Page 3 of Clint & Ivy

He glanced around like a predator sizing up his surroundings. “Are you here alone?”

His words felt like a threat. I had seen enough true crime shows to know that women traveling alone were easy marks.Had I poked at a monster in search of his next victim?

When I didn’t answer, he asked, “Do you need help?”

I wanted to spill my guts to this man. His eyes were the warmest blue, shiny like jewels, and filled with concern. They drew me closer, even as warning bells went off in my head.

“I don’t know the right answer,” I said, startled to hear my voice.

A car honked outside. I flinched away, thinking Uncle Dwight had forgotten about telling me to escape. Did he think I was coming back? Or was Uncle Dwight warning me? I stared outside and waited to see if the men from the mansion had caught up with us.

Instead, I only saw a man yelling at a semi-truck. The people in the store took notice of the brewing fight between the truck driver, who stepped out of his semi to yell at the man who honked.

I looked back at the gorgeous man to find his gaze locked on me.

“Are you in danger?” he asked and stepped closer.

I wanted to lie. Seeing him up close emphasized our size difference. He was easily more than a foot taller than I was.

His size and the fight outside sent my heart racing. I thought back to my sickly youth. My family kept me hidden away because they said I was too physically weak to handle the world. Right now, my heart beat hard in my chest, and I imagined it giving out completely.

The fear left my head swimming. I should lie to this man and walk away. That was a smart plan, but the man’s gaze held a hypnotic power over me.

“Yes,” I stammered as if speaking against my will. “I don’t know where to go.”

“Should we call the police for help?”

“Is that the right answer?”

The man glanced outside. His gaze didn’t focus on the arguing men. He was scanning the vehicles.

“Did you drive here?”

“I can’t go back to my uncle’s car. He wants me to escape.”

“Doyouwant to escape?”

“I’m not ready to die.”

The man sized me up as his face clenched in thought.Was he imagining where to ditch my body? Or was he the good kind of sexy stranger, and I wouldn’t end up in a shallow grave?

“I’m going to walk out to my motorcycle and ride away. You can come with me. Or you can stay and ask the clerk to call the police. What you choose is up to you.”

I felt like I was making a deal with the devil. Rather than steal my soul, he insisted I give it to him willingly.

The man glanced outside again, seeming hyper-alert. I knew he was ready to leave.

When his gaze returned to mine, he offered a smile. My fear dropped away. The rough beating in my chest slowed to a normal rate. Unable to remember why I had feared him, I only wanted to go wherever he went.

“I’m Clint Reed,” he said and lifted his hand for me to hold.

The voices in my head were silent now when I needed them most. Instead, I heard my mother speaking to me.

“Life is too hard. You can’t handle the stress. Hiding is your only solution. We aren’t people built for hardship.”

Geraldine Humphreys was right about our family. We were all slaves to our weaknesses. She loved men and drugs. Linus was driven by his gambling addiction. Dwight drank himself into an early grave.

And I wasn’t equipped to run my own life.

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