I felt crazy for even considering Trent’s offer. The idea of being protected and not constantly having to look over my shoulder just seemed too good to be true. I craved being able to rest, to stop running. Maybe this was my chance.

“One week?” I clarified, standing locked in the strong arms of a complete stranger.

He kissed the top of my head. “And then you can decide if you want to stick around here or continue the life of a nomad.”

“I’ll need a job. I don’t have enough money to pay for a motel for a week without one.”

Trent started to walk me to my car again. “Let me make a few calls and I’ll get you set up with something. Go back to the motel, relax a bit, and I’ll be by in about an hour to pick you up.”

“Pick me up? Why?” I cocked my head to the side to give him a sideways glare.

He opened the door for me. “You’re going to question everything I do and say, aren’t you?”

I slid into my seat. “Yes, but I’ll see you soon. I’ll let you not answer this one time, but don’t get used to it.”

Once I was back at the motel, I felt like a complete idiot. There was no way on God’s green earth someone would be as nice to me as Trent and the rest of his club were being without ulterior motives. I was putting blind trust in someone for the first time in my entire life. I felt utterly naïve.

I tried to calm myself down by doing my hair and makeup. Keeping my hands busy and giving myself something else to focus on was helping a little, but my mind was still a jumbled mess.

I damn near jumped out of my skin when I heard a knock at the door. “Coming,” I yelled, trotting over with my mascara brush still in my hand.

Trent was holding a bottle of whiskey and a white bag of what smelled like greasy, delectable food.

“May I come in?” he asked as I stood there, just staring at him like a fool.

I moved to the side. “S-sure.”

He sat in one of the small chairs at the table in the corner. “I wasn’t sure if you had really eaten, so I asked Raine what you ordered this morning and had Collin remake it for you, but we can go get something else if you’d like. I just didn’t want to come empty-handed, and I didn’t know how you felt about being around me. So, I can leave if you want, or I can stay. I planned on picking you up and taking you out for dinner. But, I didn’t know where you would want to go and this is such a small town.”

He was nervously rambling on and on. It was one of the cutest things in the world.

“A burger with a fried egg sounds amazing right now.” I grabbed the plastic cups that were sitting by the bathroom sink. “So does whiskey.” I grinned as I took the seat across from him.

I was in red meat heaven, eating like a pig—elbows on the table, ketchup everywhere, grease dripping down my arms and chin. I really was a sucker for a good burger, and that one might have been one of the best of my life. It might not have been the tastiest, but I could actually sit and enjoy it. I couldn’t believe how much Ray had affected the simplest things in my life. Something so small as enjoying a meal had been stolen from me—until that moment.

There was something so calming about Trent—his voice, his demeanor, his resolve to defend me. I knew his words were empty promises, but I could feel his passion with every syllable he spoke.

I popped the last bite into my mouth. “That was amazing.” I leaned back in my chair, wiping my hands and face.

“I’m glad you enjoyed it.” His smile was captivating. He had the brightest, whitest teeth I had ever seen. His lips were full, and his eyes creased at the corners as his cheeks perked up. Fuck—his eyes. They were perfect. Angels were probably jealous of their beauty. They were shattered glass of every shade of sky blue.

“So, tell me something about yourself. I want to get to know my knight in shining armor.” I poured us each a little more whiskey.

He shrugged. “Ha! More like tinfoil. There really isn’t much to tell.”

Lies. Fucking load of bullshit. “Oh, come on. Something—anything.”

“I was a Marine before I became an outlaw. I did two tours in Iraq.”

It was not what I’d been thinking he would say. “Do you miss being in the military?”

His shoulders slouched while he played with the cup in his hand. “Sometimes, but I love being an outlaw more than a Marine. This club saved my life.”

“Right now, I feel the same way.” I snickered a little, trying to keep the conversation a little lighter.

“Who are you running from exactly?” He put his hand on my forearm, drawing circles with his thumb.

“My ex is a really mean guy. He’s been following me around the country ever since I broke things off with him.” The words came out of my mouth but I didn’t feel like I had said them.

“He will not be able to get to you here, I can promise you that.” Trent’s jaw got rigid after he spoke.

“I don’t know how he keeps finding me. I’ve changed phones constantly, never used the same name twice, only pay with cash now.” It was the first time I had opened up about Ray to anyone other than the cops.

Trent cocked his head to the side. “Your car,” he muttered.

I shook my head. “I checked it for bugs and didn’t find anything.”

“Do you trust me?” he asked.

“I don’t know…maybe? I want to, if that means anything.” It was the most honest answer I could give him. I needed someone I could trust, and he was the first person that seemed like a viable option.

“I have someone you need to meet. Let me call her.” Trent shoved up from the table. He started to pace as he dialed the number and put the phone to his ear.

“Crickett, hey it’s Tre. Yeah, I’m going to bring her by the house now, I just wanted to make sure you were home. All right. See you in a few minutes.”

He shoved his phone back into his pocket.

“I have a plan.” He grabbed my hand, moving to lead me out of the room.

I reached for my bag, but he stopped me. “What?”

“Don’t bring anything with you. I’m going to have Collin come get your car in the morning and I’ll have my guys check it. I don’t want you staying here tonight. You’re going to stay with a friend of mine.”

I pulled my arm away from him. “I don’t like being told what to do.”

“I frankly do not give a fuck right now. You could be in danger and I am not going to let you sit in this damn room like a lamb just waiting to be slaughtered.”

I couldn’t argue with his logic. If I was going to trust him and give him a week, I needed to jump in with both feet. “All right, I’ll trust you for now. Against my better judgement. But, I reserve the right to revoke it at any point.”

“That’s good enough for me.”

We rode up into the mountains on his motorcycle then pulled down a long gravel driveway. An older woman was sitting on the front porch in a rocking chair, smoking a cigarette.

“This is Crickett’s home. Her son is an Unacceptable, and he lives here too. She’s kind of like our queen’s mother.”

The reference seemed odd to me, but nothing about this situation was normal. Instead of overthinking it like I wanted to, I just went with the flow.

Trent grabbed my hand as we started to make our way up the front steps.

“Crickett, this is the woman I was telling you about.”

She immediately pulled me into a hug. “Sweetheart, you look so shaken.”

“Can we talk inside?” Trent motioned for the door and we both followed him in.

We all took seats around the kitchen table, where he handed us each a beer.

“All right, so what is actually going on here?” Her kind eyes searched mine as she waited for my response, but Trent spoke up first.

“Sloan, it’s all right to tell her. You can trust her more than you can even trust me. She came here to escape a dangerous life when she wasn’t much younger than you are.”

I cleared my throat and dove into the CliffsNotes version of what Ray did. When I was finished, Crickett put her hand on mine.

“Trent, good call bringing her here.” She shot him a kind smile before turning to me. “You can stay in Raine’s old room for the time being. I’ll get you a burner cell, and I want you to change out your SIM card once a week. Never keep a number longer than that. You can borrow Abel’s old truck until we figure out what we’re going to do with your car, and you can help Red at the garage with the paperwork and scheduling. That will keep you around us so we can make sure this fucktard doesn’t find you again.”

“I don’t know what to say.” My head hung. It was all happening so fast.

Trent shifted a little to look directly at me. “You don’t have to say anything. Just let us help and protect you.”

Crickett got up from the table. “Well kids, I’m opening the bar in the morning, so I’ll fill Ryder and Holt in on everything then. Trent, will you show Sloan to the room?”

He got up and hugged Crickett. “Thanks for all of this.”

She patted his shoulder. “That’s what family does, son. See you tomorrow.”