Page 31 of Graveyard Dog

“Boring is good.” He crossed his arms over his chest and waited.

She looked up in thought, the movement revealing the sultry curve of her neck. Michael had to shift in his chair and look away lest he embarrass himself.

“Two months ago, we were living in a tiny town in Texas when a group of Bandits came into the diner where I worked. It was fine. I just played it off as a coincidence, but they kept watching me and hung around until I had to close up. Needless to say, I got very nervous, even though the fry cook was still there cleaning up. It would’ve been twelve of them against me and one half-blind fry cook with a porn addiction.”

“What did you do?”

She shrugged. “I did what I always do. I ran. Emma was watching movies in the back room, so I picked her up, walked out the back door, and left town without even getting our things from the motel.”

“I knew you were smart.”

“Do you think so? If you knew what I’ve put Emma through, you would change your mind.”

“Doubt it.”

“I’ve dragged her all over the country. We’ve slept on streets and in cars and bathroom stalls. We’ve bathed in park fountains. We’ve eaten leftovers people offered us.”

Michael fought the urge to pull her into his arms. To swear to protect her and Emma at all costs. He couldn’t do that to her. He couldn’t drag her into his world, no matter his good intentions. “I don’t understand,” he said. “You could get anything you want with a few words.”

She shook her head. “It’s not always that simple. I’ve gotten into trouble more than once. I was arrested in Mississippi for walking out of a restaurant. I’d entranced the server but not the manager. Emma was stuck in a tent outside the city with awoman I barely knew for an entire day. Who knows what that woman could’ve done.” She swallowed a sob, turning away from him to hide her face. “I’ve learned when to use my ability and when not to. Sometimes, it’s simply not worth the risk.”

“But you’re here now.”

She looked around the room, almost in awe. “I still can’t believe it. This is the most stability Emma’s ever had. An apartment. A car that doesn’t break down every couple hundred miles. It’s an exhausting way to live, running for one’s life.”

“Do you know for certain your ex is still after you?”

She nodded. “I got confirmation about a year ago. I was pulled over by a state cop in Arizona for a broken taillight. He told me there was an arrest warrant out for me in North Carolina. Ross had filed charges with one of his cop buddies, saying I’d stolen ten thousand dollars from him. But the warrant had my new name on it. Somehow, he found out what name I’d been going by. I have no idea how.”

“Did the cop arrest you?”

“No. I told him the story, and he just let me go. He was very kind. Said his sister was in a similar situation. It didn’t end well.”

“So, you had to change your name again?”

“Yes. I kept the Walsh but changed my first name to Izzabel.”

“Pretty. What’s your real name?”

She hesitated.

He raised a brow. “You don’t trust me now?”

“I mean, what if all of this is a big ruse? What if he really did send you, and that’s just how good you are at your job?”

He sat stunned at first. After everything they’d been through… Then he caught a flash of humor flitting across her face.

“Isadora. Isadora Welch.”

“That’s beautiful. And it fits.”

She ducked her head to hide a smile.

“Speaking of names,” he continued, “you didn’t happen to catch any of the bikers’ handles in Texas, did you?”

She laughed softly. “It’s not important. I panicked. I tend to do that.” She indicated his swollen temple with a nod.

“I don’t know,” he said, rubbing it. “I think the Taser was worse.”

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