Page 53 of With Love

“I’ll be right back”

When I get to the door at the end of the hallway, I knock softly.

“Come in,” I hear from the other side of the door.

“Hey, I’m surprised you’re awake. It’s early,” I say, shutting the door behind me.

“I was just going to say the same to you,” Owen answers with a yawn as he gets out of bed, throwing a shirt over his head.

“Marshall is taking me away for the night. We will be back tomorrow sometime. I just wanted to let you know so you wouldn’t worry where we are.”

“What?” He responds in surprise. “Why? Where are you going? I don’t think this is a good idea at all.”

“Travis is coming too. We will be safe.”

“Adrienne, Lock is out there somewhere. How do you know that--”

“Owen, stop. Like you said the night you got here, we can’t hide out here forever. I’ve lived in fear for the last several years and I refuse to do it anymore.”

“I don’t want you to go. It’s not safe out there. I don’t care who Travis is or how stealth and badass Marshall thinks he is. It’s not a good idea.”

“Well, you don’t get to decide that for me. I live under my own rule now. Not yours, not Lock’s, not even Marshall’s. MINE. And I want my fucking life back!”

“Adrienne, please I didn’t mean--”

“I’ll see you sometime tomorrow, Owen. Bye.”

Walking out of his room, I close the door harder than I mean to.

“Well, I’m ready whenever you are!” I say as I walk past Marshall and Travis and walk out to the porch.

Heading down the front steps of the house, Marshall grabs my arm gently and turns me so I am looking at him.

“Adrienne, is everything okay?”

“I’m fine. I promise. Let’s just go, please.” Just then, I see Travis carrying my overnight bag. I completely forgot about it in my tirade out of the house.

“Oh, I’m sorry! I can get my bag.”

“Don’t worry about it. I was going to offer to carry it for you anyway.”

“Thanks, Travis.”

Looking ahead of me, I notice two large black SUV’s parked out front. I know that Travis has a big SUV, but it wasn’t here when I went to sleep last night and now there are two of them. What the hell?

“Where did those come from?” I ask, nervously.

“They belong to Travis. He and I went and got them and drove them home last night. They’re as safe as military tanks,” Marshall says. He grabs my hand and guides me into the passenger side. He opens the door and I pull myself into the seat.

“Buckle up,” he says, before closing the door, and I get that same sense of déjà vu that I’ve had several times since reuniting with Marshall.

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