Page 22 of Saved By The Mechanic

“Your tears—”

“I’m just so happy to see you,” I say, wrapping my arms around his shoulders and burying my face in his sturdy chest. “I was so scared when they took me away from you.”

Ray rubs a soothing hand down my back. “It’s fine. I’m here. You are safe. I will not let anyone take you away again.”

I believe him. We were both blindsided by the cops showing up at the garage, but I believe him when he says he’ll never let anyone take me away, and the truth is, I want to stay too. “Take me home,” I whisper. I want to feel safe. The kind of safety I felt last night in bed with his arms wrapped around me and this morning when we were having breakfast. I need to feel that again.

“Let’s go.” Ray pulls back from the embrace and slides his hand into mine, and we start walking to the parking lot where he’s parked his car. He goes to open the passenger door for me, but before he can, someone calls out to me, and I freeze.

I don’t want to turn around and look.

I want to climb into the car and ignore the voice entirely, but I can’t. It is the voice of the same person who read me bedtime stories when I was a little girl and made me pancakes every Saturday morning.

“Penny Moore,” she calls out again, louder this time.

I slowly turn around to find my mother standing a few feet away from us, and she looks like she’s aged a decade since I last saw her only a couple days ago. Standing beside her is the monster who almost ruined my life, and I quickly grab Ray’s hand. My stepfather’s eyes drop to our joined hands, and I watch as his expressions darkens.

“Who are you?” Ray asks, his voice hard, and I don’t have to look up to know his expression is angry.

“Unhand my daughter this second!” My mother yells, stepping forward, but I step back, hiding behind Ray.

I notice my stepfather lay his hand on my mother's back, the same spot he placed his hand on me a few days ago before it “accidentally” slide to my ass. “See what I told you about your daughter. This is the kind of men she associates with. Men with tattoos who help her steal cars.”

“That’s not true, Ray is not that kind of a man,” I call out, dropping my eyes quickly when my stepfather’s shift to mine.

“Come here, Penny. We will talk about this when we get home.”

“No,” I say, pushing closer to Ray even though, at this point, I’m practically molded to the man’s back. “I’m not going anywhere with you. I’m leaving with Ray.”

My stepfather steps forward, and I notice a vein pop on his forehead. “Listen to your mother.”

“Or what?” counters Ray. His muscles are tense, and I can tell he’s seconds away from punching the man, so I tug at his hand.

“Let’s go,” I tell him, needing to be away from the two people who’ve made my life hell over the last year. One throughhis actions and the with her indifference. I’m not a child anymore, they cannot control what I do or who I do it with.

I tug Ray’s hand once more and pull him back toward the car. His eyes don’t leave them as he opens the door for me to climb in. He shuts it behind me, and with a last warning glance, walks to the driver’s side.

I know better than to spare my stepfather a glance, and yet I do, and what I see in his eyes sends a chill running down my body. Those dark eyes carry a threat—a promise of punishment for daring to let another man touch me.

But he can’t get to me. Not with Ray around.

Ray won’t let him.

You belong to me, Penny. I’ll take care of you. I’ll protect you.

I hold on to that promise with everything I have.

Chapter Nine

Ray

Home.

I need to get this girl home and safe around people I trust before I think of what to do with the people who sent cops after her. My blood is boiling as I drive back to my shop, and thankfully, no one stops us when Penny and I pass by to head up.

We don’t speak as we take the stairs to my apartment, and I have every intention of dropping Penny home and then going out after the people who’ve made her life a living hell in the past and are still trying their hand at it.

Quite frankly, I am disappointed by the man who is Penny’s stepfather. From her description of him, I’d expected him to be this big man with an imposing figure, but he turned out to be a tall lanky man with empty eyes. Nothing I can’t handle.

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