Page 20 of Renard's Deliverance

“Will once you put your seatbelt on,” he told her.

Oh. Right.

“Stickler for the rules, huh?”

“Not usually, no,” he said. “But this is about your safety and I take that seriously.”

It was hard not to take his words to heart, not to let them build a wall around the hurt inside her.

But she knew that those words weren’t really directed at her. This was how he would act toward any woman in Haven.

You aren’t special, Opal.

And you never have been.

There’s only one thing men ever wanted from her. Not that she was ashamed of having sex, of wanting it.

But she was sick of it being a transaction.

Of it meaning nothing.

However, she didn’t let any of that show on her face, instead she clicked her seatbelt into place.

Only he still didn’t start driving.

“I didn’t mean to snap at you before,” he said gruffly. “I haven’t got much of a filter. Don’t really know how to be anything but what I am, and most people would call me an asshole. Just wanted you to know, it wasn’t deliberate or aimed at you. I just . . . didn’t want you to walk behind me because I needed to see you. And I don’t like the idea of you being out here alone at night because I hate the idea of you being hurt. Hate the idea of any woman being hurt. And while people around here might think this town is safe, it isn’t always. As wrong as it is, walking around at night on your own just ain’t safe for a woman.”

Right.

Now she felt awful. Why was it so hard for her to accept that someone might be concerned about her?

Opal let out a deep breath. “I get that, but you don’t have to worry about me. I’ve been taking care of myself a long time and I’ve gotten this far.”

Battered, bruised, and sometimes beaten down.

But she was still here. She still got up every morning.

That was what counted, right?

“And I’ve got Zappy.” She patted her handbag. It was an enormous pink monstrosity that basically held her life.

“Your bag?” Renard asked.

“My Taser.”

“You’ve got a Taser in there?”

“Yep. And as well as Zappy, I’ve got Stingy.”

“I don’t think I wanna ask,” he muttered.

“That’s my pepper spray. As well as that, I’ve got Bangy.”

“Bangy? Please don’t tell me that’s a gun.”

“Nah, I wanted a gun, but Lilac and Ryleigh got upset with me when I suggested it. No, Bangy is my small wooden bat.”

“You carry around a wooden bat?”

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