After I changed into the little orange shorts and t-shirt Franklin had bought for me, I held my hand over the doorknob and took a deep breath. I’d seen the way he’d looked at me when I’d walked out in my towel. Desire had swirled in his dark eyes, sparking goosebumps across my skin. He’d even glanced away, his voice gruff when he spoke.

And despite myself, I’d kind of liked the reaction I’d caused. He was a good looking guy. I wouldn’t call him handsome. Something else. Something much more rugged and rough than that. Sexy. That’s what he was. My heart beat faster as I finally cracked open the door and peered outside. He was pacing the floor, his hands jammed into his short sandy hair.

He glanced up when I stepped out of the bathroom, and my feet sunk into the thick carpet. His eyes dropped down to my legs where the small shorts barely covered my thighs. My cheeks flushed as I moved closer to him, my lungs barely daring to breathe. When I reached him, my hand itched to reach out and place my hand against the hard planes of his stomach. I knew underneath his shirt he’d have abs that would rival Ryan Gosling’s.

“We need to talk, Rosie,” he said, stepping back quickly and dashing away whatever tension had been sparking between us. “Why are you in the witness protection program?”

Shock flared up inside me, followed quickly by anger. Fear clenched my heart. I balled my hands into fists and backed up, trying to put distance between us. “How the hell do you know about that? Who are you? Have you been following me?”

I began to rush to the door, but Franklin stepped into my path, holding up his hands and shaking his head. “Whoa, whoa, whoa. Calm down. I’m no one. I haven’t been following you.”

“How do you know then? You said you were just passing through. If that’s true, then how the hell do you know?”

“The guy at the gas station mentioned it,” Franklin said slowly, his hands still raised before him in peace. “Said you left three months ago.”

“You asked about me? Dammit, Franklin.” Tears welled up in my eyes as a new fear clutched my heart. “Scooter will hear about this. Any time I do anything in this stupid town, Scooter finds out.”

He sighed and shoved his hands into his hair. “Please don’t cry. I’m not trying to upset you. I just want to know the score here.”

I nodded, sighing hard. That was fair. He’d gone out of his way to help me, put himself in harm’s way, and I owed it to him to tell him the truth. It was the least I could do to thank him for getting me away from Scooter. I just wished he hadn’t gone around asking about me. He should have talked to me first.

“Scooter and I got married fresh out of high school,” I began, sinking onto the end of the bed as I took a deep breath. “We’d dated all through junior and senior year, and we thought we were the real thing. What a moron I was. Anyway, I wanted to go to college, but Owen came along first, and Scooter said I had to be the one to stay home and take care of him. Because he didn’t want to.”

Tears blurred my eyes as I thought of that year I took care of my son while Scooter came home drunk every night. Those days were some of the best and worst I’d ever had. Best because it was the first year I’d ever had with my precious son. Worst because Scooter turned into the man he swore he never would. Franklin waited patiently for me to catch my breath again, for me to find the words to move forward with my story.

“We got divorced a year after Owen was born. Scooter was a drunk, and he got involved in some real shit. Drugs,” I said shakily. “Eventually, he started dealing, right out of our house. I had to get me and Owen out of there.”

Franklin nodded, still listening.

“Anyway, I moved back in with my mom, and she took care of Owen while I worked toward my degree at UT.” I smiled through my watery eyes. “She was so good to both of us, but I see now I was selfish for going to college while my mom spent more time with Owen than I did…”

Franklin cleared his throat, and I realized I’d fallen silent. I’d gotten sidetracked, thoughts of Owen filling my mind.

“After awhile, Scooter’s business turned out to be more widespread than I thought. He started out dealing from our house, but it became so much more than that. He built up a crazy network of people in all the surrounding towns, and he was—and still is—in charge of it all.” I sighed and closed my eyes. “He’s running drugs, he’s laundering money, he’s stealing from stores, and he’s assaulting anyone who doesn’t pay when they are told to pay.”

“It sounds like he’s running his own little mini-mob out here,” Franklin said quietly, his hands steepled under his chin.

“Basically,” I said with a nod. “Everybody around here knows he does it, but the cops have never been able to prove anything. Anyone he has threatened is too scared to come forward about it.”

“Let me guess,” Franklin said. “That’s where you come in.”

I gave a nod, my heart beginning to race when I remembered exactly what I’d signed up for. “That’s where I come in. I’ve heard a lot and seen a lot. We got joint custody of Owen when we divorced, so I had to spend some time around Scooter, unfortunately. Though, luckily, not too much. He doesn’t seem to care much about being a father.”

“They talked you into being a witness.”

“I went to the cops and told them everything I knew about Scooter. I wanted him behind bars and away from my son.” I scowled. “The FBI took up the case, and I agreed to be a witness once they finally bring him in…but they haven’t moved against him yet. It’s taking too damn long though. Scooter just keeps on going about his business like he hasn’t got a goddamn care in the world. I wish they’d hurry up.”

“So, Scooter knows you went to the cops,” Franklin said, raising his eyebrows. “How’d he find out?”

“Hell if I know.” I threw up my hands, that scratchy sensation of paranoia crawling up my back again, the way it had every time I’d walked around Carlsville in the weeks before I’d decided to leave. It had been hard to know who to trust anymore. I’d only told a few people I’d gone to the authorities. And then, only days later, Scooter had shown up at my house as high as a kite on some new drug he was selling, shouting, threatening, screaming in rage.

I’d packed up my bags and left the very next day.

“Does your handler know you’re here?” Franklin asked.

I glanced away, gritting my teeth at the lie. “I told him I was coming to get Owen. He tried to talk me out of it, but he said he couldn’t stop me if that was my choice.”

Franklin’s face twitched, as if he had something to say, but he only gave me a nod. There was something in his eyes then, something he wasn’t sharing. He seemed to have a lot of interest in the fact I was in the witness protection program. He even seemed to know a lot more about the FBI than the average American citizen, and I had to wonder…how and why?

“The program allows you to take your children with you when you go,” Franklin finally said, which only confirmed my earlier thoughts. This guy knew a hell of a lot more about the witness protection program than a normal person did.

“Yeah, and I chose for Owen to stay here with his grandmother,” I said, tears filling my eyes again. “I thought it was the best thing for him. I didn’t want to rip him away from everything he knew and loved. This is his home. It always has been.”

“But you came back,” he said quietly.

“Damn straight.” I lifted my chin. “Leaving Owen was the worst mistake of my life. He deserves to be with his mother, and he needs to be as far away from Scooter Stone as he can get. I’ve been in contact with my mom since I left. And yes, before you say anything, I know I’m not supposed to, but I had to check in with her. I had to know that Owen was okay.”

“It’s fine, Rosie. I’m not trying to attack you here. I just want to understand why you came back.”

I met Franklin’s serious gaze. “I came back because Scooter’s been stopping by to see Owen, talking about pruning him to join his crew. He’s only three years old, Franklin. What kind of man talks about raising his three-year-old son to join his drug business?”

“Right.” Franklin gave a nod. “That settles it then. We’re going to go get your son and get you out of here.”