Page 5 of Renard's Deliverance

“Yeah, that’s good. Thanks, Alec.”

“No need to thank me. Just looking out for one of my own.”

She still couldn’t let herself believe in the dream he was weaving . . . nope. She wasn’t going to be fooled.

As much as she would like to buy into it . . .

Don’t.

People weren’t like this without an ulterior motive. She just hadn’t figured out what his angle was.

But for the moment, she’d take his offer of help until he and the others showed their true colors.

And then she’d need to decide what to do next. But she wouldn’t get taken by surprise.

Never again.

* * *

They all came.

Every single one of them.

They came to help her move. Although she didn’t have any furniture. She’d planned to sleep on the floor in a sleeping bag for a while.

Opal wasn’t really made for camping, but she’d been in worse situations and survived.

To her shock, though, they didn’t come empty-handed. The house wasn’t a big one, but it was adorable. There was a small front porch and then a larger one out the back. The house was painted a deep purple with white trim, which she personally loved. It had a path leading up to the front door with white roses planted on either side.

There were two good-sized bedrooms, a surprisingly large living area, and a kitchen with a small dining area.

There was no way she could furnish the place, which was something the Malones obviously knew since beds and chairs and linen had all turned up with each of them.

By the time they left the place was fully furnished, down to her having a month’s worth of fucking toilet paper.

But she still wasn’t drinking the Kool-Aid.

This town and these people were too good to be true and Opal had learned that when something was too good to be true . . .

That you should run.

1

“Oh my God, I can’t believe she’s doing that in here.”

“It’s disgusting. Miss? Could you go and do that elsewhere?” A snooty-looking older woman stared down her nose at Ryleigh, who sank back into her chair.

Oh, hell, no.

Opal didn’t think so.

This bitch wasn’t going to make her best friend feel bad about breastfeeding her baby in public. Ryleigh had had a tough time getting Kye to breastfeed. Mostly, she used bottles. But she’d given him a bottle at home and he was still acting hungry when they got here, so she’d decided to feed him again.

“I should have brought a bottle with me,” Ryleigh whispered. “I can’t believe I forgot.”

“No, this is not your fault,” Lilac told her.

“Could you take your face elsewhere,” Opal shot back.

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