Total pages in book: 23
Estimated words: 20394 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 102(@200wpm)___ 82(@250wpm)___ 68(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 20394 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 102(@200wpm)___ 82(@250wpm)___ 68(@300wpm)
I'm a man of a few words, and I don’t really want to discuss it with her in the middle of her restaurant. All that should matter is that I believe her. I shrug. “I just do.”
That’s all I say to Violet, but in my head, I list the reasons why I think this woman is innocent. Only two minutes have gone by since I first laid eyes on her, but I know she’s not a killer. It’s obvious she has real fear on her face, and the way she keeps looking out the front windows as if she’s waiting to be shot down tells me that she truly does believe that someone is after her. She looks like someone that has seen death up close and personal and is now fearful for her life. I've seen it a lot in my years.
Violet leans down and puts her hands on the table to look at me. "So you won't turn her in. You'll protect her," she insists.
I nod my head yes. I take my eyes off the woman across the room. "Did she tell you anything?"
Violet shrugs. "Only that her husband died. She found him, and now someone is after her. That's it. She wanted to leave after she confided in me, but I convinced her to stay. I don't know if she's going to just trust you." I nod, knowing all of this already, but Violet continues, "Especially with that look on your face. You think you can lighten up a little bit?"
There's a hint of a smile that has my lips turning up. "Yeah, I can try."
Violet nods her head, satisfied. I point over at the woman. "So are you going to introduce us?"
Chapter 3
Allison
I heard the bike when it pulled up to the front of the diner and almost freaked out. My thoughts instantly went to the man that’s after me. I looked outside and watched the big, muscular, tattooed biker climb off of the bike. For just a second, I was fearful as I watched him look around outside of the building and then come in. He looked as if he was looking for someone, and I hope it’s not me.
Violet walked out to meet him, and then it hit me that this must be the help that she was talking about. He sits over in the corner, and I can feel his eyes on me as I work.
Violet calls my name from across the room, and I clench the towel in my hand. I turn and walk over toward her and the man, feeling both of them staring at me. She smiles at me, trying to soothe me. "Have a seat," she says.
I take a seat in the booth, and Violet sits down next to me. "Allison, this is Kane. He's the president of the Guardians."
When she stops, I look at the leather vest that the man is wearing. It says Guardians MC on it, so I make the assumption that he's part of some kind of motorcycle gang or something. He's watching me closely, his soulful brown eyes big and examining. His expression is guarded, and it makes me wonder if it's me or women in general he doesn't like.
His voice is deep when he asks me, "Do you think anyone followed you here?"
I clench the towel in my hand under the booth. "I don't think so. I ditched my phone and my car back in town, and then I walked five miles through the woods to get to the bus station. I paid cash and gave them all of the money that I had to get as far away as I could." I grimace. "I ended up only being two hours away. That's how I ended up here."
He nods approvingly. "Smart thinking ditching your phone and using cash. Do you know who's after you?"
I shrug. "I guess whoever killed my husband."
He nods almost impatiently. "Do you know who that is?"
His gaze is intent, and I feel like he sees me more than I want him to, but I don't dare look away from him. "My husband was a bad man. He screwed everyone over. It would be safe to assume that anyone that has ever worked with him would want him dead."
He searches my eyes. His glare is intimidating, but I still don't back down. "Even you?" he asks.
I jut my chin at him. "I'm not going to lie. Yes, there were times I wished him dead. But it was usually when he used his fist on me or the times he told me I was worthless... But I didn't kill him."
His jaw tightens, obviously not liking what he hears, but it's the truth. "Do you have anywhere you could hide out?"
I shake my head. "No, I don't have any friends that were not his friends, and I’m not sure who to trust on that front, and I won’t put my family in danger."