8
S he lifted her head. Her fists raised to thump on his back, then huffed in annoyance when she made eye contact with Wolf, Dalton, and their men. These people were going out of their way to help her. She’d be an idiot to refuse them, but everything she was deep inside cautioned and reminded her that aid from anyone, especially a man, usually came with a price. More shocking was the realization that she trusted Caleb not to hurt her, physically at least. Emotionally—she already knew in her soul he had the capacity to destroy her. “Put me down.”
“No.” Caleb paused on the other side of his truck. “Not until you promise me you won’t run.”
“Why would you believe me even if I did?” she retorted.
“I can feel your need to run,” he muttered. “Don’t ask me how because I can’t explain it. But everything I can see tells me you want to bolt.”
He wasn’t wrong. “I won’t run.”
“And I’m the pope.”
“I didn’t say I don’t want to run. I just said I won’t do it.”
“Caleb, put her down,” Dalton ordered.
“Bo—”
“Don’t make me make it an order,” Dalton growled. “We are not in the business of kidnapping women, even if it’s to keep them safe.”
“Liar.”
At least that’s what she thought Caleb said. Her anxiousness ramped up. She wiped her sweaty palms on the back of his shirt.
“I have one word for you, Boss.” Caleb spun back toward his boss, meaning she could no longer see anything but his parked truck. “Lina.”
“That’s different,” his boss grumbled. “She’s my wife.” He cleared his throat. “She was my wife then, too. So, it doesn’t count.”
Rose snorted and felt more than heard Caleb huff.
“You kidnapped your wife?” The words came out squeakier than she would have wanted, but at least they were steady. “And she didn’t beat you with a skillet or stab you in your sleep?” She’d met Lina earlier at the wedding.
“Not for lack of trying,” Dalton replied. “But that’s not the issue here. The issue is your safety, not my wife’s.”
“If you take me with you,” it was weird as all get out to be talking to Caleb’s back while she was face down over his shoulder, “it will be your wife’s safety.” She remembered the little boy taking his first wobblily steps from earlier. “And your son’s.”
“Then your Janak will have signed his death warrant,” Dalton growled. “My family are mine to protect. I—we—all of us will fuck up anyone who puts them in danger.”
Rose swallowed hard. Her, it would be her putting them in danger. Not because she wanted to, but because the side effect of helping her would be a danger to the families of everyone who came to her aid. “Then you shouldn’t help me. Because I will be the person who puts them in danger. I don’t want that to happen?—”
“Bullshit. It wouldn’t be your fault,” Caleb growled. “We can help you…”
He wasn’t listening. Maybe he had some kind of hero complex, but she didn’t. She wouldn’t allow their families to get caught in the crossfire like?—
Don’t go there… nothing good comes of seeing it in your head as a walking nightmare.
She shook off the memory or, rather, the nightmare. Those early days when she’d first run had caused so much damage to too many good people. “It’s too dangerous?—"
“Ma’am,” Wolf interrupted, “dangerous is kinda our jam. Just ask any of our women?—”
It was so sweet of him to try and assure her that they would get involved in her crappy situation. “That’s different. Helping them didn’t put everyone else you love in danger.” She ignored all the snorts and mutters from the men behind them. It was embarrassing to be ass over boobs on Caleb’s shoulder as they discussed the situation. “I can’t and won’t ask that of you.”
“Why are you running from him?” Caleb finally put her on her feet. He caged her in the circle of his arms against the side of the truck. “Who’s Janek to you?”
“My worst nightmare.” The words were out before she could stop them. “He’ll never stop looking for me.” Her eyes pleaded with them to listen to her. “He won’t care who gets in his way.”
“Why?”
She wasn’t sure which of the men asked and let out a frustrated breath as she realized they were going to keep pushing for answers. “Because I’m the one who got away.” The acknowledgment was ripped from her throat in a painful cry. “I’m the one who refused to…”
“Refused to what?”
God, she wanted to lean into him. He looked strong enough to take the weight of the shitshow which had become her life. But she didn’t dare. These people deserved better than her. She squeezed her eyes shut against Caleb’s penetrating gaze and swallowed hard, forcing the words out, “…be his whore.” She shuddered. “I just wanted to be free.”
“You will be free,” Caleb promised. “I’ll help you get free of him. We all will. You just have to trust us, firefly. Please trust me.”
Why was he doing this? Did he not know how tempted she was to agree? Maybe he did. “Do you have some kind of god complex?” She watched them over his shoulder. “You can’t stop him. Nobody can.”
Wolf pulled out his phone, dialed a number, and put it to his ear. “We’re no gods. We’re just good men who do bad things to protect the innocent. Tex, it’s me. I need you to find everything you can on an a-hole who’s sent an innocent running like a scared rabbit. Except he’s also stacked the deck against her…”