Page 4 of Savage

“I—I don’t know.” Her eyes went wide, and she looked like she would run off at any minute. “Where did you come from?”

One corner of Savage’s mouth quirked. “Well, just now I went around the block but before that I was coming from back that way.” He jerked his thumb in the direction he’d come from. “But the motel where we spent the night last night is about a block and a half that way.” He motioned to the road in front of him.

“Motel? You’re not from around here?” her voice trembled, and her gaze flicked around them again. She used one shaking hand to move a strand of hair hanging in her face and tuck it behind her ear.

“No.” He kept his voice gentle and tried to keep from making any sudden moves so as not to frighten her, but he glanced around too, wondering if she was seeing something or if she was just looking for it. “We’re just passing through, we came in last night, we’ll continue north in a few hours.”

“We?”

“Yeah, me and some brothers, a few others.” He didn’t want to tell her that it was his brother’s wives, she didn’t need that much information. “We’re going to visit another brother, then we’ll head home.”

“Where’s home?” The longer they talked the less frightened she seemed. Had she thought he was with whoever she was watching for?

“Arizona. How about you, are you from Casper?”

She glanced around again as she shook her head. “I came in last night on the bus, then realized I didn’t have enough money for somewhere to stay. I barely had enough to get something to eat.” She glanced around again. “I wanted to get farther, but I guess this will have to do. Do you happen to know where a shelter is?”

The idea of this woman, a woman who seemed so fresh and innocent going to a shelter, or even needing a shelter, made him ache to hit someone.

“I have no idea. Like I said, I’m just passing through.” He hesitated, wondered what the others would say then thought to hell with it and said what he was thinking anyway. “We’re leaving town in a couple hours like I said, but you could come with me. We’re not going too far, at least for now, and if you decide you’d rather find a shelter, I’ll help you find one. Now or later. We’ll be headed south in a couple of weeks. You can come with us to Arizona, or we can find somewhere you’ll feel safe.” He hurried to get the words out, sensing that there was some reason she seemed so nervous. He wanted to help her. He needed to make sure she was safe.

Savage didn’t question that instinct. He’d long ago learned to trust it. Now, he had to figure out how.

6

Donnastudiedthemanstanding in sweats and running shoes and nothing else from the looks of it. Well, other than tattoos. That alone let her know he wasn’t here looking for her specifically. The group she’d fled was very outspoken about tattoos, and not in a complementary manner.

He was coated with sweat, but looked at her, his eyes filled with concern. Could she trust him? Her gut said yes, but she’d trusted herself before and look at where that had gotten her.

Sleeping on the streets, looking over her shoulder and having to rely on someone else for her next meal. But had she made that decision with what seemed right or had she trusted her instinct? She couldn’t be sure.

“You said we. Who’s we?” She narrowed her eyes as she watched him.

“Me and some of my brothers. Well, my brothers and their wives,” he amended. “Look, if nothing else, let me take you for some food. You said you had enough money for food last night, but not enough for somewhere to stay. Let me at least get you some breakfast.”

She stared at him a moment, then knew she had to have something to eat so she agreed.

“Okay. Where were you planning to eat?” She let her gaze roll down his body, hoping he got the hint that he wasn’t dressed for a restaurant.

“Crap,” he said, scrubbing one hand over his face. “Come on back to the motel with me. I’ll grab a quick shower and get dressed then we can get some food. Maybe some of the women will be around and you’ll feel a little safer around them. I promise I’m not going to hurt you.” He held out one hand, motioning for her to join him as he walked in the direction he’d been coming from.

“You said you’re here with your family. How many of you are there?” She glanced at him when he was quiet for a moment, and found his eyes rolled back toward the top of his skull and his head nodding as if he was counting.

“Fourteen, including me, I think,” he finally said after a moment.

“Wow, fourteen and no kids with you?”

“No, the ones with kids stayed behind.”

She frowned. “If there are fourteen, and not all of your family is here, then how many siblings do you have?”

The stranger chuckled. “They’re not my siblings, they’re my brothers.”

Donna stopped. The men of the group she’d just escaped had called each other brother. The women were sisters. Was she walking back into another situation like what she’d just gotten away from?

It took him a couple of steps to realize she wasn’t with him. He stopped and looked back the hurried back to her side.

“What is it? Are you all right?” The concerned look on his face would be hard to fake but still, she had to know.

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