AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“I know.” It was the only way they were ever going to be free of him. That she would ever be free.
“I take it that’s why you disappeared on me six months ago?” he asked.
“Yes. I was going to tell you some of it when I saw you that night. But as I was heading toward the bar to meet you, I spotted one of his men stepping out of a car. I knew I had to lose my phone and get out of there. I rang Opal and Ryleigh before I turned it off and shoved it in a bin. They picked me up and we fled. I’m so sorry, it wasn’t until we were on the outskirts of town that I realized I should have texted you too. But if they were tracking us through our phones . . . I don’t know. My brother has his ways, and I couldn’t have you involved with me. So, I took off and I . . . I’ve regretted it ever since. I hated hurting you. Lying to you. God, so much that it felt like it was a cancer growing inside me.” Her voice cracked as she finished her explanation.
“Baby, fuck.” He cupped the side of her face. “You don’t know how much it kills me that you didn’t know you should run to me.”
“I had to protect you?—”
“No, Lilac,” he said firmly. “No. That ends right now. You don’t protect me. Understand? You. Do. Not. Protect. Me. I look after you. That is the way it works from now on. And if you take away my opportunity to protect you, I will not be happy.”
Looking up into his face, she knew he meant every word. Her mouth was dry as she tried to get out the words to explain why she had to protect him. “I don’t want you to get hurt because of me.”
“Then why come here?”
She sniffled. She couldn’t tell him that part. It wasn’t her secret to tell. “I know it makes no sense.”
“Why? Why come here? Was it for me?”
“Yes, it was for you.” It wasn’t a lie. It just wasn’t the whole story.
“Because you knew I’d protect you and your friends. That the entire town would.”
“We did some research into Haven, although I wasn’t sure I really believed that a town like this could truly exist. I know it was wrong and selfish to come here. I’ve probably put you all in danger.”
Fuck.
He couldn’t stand this. Tanner knew he had to get her to calm down. To eat some food. He was doing a terrible job of looking after her.
But this was the most he’d gotten out of her, and he was loathe to stop her from talking.
“You don’t need to worry about us. We can take care of ourselves. And protect you guys.”
She wiped at her cheeks. Fuck. He hated that she was crying.
“I don’t want anything to happen to you.”
Her brother had so much to answer for. Tanner was going to find that fucker, and then he would make him pay for all the pain and sorrow he’d caused Tanner’s girl.
Fucker would pay in blood.
And he knew his brothers would help. They might be ranchers now, but they’d come from the same world it sounded like her brother was in. And they knew how to fight hard and dirty.
“It’s time to take a break, baby. To let someone else take over for a while. You’ve worn yourself out. However, lucky for you, you’ve got someone willing and able to take the reins for a while.”
“A cowboy metaphor?” she asked dryly as he wiped her tears away.
“Hey! There’s nothing wrong with that.”
“You don’t think it’s cliched?”
“I think it’s inspired. Like most things I say.”
She rolled her eyes at him.
“What do you say? Stop worrying about me, about everyone else and just concentrate on you for a while. On letting me help you.”
He could see her thinking and then, to his surprise, she nodded. “All right. I’ll try. For a short while.”
