her against me. Alex The Dog jumped over onto her lap. “We’ll be okay,” I said, wondering what our next move should be after leaving Alex’s house. We couldn’t run forever. “After five years, he can’t threaten you with the cops anymore, it’ll be too late to press charges.”
“Ten and a half more months,” she said. “That’s a long time, Tyler. He always finds me.”
A shiver ran through her and
She snuggled her face into the puppy’s fur. “I stayed with him for a while. Until Striker started poking around and Alex made me leave.”
Horror and disbelief circled and pounced, dug their claws into me. That bastard kicked her out? “Did he know what Striker did to you?” I asked, and shook my head. “It doesn’t fucking matter. Alex knew. He fucking knew we were getting the—” I couldn’t breathe through the rage. Alex knew we were getting the fuck beat out of us, and he didn’t protect her. “He fucking got out!” I gripped the headrest in front of me.
“Hey!” the cab driver said. “I’ll pull over and let you out here, you keep swearing and grabbing my seat like that.”
Danny reached over and put her hand over mine. “Let go,” she whispered.
I let my hands fall and looked at the driver in his rear view mirror. “Sorry, man.”
He held up a hand and dismissed it, but glared at me in warning.
“Alex got out and didn’t want dragged back in,” Danny said, handing me the puppy. “Stroke his fur. It’ll help keep you calm.”
Holding the dog had to keep me calm, or else I’d end up squeezing the living shit out of it. We drove in silence for a while then her phone beeped with a text.
I watched her read it. She pursed her lips and made a puffing sound from her nose, jabbing a response back with her thumbs. Her hands were jittery and she was pale. “What’d he say?” I asked.
“Don’t worry about it.” She finished the text and tucked her phone under her thigh.
“Let me see.” I slid my hand across the seat and under her leg, but she grabbed my wrist and held tight.
“I know how to deal with Alex,” she said. “Leave it to me.” There was a fierce look in her eye. One I’d never seen before. Life hadn’t been good to Danny while we were apart. It made her hard. Scared. Desperate. I’d been there and knew those emotions made for a dangerous combination.
She was small and couldn’t fight physically, but I could tell this woman beside me knew how to win her battles. A fifteen-year-old girl who survived abuse and kept running while being hunted learned how to use manipulation as a weapon. I hadn’t seen it yet, but I had a feeling Alex had helped her—no matter how little—more than he wanted to. She would’ve used their closeness in the past to her advantage.
Danny knew she had me—that I’d die for her if I had to—she didn’t need to manipulate me.
Every time I looked at her, a fissure cracked through my center. She was so petite and delicate. I wanted to put her in a bottle and carry her in my pocket. Wisps of fair hair touching her cheeks, wide light eyes, long, slim fingers. My heart ached for her to be whole again, to be the nine-year-old girl who jumped on my bed, giggling, waking me up for school. The girl she was before Striker broke her.
I wouldn’t rest until she was safe and happy again.
A muffled beep sounded under her thigh. She slid the phone out and glanced at the message before leaning forward between the seats and rattling off an address to the driver.
“So, he’s good with us coming?” I asked as she sat back.
She smiled at me and pet the dog. “He’s good with me coming. You’re a surprise.”
“Great.” She was the one we needed to hide. If Alex kicked me out, I could stay anywhere. “How long will he let you stay?”
She shrugged and turned her head toward the window. “We’ll find out.”
I put my arm across her shoulders and pulled her against me. Alex The Dog jumped over onto her lap. “We’ll be okay,” I said, wondering what our next move should be after leaving Alex’s house. We couldn’t run forever. “After five years, he can’t threaten you with the cops anymore, it’ll be too late to press charges.”
“Ten and a half more months,” she said. “That’s a long time, Tyler. He always finds me.”
A shiver ran through her and
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