Page 19 of Dark Secrets

“I’m not going to hurt you, Delaney.”

He didn’t say anything more, didn’t try to force any other platitudes or assurances. It was a simple statement, and even if she’d heard it before, she’d never heard it laced with the honesty his voice carried.

“Okay.” She held his gaze while her heart beat a wild rhythm in her chest. “I need a ride.”

He grabbed his jacket off the hook and tugged his keys from his pocket, pressing a button for the remote start while they crossed the lot. She retrieved her bag from the backseat of her truck and locked it out of habit. Not like anyone would be able to drive off with it.

The thought of having to jump through all the hoops to get it fixed had a bone-deep weariness settling over her, and she was grateful for James’s silence as she navigated them away from the pub and toward her motel. Sometimes this life was too much, this constant existence in a state of fight or flight. In her darkest moments, she asked herself if going back would really be all that bad.

“This is where you’re staying?”

His voice wasn’t angry or disgusted. It was…shocked. Like he was genuinely surprised she’d stay somewhere like this dirty, rundown motel. She tried to muster the shame that normally swept over her, but she was too tired.

“Only until I find something a little more permanent,” she lied.

He didn’t even pretend to believe her. “Are you sure I couldn’t put you up in a hotel? Or maybe my cousin has somewhere you could stay. He owns a bunch of rental properties.”

“You don’t have to go to that kind of trouble. The rooms here are clean.” Another lie. “And it’s mostly quiet. It’s only temporary.” At least that last one was true.

The lies rolled easily off her tongue, but they woke a long-buried emotion. Guilt. She hadn’t felt guilty about lying to get what she needed in a long time. It felt like a relic of a bygone era. Back when she’d had morals and hadn’t needed to do whatever it took to stay alive.

“I can call the pub when I figure out what to do with my car. I promise I won’t let it sit in the lot for too long.”

He pursed his lips when she reached for the door, like he was debating whether he would let her out. Her pulse quickened until finally she heard the thunk of the automatic locks.

“Do you need me to come pick you up tomorrow?”

“I’m off tomorrow. I’ll call around to some mechanic shops and see if someone can come look at it. Or tow it or whatever.”

“I know someone who can—”

“I appreciate that. But I’ve got it. Thanks for the ride.”

Before he could say anything else, she slipped out of the car and jogged toward the motel, letting herself in the side door closest to her room. When the door was locked behind her and the chair from the makeshift desk shoved under the handle, she crossed to the window just in time to see his taillights fading into the dark.

She let the curtain drop with a sigh and sank onto the edge of the bed. Just when she thought she was getting ahead, the powers that be found a way to slap her back down and put her in her place. And to make matters worse, she was feeling far too many unfamiliar things about her boss and his crystal clear blue eyes and strong arms.

ChapterNine

“Explain to me again why I’m out here in this weather replacing the starter in a car you should probably sell for scrap anyway?” came Aidan’s muffled voice from under the beat-up 4Runner.

“Because,” James said when his cousin appeared to toss aside the old starter and reach for the new one he’d purchased yesterday, “you’re the only person I know who works on cars, and you owe me for keeping your secret about Viv and the new baby.”

Aidan’s eyes narrowed. “Well, I don’t like the reason, but it’s a reason. And this piece of shit is hardly a ’65 Mustang.”

Aidan slid back under the car again, and James heard the clang of metal as he fitted the new part into place. He’d already been toying with the idea of fixing her car when Delaney had called the day before and said she was still searching for a shop. She’d promised to have it dealt with by the beginning of her Wednesday shift, but he’d been busy forming a plan.

He’d called Aidan out to take a look, hoping it was a simple fix. Aidan made no promises that the starter was the definite culprit since they didn’t have the keys to try and turn it over, but it looked corroded enough that he suspected it to be the issue. James would have paid to rebuild the entire engine if that’s what was necessary, but the starter was an easy part to buy, even for a car this old.

He heard Aidan swear, and he chuckled to himself. “I really appreciate you doing this.”

“You should,” Aidan said. “Are you going to tell me who I’m doing it for?”

“One of my employees.” He’d been hoping to avoid this line of questioning completely. “She needs a working vehicle.”

James knew he’d said the wrong thing as soon as Aidan slid out from under the car and sent him a curious look, one eyebrow raised.

“You do this for all your employees who need working vehicles?”

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