Page 3 of Desperation

He watched me carefully for a few seconds, and I could swear I saw skepticism in his eyes, but he finally nodded and went back to his truck. His long, confident strides ate up the short distance from my driver’s side door to his in seconds. He glanced at me once more, an unreadable expression on his face, before climbing into the cab.

What have I gotten myself into?

Chapter Three

Devon

There was something off about this girl. She was skittish, like a feral kitten who was afraid that every person she encountered was going to hurt her. She almost acted like…

No. I wouldn’t go there. I didn’t know anything about her and wouldn’t speculate on the situation.

But she seemed so scared.

“He’s gonna kill me.”

Her wide eyed but placid declaration bounced around in my head. Who washe? Her father, stepfather. Maybe a boyfriend or her husband. I hadn’t noticed a ring on her finger, but that didn’t necessarily mean anything. How old was she anyway? Maybe she didn’t mean it like I was thinking. Maybe it was just an expression. People said stuff like that all the time.

I slammed my hand against the steering wheel in annoyance. This wasn’t my business and certainly wasn’t my problem, but I couldn’t ignore the signs. My training had taught me how to pick up on subtle cues, giving me an edge when it came to reading people. But I didn’t need it to see what was happening with her.

“Shit!” I cursed out loud. What the fuck was I supposed to do?

Cody’s body shop came into view before I could mull it over. I pulled into the lot leaving the spot in front of the only empty bay open for… Hell I didn’t even know her name.

The black truck eased into the spot beside me as Cody emerged from the open office door. I stepped out and sidled up to him, reaching for his hand to shake. He took it then pulled me in for a “bro hug,” his hand slapping on my back.

“It’s good to see you, King,” he announced, using my old nickname from my football days. “How’ve you been?”

“Good. How about you? I heard you got a whole litter of rugrats now,” I teased. He chuckled and shook his head. Of all the guys I ran around with, Cody was the last one I expected to settle down and start a family.

“There are only three. Two are twins.” He beamed, the pride for his growing family evident in the broad smile stretched over his unshaven face.

“Congrats, man. I never would have dreamed.”

“Me neither.” He laughed.

My expression sobered when the frail blonde rounded the hood of her truck. She stepped up to us tentatively, her eyes shifting from me to Cody and back again.

“Oh, hi.” Cody turned his attention to her. He peered past her, his eyes quickly assessing the truck. “You must be…”

“Hannah,” she offered, unfolding her arms and reaching for his extended hand.

Hannah.

“Let’s see the damage.” He sidestepped her, his laser focus narrowing in on the bumper, so he didn’t see her wince, but I did. Her eyes met mine and widened as she took me in. I fought to control my reactions, willing my hands to stay relaxed at my sides and not curl into fists. Her fear and worry were palpable. She was afraid of someone, a man who held dominion over her. Someone who was mistreating her. I could feel it all the way down to my bones, and for some reason, I felt oddly protective over her. Maybe it was because she was so small and frail. Or perhaps it was her skittish, introverted demeanor. But some primal instinct flared to life inside of me when she was near, and the closer she got, the more I wanted to shield her from the cruelty of this world.

“It’s an easy fix.” Cody’s voice filtered into the space between us, startling us both. She turned to the sound, giving him her full attention, and I forced my gaze from her and let it settle on my old friend. “The bumpers on this model are junk. Fold like an accordion even with the slightest impact. They seem to get replaced a lot. I think I may even have one in the back that I ordered for another customer, but he never got it fixed.” He shrugged and walked into the shop.

Hannah’s gaze drifted back to mine, and I realized she hadn’t removed her sunglasses this whole time. Sure, the summer sun was bright, but even standing in the shadow of the body shop, she never took them off. I suspected I knew why. I wanted to question her about it, to push, but I knew better. A woman in her situation would likely retreat into herself, and I’d never get any answers.

“I was right,” Cody exclaimed, emerging once again holding a shiny new bumper in his hands. He held it out, looking from it to the damaged one on Hannah’s truck. “Yep, that’s the one.”

“How soon can you have it fixed?” Hannah asked nervously.

“Tomorrow afternoon.”

Her tense shoulders visibly relaxed, and she let out an audible sigh. “Thank you.”

“Step into my office,” he instructed, turning on his heel. “I’ll take your keys and get everything written up for you.” I halted in my tracks, knowing what he meant. He’d go over the bill with her and try to collect her insurance information. I wanted to spare her from having that conversation again, so I laid my hand gently on her arm, stopping her from following him.

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