Page 2 of Claim

Helping people when they need it, it’s important, Bell.

She’d been the nicest person I’d ever known, with a good heart. She’d just been good and beautiful.

My hands curled around the edge of the table, and time clicked back in. I blinked and saw the redhead and her boyfriend take a seat at a table.

She wasn’t Allison.

Allie was dead.

My belly revolted, tying itself in a knot. I tasted bile in my mouth, and breathed through the sensation. I dug my fingers into my thighs, pressing into the denim of my worn jeans.

“Here you go.”

Karen set a mug of coffee and a plate of food down. The smell hit me, making my nausea worse. I managed a smile. “Thank you.”

She eyed me. “You need anything else, hon, you let me know.”

I nodded. That small bit of kindness made tears prick my eyes.

There hadn’t been much kindness in my life since I’d left home.

Shaking my head, I locked it down, and picked up my fork.Survive. That was what was important. And I, Bellamy Sanders, was a fucking survivor.

I wouldn’t lethimwin.

I ate one bite of my meatloaf, chewing slowly. I was on my third mouthful, when someone stepped up to my table.

“Hi there, sweetheart.” It was one of the men from the loud trio. He had light brown hair, and a face he probably thought was handsome, but just looked ordinary. He slipped his hands into the pockets of his jeans. “You look like you could use some company. Why don’t you come join us?”

I shot him a bland look. “I’d like to be alone.”

“Come on now.” The smile he shot me told me he thought he was charming. “I’m a nice guy.” He leaned closer. “We could have some fun together.”

Ugh. I hated pushy guys like this. I’d unfortunately learned that when you were a woman alone, you attracted guys like this. A lot.

“I’m fine. Thank you.”

A frown formed, creasing his forehead. “Hey, I’m being friendly here.”

“I just really want to eat my dinner.”

“You can eat it with me and my friends.” He waved at his table. “We can get to know each other.”

My heartbeat picked up. He wasn’t going to let it go. He was going to make a scene.

I sighed. “Look—”

A shadow fell over the table, and I lifted my head.

My heart skipped a beat.

It was the lone man from the other table. Since he’d been sitting, I’d missed an important fact. He was huge. He was tall, broad, and all muscle. The sleeves of his blue shirt were rolled up, and his arms were covered in tattoos. The ink was a mix of different designs like flowers and swirls, and cool geometric patterns.

His face wasn’t exactly handsome, but I couldn’t look away. He was rugged, with a nose that had been broken before, shaggy, black hair, and a black beard covering his strong jaw.

His storm-cloud eyes trained on my unwanted visitor. “She said she wasn’t interested.”

“Stay out of this.” The younger man kept his gaze on me. “This isn’t your business.”

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