Chapter Three
Ezra
I panicked when he asked me if I had a phone, and I almost burst into tears when he asked me my name. In another life, those questions would have been normal and possibly even soothing. But I didn’t know who to trust anymore. I’d made very bad decisions in the past about who to let in, and the last person I trusted was myself to make those types of calls.
So instead, I pretended to pass out. I didn’t have anyone to call, and I didn’t have enough money for a cab. I doubted I could even get a cab to come all the way up the mountain to the cabin.
I felt weak and lightheaded. That frightened me because I knew I couldn’t fight. I cursed myself for coming here, but what choice did I have? It was take a chance with whoever lived in the cabin or freeze to death.
Or bleed to death.
The gash on my leg stung a little, but I noticed it didn’t hurt as much anymore. I peeled the blanket back to look. He’d stitched it up well, considering we were in a cabin out in the middle of nowhere.
I thought about walking, but it had to have been at least fifty miles since the last time I saw a town. Somehow, I’d taken a wrong turn. I assumed that was because I didn’t have GPS in the car, and there hadn’t been a map in the glovebox. Did people even keep maps in their cars anymore?
The car was reserved for Gavin’s housekeeper to use, and as such, it was just a base model without any luxuries or extras. I’d run with no money and I hadn’t even been wearing shoes when I escaped. The thirty-seven dollars in cash I found in the console was barely enough for a tank of gas and a cheap pair of shoes from the dollar store. I couldn’t believe that I’d tried to run with nothing, but there was no going back.
I hadn’t eaten for more than a day. Something I’d done, I could barely remember, had set Gavin off and he’d refused to let me eat. He said I needed to learn to appreciate him.
The car had almost run out of gas before the accident, so I wouldn’t have made it much farther. Fate had put me at the cabin either way.
I had to figure out my next move. Even if I stole a coat, I’d probably die before I was able to walk off the mountain. I needed food, and I was dehydrated. How could I know what this guy wanted from me in exchange for shelter and some food?
Whatever it was, it couldn’t be worse than what Gavin had taken from me, right? The Alpha who’d answered the door had been kind enough to take in a stranger, and he’d stitched me up.
My thoughts turned to telling the strange Alpha the truth. I could explain my situation and hope that he would help. I hated the thought of putting my life into the hands of another Alpha, but I was stuck between a rock and a hard place.
As grumpy as he’d seemed, I wondered if he’d even care. I’d barely met the guy, but it was pretty obvious he wanted to be alone. Nobody lived out here by themselves unless they despised human contact or they were hiding from something very bad.
I was hiding from something very bad. Perhaps fate hadn’t led me astray. I could only hope.
Before I could figure out what to do, the Alpha came back into the living room and dumped a load of firewood into a basket next to the fireplace.
I stared at him for a moment while he loaded a couple more logs into the fire. His back was broad and strong, and it was apparent he’d chopped that wood himself. He was the stereotypical image of a lumberjack mountain man with his long hair, beard, and rippling muscles. The only thing missing was a flannel. Instead, he was dressed in jeans and a tight eggplant Henley.
After watching him for a little bit, he turned around. I immediately cast my eyes to the floor and felt heat rise in my cheeks. He was devastatingly handsome, but I shouldn’t have cared. Given my situation, attraction should have been the least of my concerns. I couldn’t help it, though; something inside me felt pulled to him.
“Are you ready to get that ride now?” he asked curtly.
“I don’t have anyone to call,” I said, right before my stomach rumbled loudly.
He stood up and walked away without saying anything else. I turned on the couch and watched him walk into what appeared to be a kitchen. That’s when I smelled bacon and toast. He’d been cooking.
“I can help in the kitchen,” I offered, hoping a little work would buy me a plate of food. I needed my strength.
He grunted at me, but I took it as a yes. I stood up slowly because I didn’t want to fall and force him to stitch up my head too. I cautiously walked into the kitchen and began looking in the cabinets and drawers for silverware and plates.
“Sit,” he grunted. “I’ll get it.”
“Thanks.”
“The last thing I need is you falling and busting your head open too.”
That made me chuckle, and I could swear I almost saw the slightest hint of a grin turn up the corner of his mouth. It vanished like a ghost before my mind could confirm whether it was real.
“What’s funny?”
“I thought the same thing,” I said and shrugged.
A minute later, he placed a plate with a mountain of eggs, bacon, and toast in front of me. My stomach growled again loudly, and I started to eat. It would have been polite to wait for him to sit, but my animal instincts took over and I dug in.
By the time he got back with his plate, I’d already inhaled most of the food.
“Huh,” he said, and that time there was a small smile.
The Alpha took my plate and filled it again. With my hunger partially sated, I ate the second plate with a little more dignity and class. He was quiet the entire time we ate, and I found it unnerving. In true Ezra fashion, I couldn’t help but mention it.
“You don’t say much.”
He grunted at me again. I barely stopped myself from rolling my eyes.
“I’m Ezra,” I offered.
“Levi,” he said.
“I thought you said Levi was dead.”
He sighed loudly and pushed his empty plate away. Without speaking, he stood up and got us both a cup of hot coffee. After setting a cup and a little tray of nondairy creamer and sugar down, he rejoined me at the table.
“I thought you were a reporter,” he said.
“Obviously, I’m not. So, you are Levi?”
“Yes, my name is Levi. Now, spill it, Ezra.”