Page 17 of Outlaws’ Runaway

Every single thing they’ve said is right.

I’m screwed no matter what they do, and the only reason I have even a sliver of hope right now is because I was lucky enough to be found by the three of them. If they’d showed up even a few hours later, I’d be in Eddy’s not-so-loving hands. I wouldn’t even blame them for walking away.

Unless…

I sit up in bed, doing my best to arrange things so I’m not flashing anyone. “Guys? Hello?”

“Shit,” Savage curses under this breath. “One sec.”

They come into my room and turn on the lights. I blink away the temporary blindness and take them in. Poe is still shirtless. His hair is wet and slicked back, and his golden skin is still damp from the shower. Crank leans against the doorframe, a massive to-go cup in his hand from a coffeehouse in one hand and a breakfast sandwich in the other. Savage is shirtless as well, with a towel slung over his shoulder.

He crosses the room to me and takes my arm, holding it carefully as he unlocks the handcuffs. He rubs my wrist and hand, checking me over. His fingers are rough but his touch is gentle. “Everything feel okay? No numbness? Pins and needles?”

I shake my head. “No. I yanked on it a couple times and it wasn’t exactly comfy, but it’s fine.”

He nods. “Go use the bathroom. We have to talk.”

Remembering what they said about my legs and butt, I rush to the bathroom, showing off just a teeny tiny bit and not quite sure how to feel about the little flutter it gives me. Once I’m washed up and changed into jean shorts and a tank top, I feel a lot more ready to deal with whatever is about to happen. The guys arespread out in the room, Savage in a chair, Poe on the edge of the other bed, and Crank sitting on the top of the dresser as he finishes his coffee.

I sit back down on my bed. I want their help, but I don’t know the best way of going about asking. “I—I have a question.”

Savage cocks his head, watching me like a curious specimen he isn’t quite sure what to do with. “Can’t promise you’ll like the answer, but spit it out.”

“You guys take jobs from people, right? Like you found me because of my uncle. Did he hire you or something?”

“Yes and no,” Savage answers slowly. “Sometimes people have shit they need doing that isn’t exactly within the bounds of the law. Our MC is known for being open to that sort of work. Your uncle didn’t hire us directly, he put out a general bounty. Anyone who knows where to look can see it.”

“How did you find me, anyway?”

Savage looks to Poe.

Poe shrugs. “You did a pretty good job staying under the radar but you’re twenty. Your ex-roommate got engaged and you commented on her post. Once I had that, it wasn’t hard to follow the breadcrumbs.”

Seriously? “Oh my God. I’ve only turned my phone on like three times since I ran.”

He grins. “What can I say? I’m good. Most people have no idea how much information they’re shedding as they walk around in the world these days.”

“Okay, so… If I wanted to hire you, how would I go about that exactly?” I'm so far over my head. “Is there an app?”

Three sets of judgmental male eyes stare at me

“No app?”

Savage shakes his head. “No. No fucking app. It’s not like hiring a plumber. You’d have to have the right connections, ask for a meetup and present your case. Then we decide if it’s something we’re willing to do and if it’s worth our time. If everyone agrees, we make it happen.”

Here goes nothing. “This is a meetup, right? I want to hire you to keep me safe until I can go back and get this whole mess sorted out.”

Crank starts to chuckle.

Savage holds up a hand for silence. “You wanna hire us? First rule is that all cards need to be on the table. You need to be completely fucking honest about anything that might impact our ability to do the job. The good, the bad and the ugly. Don’t hide shit because you think it makes you sound bad.”

I rub my sweaty palms over my thighs. “I don’t know where to start.”

“The beginning,” Poe says.

“Right. Okay. About a year ago I was living out of town, studying office management. I got a call at the start of the summer telling me that my mother had been in an accident. She was…” I swallow hard. It’s still tough to talk about the details. “She was hit by a car when she was going into work. One of the employees found her a couple hours later. It was probably instant.”

Crank sucks in a pain breath through his teeth. “Shit.”

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