Page 60 of Without Judgment

I spent the next ten minutes giving him the rundown.

At the end, he spoke quietly. “That’s a lot, sis. Why didn’t you call me?”

“Maybe I needed to do this for myself.” I realized I had. And in doing so, I finally felt confident I was taking charge of my life.

“You did a hell of a job. Is Mason with you?”

“Yes. He takes this security thing quite seriously.” And he’d proven he was on my side much more than I’d given him credit for.

“Good. He should take it seriously. How long before you’ll head home? You could come to Dallas.”

“I need to be out of the city for at least a few days to let the story die down. Then maybe I’ll go to Dallas next. I have a feeling Houston may not be the place for me for a while.”

“I’m looking forward to it. And Avery?”

“Yes?”

“I’m proud of you. For standing up for yourself and for getting through it.”

I was proud of me, too. “Thank you. Tell Emma hi. I hope to see you both in a few days.”

“Me, too. Love you.”

“I love you, too.” I hung up as Mason opened the door.

He flicked a look toward me when he got in. “Who was that?”

“Trevor.”

“Oh. Did you tell him you were with me?”

I quirked a brow. “Yes. Why? Does this make it awkward for you to strand me in the middle of nowhere if I irritate you too much?”

His lips twitched as he settled behind the wheel. “Somewhat. He texted me, too. I’ll reply now. I wasn’t certain you wanted him to know where you were.”

I scanned my surroundings of what appeared to be a small Texas town. “I’m not sure where I am. Only who I’m with. What’s the name of this place?”

“Marble Falls. The cabin we’re going to is a few miles south in Round Mountain. We’re about forty something miles from Austin.”

“Oh.” I was stuck on the part about a cabin.

“You okay with it not being the Ritz?” he teased, putting the truck in gear.

Somehow I sensed there was more behind his question than he was letting on. A vulnerability of sorts. “I’m not that much of a princess.”

He grinned. “Guess we’ll see.”

We drove another fifteen minutes before turning off the highway onto a dirt road. About three miles later, he opened a metal gate with a padlock, and then we climbed upward another couple of miles until finally coming to a stop in front of a quaint wooden cabin. With the sun going down, it was hard to see much, but I could definitely make out the massive oak trees around the property.

The cabin itself had a small porch and a weathered look about it. A stone chimney was visible on the roof, adding to its rustic charm.

“What is this place?”

“Not the Ritz. Give me a minute to get the doors open and kill anything moving in there. Okay?”

I froze. Bugs and I weren’t exactly on friendly terms. I could deal without the comfort of a luxury resort, but I wouldn’t be able to handle something crawling over me.

After a few minutes, during which he opened up the door and two windows in front and began sweeping it out, I climbed down from the truck.

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