Page 61 of Protecting Peyton

As we left his house,I didn’t know how to put it, so I didn’t say anything until we reached the first stoplight. “Your mother is something else.”

He nodded. “She can take a little getting used to.”

“She’s pretty intense.”

The light turned green, and he accelerated. “That’s because she likes you.”

I smoothed my skirt. “I’m not so sure about that. And Sunday…”

“Yeah, Sunday. She can be a little pushy. You don’t need to come if you’re not comfortable with it.”

I looked out the window, unsure how to handle it. “Can I decide later?”

“Of course.”

As the city went by, I enjoyed the ride March’s Porsche Cayenne provided, swift every time he stepped on the gas and sure-footed when he maneuvered us through a corner.

I gripped the handle on the Porsche’s door. Not because I felt insecure, but as a reminder to myself—I had to keep a handle on the reality of my situation. LA was temporary, SpaceMasters was temporary, and March was temporary.

It would all have to change when the Hartfords returned, and I had to move on. I’d stayed in Atlanta too long, and he’d found me. I didn’tknow exactly how, but the longer I stayed in one place, the easier it would be.

My one responsibility was to outlast him, to stay alive until he was caught. It was the only way I’d get to the future every woman dreamed of, one that included a family and lazy days of relaxation without the worry of a serial killer after you.

Perhaps sensing my anxiety, March asked, “Am I going too fast for you?”

“No. Why would you ask that?”

“I don’t know.” He glanced over. “Maybe your death grip on the door.”

I released the handhold. “I’m just pissed about the damage to the condo.”

That seemed to satisfy him.

Soon, March would be out of my life. I’d move on. It would be hard to imagine finding a situation as comfortable as the one I had lucked into, with people as honorable and caring, but like a tumbleweed, I’d have to keep rolling.

“Do you think Frankie was the one who broke into the condo?” I asked.

“I’d say he’s a top candidate, so Winston and I are going to have a chat with him after I drop you off.”

“Okay. By your logic, if he did it, I’m not in mortal danger, and I can go back to the condo when the door is fixed.”

“Well…”

It was checkmate. I had him. “You said I wasn’t safe if the mugging and the condo were related, and Frankie certainly wasn’t one of the muggers.”

“You sound like a lawyer. Is that what you left behind?”

“Don’t hide behind changing the subject. Two days ago, you didn’t consider it unsafe for me to live at my place. Yes or no—by your definition, if Frankie is the one who broke into my place, then I’m safe, or at least as safe as I was two days ago.”

“I guess.”

“That sounds like a yes to me.”

He shrugged a shoulder. “I’d feel better if I knew who your muggers were and that they didn’t have a hand in the mess at your condo.”

Independence was crucial to me, but compromises had to be made. “We don’t live in a perfect world, but I’ll consider your offer to put me up for a while, if it makes you feel better.”

“It would.”