Page 34 of Edge of Danger

“This is for your safety.”

Her arms wrapped tighter around herself. She was rocking back and forth. “Please let me stay. Please.”

By the time he pulled up in front of his parents’ house, she was almost hysterical, shaking from the force of her emotions. Some of this had to be residual from this morning, but he couldn’t add to it.

“Hey.” He reached out, touching her shoulder. “Hey, it’s going to be okay. If you really want to stay, you can.”

She nodded over and over. “I do. Thank you.”

She was thankinghim? He was just hoping he wasn’t about to put her in danger again.

He offered her a smile that started out forced but became genuine once he saw her palpable relief. And he couldn’t deny the relief he felt in turn. He hadn’t wanted Tessa to leave, even if it was for her own safety.

Now all that was left was figuring out how to move forward.

Chapter Thirteen

Tessa opened her eyes slowly. Why were they so heavy? It would be better to go back to sleep. She was so comfortable...

It all rushed back at once before sleep could overtake her again.

The fight in the parking lot. The zigzagging around trying to lose the men following them. Doing the same thing by herself, terrified, unable to call anybody for help.

Her eyes opened fully, and she looked around. Where was she?

The hazy memory of Brax leading her into the house came back in pieces. Only once she’d seen Walker for herself did she let Brax put her to bed. Everything was blank after that.

She’d had a breakdown. The memory made her wince in embarrassment. He had to think she was off her rocker. She couldn’t help it, though, not when he’d told her she had to go. The idea of being kept away from Walker again was too much.

It had broken her. Combined with the fear and exhaustion, she had lost her grip. There’d been nothing left in her.

Now, she had to find a way to look him in the eye. It was humiliating.

He would have questions. Although for some reason, it was as if he blamed himself for those goons coming after her. Why would he think that? Now that she could think clearly, it was obvious he’d told her to look for another job because he thought it was for the best. Hadn’t he mentioned her safety?

Or was that just an excuse to get rid of her?

Judging by the amber light coming through the window, she’d slept most of the day away. Great, now his entire family would think she was a crackpot or a druggie like Robert had claimed.

Humiliating or not, she had to get out of bed and face the consequences of her actions.

After freshening up in the hall bathroom, she crept downstairs. There were voices in the kitchen, one of which was Brax’s. Would he hate her? Or—and this was somehow worse—pity her?

“Hey, look who’s up,” Brax greeted her with a smile. He slid out the chair next to him at the long table. “How are you feeling?”

“Better now that I’ve slept, thanks.”

What mattered more than anything, what her eyes kept darting over to look at, was her son. He was in the arms of a beautiful woman with a warm smile. Even when Walker took a fistful of her dark hair and pulled, she only laughed indulgently.

“Tessa? I’m Clinton Patterson.” Brax’s dad. His large hand engulfed hers. “And this is my wife, Sheila.”

“I’m glad to meet you. Thank you for letting me sleep here for a little while. I was—”

“Think nothing of it.” There wasn’t so much as a hint of anything but pure kindness in Sheila’s voice, in her expression. “I’m glad to see you looking better. We were worried about you when you first got here. You looked worn out.”

That was an understatement.

Walker burst out with a string of very forceful babble, making them all laugh. “This one’s going to have a lot to say once he learns to talk, isn’t he?” Clinton leaned over him, making funny faces, and Walker giggled before taking one of the man’s fingers in his fist.

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