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“You can’t,” he rasped, his voice breaking. “They’ll kill us.”
I leaned in just enough for him to hear me, my voice nothing more than a whisper. “I know.”
The house was different from where she’d come from. No barbed wire, no locked gates, no stink of rot and desperation. Just a normal house on a normal street, like something out of a goddamn dream. If I’d crawled out of hell, maybe I’d have aimed for heaven too.
I knocked on the door and ran a hand down my shirt. My cut was in the car, left behind on purpose. Dressed in just jeans and a tee, I looked like any other guy on a Saturday night. If she caught sight of the MC connection, she might not answer, and I couldn’t risk leaving her here. Not when I knew who was coming for her next.
The door opened, and for the first time, I saw her in the flesh.
Olivia.
I’d only seen photos of her before, but they didn’t do her justice. She was beautiful, effortlessly so, and when her eyes met mine, something inside me twisted. It had been years since I’d let myself feel anything for a woman. Contrary to what Kyle’s mom had told her, I hadn’t touched another woman while we were together. Not even her. Because it had always been Jill eating away at my life and making it hell. And by the time she was dead, the whole damn female species had lost their appeal.
But Olivia? One look at her and my body responded in a way I hadn’t felt in years.
“Yes?” she asked, her voice husky and smooth.
I nearly groaned at the sound of it.
“Olivia?”
She glanced around, cautious, before giving a small nod.
I hated what I had to do. Every instinct in me rebelled against it, but I couldn’t risk her fighting or drawing attention. Moving fast, I pulled the rag from my pocket, clamping it over her mouth and nose. She gasped, but within seconds, she went limp in my arms.
I cradled her close, my jaw clenching. “I’m so sorry, baby,” I whispered, knowing she couldn’t hear me. “Just trust me.”