Chapter Thirty-one #2
“He said he knew about a delivery that came here. The stair lift I’m guessing.” I scrub a hand across my jaw. “Jesus, is that why you don’t use credit cards? He tracks them?”
“I thought it was safe if it wasn’t for a hotel or rental.
” Her eyes close. “I was stupid. I wasn’t thinking he could find me with a delivery address.
How could he even get that information?” When she opens her eyes, I can tell she’s fighting to hold back tears.
“Can you run over and get Amelia. And say goodbye to Allie for me? We have to go. He could come back at any minute.” She looks at the ceiling. “He could be outside right now.”
“Wait here.”
I take the stairs two at a time and go out front. Hands on my hips and heart beating entirely too fast, I stand in my driveway and look up and down the street. There’s no sign of him. But fuck… her knowing he knows she’s here… She’s leaving unless I can pull a rabbit out of a hat.
As I head back inside, the thumping of suitcase rollers up the stairs gets louder. I meet her halfway down and carry one of the suitcases up the rest of the way. Putting it off to the side, I gently grasp her arms, forcing her to stop and look at me as I play my first card.
“You don’t have to leave. I know the sheriff. You can get a restraining order.”
She shakes her head. “It won’t work. I had a temporary one last year.
Even when he violated it, nothing happened.
He’s a lawyer, Carter. He knows exactly how far he can go and what language to use to get past every barrier.
Even beyond that, he has connections. He knows judges.
Police. People in high places. Do you know how many divorces of powerful men he’s arbitrated?
I worked for him. I know what resources he has on his side. ”
I pull her to the couch and force her to sit. “What does he want, Kenna? Tell me the truth. This is way more than just knowing about your past as an escort. Does he want you back?” Bile rises from the pit of my stomach. “Is he after Amelia?”
She wants to tell me. I can see it in her eyes.
The back door opens and my heart lodges in my throat until I see it’s Christian and Amelia. They both look at the suitcases. Amelia stomps her feet and runs to the basement. She knows what this means.
“Give us a minute, son,” I say to Christian, and he nods and heads back to his room.
“We have to go, Carter. I’m sorry. But he’s found us and we have to go.”
“And how do you know he won’t find you again?
Follow you? Track your credit cards at every gas station and hotel.
Find your car from your license plate number.
How are you going to stay off the grid? You can’t just use cash for everything.
He has private investigators working to find you.
You can’t just disappear.” I cock my head when an idea occurs.
Maybe I do have a hidden ace after all. “Or maybe you can.”
“What do you mean?”
“You need to go away. Disappear. Not make any charges to your cards. Not drive down highways with cameras. Not be anywhere in the public eye. At least until we can figure this out.”
Her head tilts. “We?”
“Yes, we.” I put an arm around her, wanting her to know I’m in this. I’m here for her. For Amelia. “Kenna, I’m not letting you go somewhere I can’t protect you from him. So listen, I think I might have a solution.”
She sniffs. “I appreciate you wanting to help. But it’s not your problem, Carter.”
I rise on my knees and hover over her. “If you are so blind that you can’t see how things are between us, then you’re not half as smart as I’ve given you credit for.”
I stare at her, wanting to say more, but right after her stalker ex has just shown up at our doorstep is probably the worst time to declare my love for her.
For a moment, as our eyes connect, her hysteria turns to something else, and I see calmness wash over her. As if she feels safe in my arms. “Okay, so what’s your plan?”
“I have a cabin. Well, not just me, it belongs to my family. It’s about an hour from here. It’s nothing fancy, but it’s most definitely off the grid. You can follow me there tonight. Now if you want. Cyrus would never find you.”
“A cabin?” Her brows shoot up with curiosity. “Like a log cabin?”
“Yeah, like an actual log cabin. It’s heated and fully electric.
Has a bedroom, pullout couch, and a working kitchen.
There’s a lake out front, so you’ll have to keep an eye on Amelia, but it’s possible it’s still totally frozen over.
The nearest neighbors are miles away, and hunting and fishing season hasn’t begun yet.
Nobody will be around. While you’re there, I’ll figure out how to fix this.
I promise I will. But if somehow I can’t, I swear I’ll help you get to Florida.
Deal?” I squeeze her hand. “I will do whatever it takes to keep the two of you safe. Understand?”
“It sounds…”
Scary? Idiotic? The dumbest of dumb ideas?
I expect her to say any or all of those things, but she doesn’t.
“Perfect,” she says. “When can we leave?”
Relief courses through me. She’s leaving my house, but not my life.
“As soon as we get your suitcases loaded. But Kenna, it’s going to take longer than an hour to get there.
It might even seem like we’re driving in circles for a while.
I need to make sure Cyrus isn’t staking us out, waiting somewhere for us to leave so he can follow. ”
She nods, and gets up off the couch. “I guess I’d better tell Amelia we’re going on a little adventure.”
I thumb to the hallway and start walking in that direction. “And I’ll let Christian know I may not be back until very late.”
“Carter?”
I turn.
“Are you for real?”
I cock my head.
She holds up a hand and starts ticking off fingers. “You towed my car. Gave me a place to crash. Built snowmen with my daughter. Stood up to my ex. And now you’re basically putting us up in a safe house. Who does all that for a complete stranger? And more importantly… why?”
I stride over and trap her against the wall, holding her gaze with mine.
Lowering my head, I graze my lips lightly across hers then settle them near her ear.
“Why do you think, Kenna?” Then I return my lips to hers and kiss her.
I kiss her deep and hard, answering her question the best way I know how.