He reached out for my arm, and I winced before he even touched me. I had to get away. I wasn’t sure I could run though. Not while pulling my suitcase. I’d wrapped my ribs up this morning, but that only helped so much.

  “Don’t be scared. I’m real nice. My rig even has a comfortable bed. You can rest,” he said, lowering his voice as he got closer.

  I shook my head, feeling frantic. Did no one see this? Were people going to just ignore me and let this man take me?

  “If you’ll back up from the lady, that’d save us a lot of trouble.” The deep timbre of the Southern drawl was unmistakably masculine.

  I didn’t want help from a man. Men were dangerous. But at this moment, I would take any distraction so I could get away.

  The burly man with breath that smelled like eggs snapped his head around toward whoever had come to my rescue. “I don’t think anyone asked you,” he replied, annoyed to have been interrupted during his attempt at abduction.

  There was a low chuckle from the other man. It wasn’t a nervous laugh; it was an amused one. As if he thought this was funny. There was nothing funny happening here. I stepped back, and the oversize trucker was no longer blocking my view.

  At times like this, there were many things a woman should do. Run would be the first thing. Yell for help would also be smart. An attempt to escape was at the top of the list. However, I was slightly stunned.

  Tall, broad shoulders encased in a dark brown leather jacket; jeans that made sure to showcase his thick, muscular thighs and narrow hips; hair the color of ink; and eyes so blue that they seemed turquoise. The stubble on his face didn’t mask his square jawline and high cheekbones. When a slow grin began to spread across his face, I realized he was watching me gawk at him.

  “I’m gonna ask this nicely only once. Go on back to your truck and leave,” the blue-eyed man said as he turned his gaze toward the trucker.

  “I ain’t scared o’ some purty boy,” he replied, turning around to fully face the other man.

  This would be the time I should get away. Take my suitcase and go inside the service station. Someone in there could help me. I started to move when I heard the trucker make a strangled noise. Unable to help myself, I glanced back to see the blue-eyed man grinning as if he were having a casual conversation, but standing very close to the trucker, who was now making small gasping sounds.

  “You’ve got five minutes to get your ass in that truck and leave,” he drawled as his eyes glanced past the man to look at me. Then, he winked before turning his attention back to the trucker.

  “Jesus H. Christ. You’re fuckin’ crazy,” he stammered, then began walking away at a quicker pace than I would have thought he could, seeing as how top heavy he was.

  What in the world had the other man done? The big body of the trucker had blocked my view. And why did I care? I needed to get my butt inside. Turning back to the door, I went to grab the handle when a large, tanned hand reached it first, then pulled it open.

  I knew before I even looked who had opened it. I should ignore him, but I couldn’t help myself. My eyes went in his direction anyway.

  “After you,” he replied with one of those respectful nods that Southern men seemed to have perfected.

  Nervous for so many different reasons, I hurried inside, muttering, “Thank you,” without glancing his way again.

  As attractive as he was, I needed him to stop getting closer. He was a stranger, and he was a man. I didn’t trust either.

  Monsters could come in pretty packages. I knew that only too well.

  • two •

  “She had no idea what a picture she made to all the fucking swinging dicks out there.”

  King

  She was skittish as fuck. The bruise covering the side of her face and swollen lip made the reason why real clear. Not to mention the way she was favoring the left side of her body. She was hurt in other places, too, and not just physically.

  Getting her to trust me was going to be more difficult than I had imagined. Typically, women came to me willingly. I didn’t have to do more than smile, wink, and they were putty in my hands. This one wouldn’t be softening anytime soon. There was a fighter shining back in those pretty sea-green eyes of hers. She had seen shit. Lived through hell. And now that she had the hope of freedom, she wasn’t letting anyone or anything stand in her way.

  Problem with that was, she was a looker. All that thick caramel hair in long, wild ringlets, that heavy upper lip of hers, and don’t get me started on the eyes. She would turn heads and draw attention from men. All kinds of men. Just like the bastard I’d been forced to shove my pistol into his gut to get my point across.

  Stepping inside the store, I watched her as she surveyed the place. Her back ramrod straight, her hand gripped so tightly on the handle of the suitcase she was pulling beside her that her knuckles were white. The side of her lip that wasn’t swollen and cut open was caught between her teeth. She was looking for someone. My guess would be anyone who appeared trustworthy and not of the male variety. Which left me standing back and keeping an eye on her from a distance. She spooked too easily, and if I tried to get her in my truck right now, she was likely to get back in the Mercedes and take off again.

  She walked over to the snack aisle and picked up a bag of cashews, but her eyes never stopped scanning the area. I saw her lock in on an elderly woman who was walking out of the restroom. That particular lady had come inside with a younger man. Possibly her son. They were traveling together with a younger woman and two kids who were currently arguing over which gum they were going to buy.

  When she took a step in the older lady’s direction, the younger man turned and called out, “You want me to get you Raisinets, Gram?”

  The older lady beamed. “Yes! And a bottle of that soda pop I like.”

  The woman’s shoulders dropped, and she moved back, turning away, and faced the snacks again. Not taking my eyes off her, I made my way toward the drinks and pulled out a bottle of water as she continued searching the place. She picked up a bag of pretzels next and then walked over to the fast-food area, where they sold pizza, burgers, corn dogs, and fried cheese sticks.

  A younger guy, I’d guess to be about college age, did a double take as he was waiting on his order. I saw the slow grin cross his face, and I rolled my eyes and muttered a curse. This was going to require me to step in again. She had no idea what a picture she made to all the fucking swinging dicks out there. They saw needy, helpless, alone, and their radar went off. Straight to their cocks.

  He stepped closer to her and said something I couldn’t hear. Whatever it was caused her to step away quickly and tense up. The guy laughed as if he’d made a joke and leaned close to her again. I could literally see her trembling from across the damn store. How did he not notice this? Shaking my head, I took a long drink of my water and waited. I needed her to be desperate enough to trust me. The more she had douchebags messing with her, the more likely she was to get inside my truck.

  The guy held up his hands and shrugged, flashing her an I’m harmless smile. He was really bad at this. The kid needed to learn how to read a woman. She was about to run from this goddamn store with the unpurchased items in her hand and probably get chased down by security.

  When he held out the pizza he’d just been given toward her and she shook her head, he took another step toward her and tilted his head as he spoke to her. She took another step back and bumped into a man on the other side of her who was ordering something. He glared down at her, then realized who had run into him. His face instantly turned to a pleased grin. Fuck me. Another damn trucker.

  Her entire body went stiff as the man began to talk to her. I couldn’t stand here and watch this anymore. Sure, I needed her to be at a point where I was the best option she had, but she was fucking shaking. They were scaring the hell out of her. It was too damn painful to witness.

  “Hey, sis. You order the pizza yet? I’m ready to get out of here,” I said with my best charismatic smile as I stepped between her and the younger kid. Him I could scare off with a scowl. The trucker, however, might require me to be a little more threatening. I had to be careful with that though. If she saw how scary I could be, I’d never get her out of this place. At least not willingly.

  Her green eyes swung to me, and for a moment, I saw the relief there. It was only brief. The uncertainty came in real close and shoved that right on out of the way. But it was something. I was clearly the lesser of all the threats.

  “N-n-not yet,” she stammered, her eyes locked on me as if she was trying to see my soul. I hoped like fuck she couldn’t because she’d realize just how dark it was.

  “I’ll get it. You never add the pepperoni anyway,” I replied with a smirk.

  “You’re with him?” the trucker asked her.

  I smiled at her, then shifted my gaze to his and made sure he saw the threat. “Yeah, she is.”

  His eyes went back to her, and I knew he was checking out her bruising. “Seems someone needs to be taking better care of her.”

  No shit. “Yeah. And they are now,” I replied.

  He leaned down toward her. “Are you safe? I’d be happy to take you if you need to escape.”

  She took a step in my direction. “I’m with my…brother…now.”

  The trucker didn’t seem thrilled, but he wasn’t going to cause an issue. The man on the other side of the counter slid a box of pizza toward me, and I took it. I hadn’t come in here, planning on getting food, but now that I could smell it, I realized I could eat. I thanked him, then looked back at her.

  “Ready? You didn’t get a drink,” I said, ignoring the trucker.

  She blinked and stared up at me. I could see the indecision in her eyes, but I also saw that I was about to win this thing.

  “I forgot to get my water,” she finally said.

  “If I let you get it, can you keep from getting hit on?” I asked teasingly as I took the cashews and pretzels from her free hand and placed them on top of the box of pizza.

  The man on the other side of the counter laughed, and I shrugged, grinning as if I thought it was funny too.

  She nodded, then looked around as if she was making sure no one else was about to accost her before going to the drink coolers to get her water. I stayed close enough behind her that I wasn’t following exactly, but I was there if needed. I also wasn’t sure if she was going to try and leave the store or come back to me. She hadn’t seemed as if she was even sure what she was going to do next.

  Luck was on my side because a middle-aged man who was trying hard to hold on to the little hair he had left, wearing a Florida State football jersey, zeroed in on her while getting his soda. She noticed his creepy-as-fuck smile, then spun around and bolted right back to me.

  Score. I won.

  “Ready? This pizza smells fantastic,” I said.

  She glanced around us, then turned her eyes back up to meet mine.

  “Can I trust you?” she whispered.

  “Yeah, sweets. I swear it,” I replied, then nodded my head toward the register.

  She didn’t move. “I just need a ride to a bus station.”

  “Okay,” I replied, although there was no way in hell I was leaving her at a bus station.

  Did she realize how much worse it would be there than it was here?

  She swallowed nervously. “You aren’t going to rape and kill me?” Her question was so quiet that I barely heard it.

  I leaned down toward her and held her gaze. “Have you looked at me, sweets? Not one time in my life have I had to force a female to have sex with me. I’m normally knocking them off me. As for killing…” I couldn’t help but smirk. “I’m just here to help you before some other scumbag makes another attempt to pick you up.”

  She took a deep breath, but didn’t crack a smile. It was as if she was thinking hard about what I’d said and deciding how much truth there was to it. When she finally let out a sigh and nodded, I wanted to fucking sigh too.

  “Okay,” she replied. “Let’s go.”

  I grabbed her bottle of water. “Gotta pay for the food first,” I said.

  She reached for her purse.

  “It’s on me,” I told her, then headed for the register.

  “I have money,” she said, hurrying to keep up with me.

  “Good. You’ll probably need it at some point. But not right now.”

  She didn’t say anything, and when I looked down at her, she gave me the closest thing to a smile I figured I was going to get. Especially since her mouth was so busted up. “Thank you.”

  I nodded. “My pleasure.”

  • three •

  “How could you be lost if you didn’t know who you were to start with?”

  Rumor

  The woodsy scent of cedar with a touch of cinnamon filled the black Chevy truck as I climbed inside and sat down. I enjoyed the warmth of the aroma until I snapped out of it and focused on the fact that I had agreed to get into a stranger’s vehicle. But it wasn’t like I was having any luck with another option. I couldn’t study the people and approach anyone for help because strange men kept talking to me. This was the only man who wasn’t pushy and frightening. He’d helped me twice, and, well, he was right. He didn’t need to resort to forcing a woman to do anything with him or for him. I was just an exception, and he didn’t seem very interested in my appearance. He’d seemed more concerned than anything.

  I heard my suitcase being placed in the truck bed, and then I glanced over at the driver’s door just as he opened it and held out the pizza box to me. I reached out and took it, and then he climbed inside with the plastic bag that contained our waters and my random cashews and pretzels I hadn’t really wanted. I’d just grabbed them to appear like I was shopping and not scoping out the place.

  He took the waters out and placed them in the cupholders in the center console, then lifted his ridiculously blue eyes to meet mine. “If we’re gonna share a pizza, we should at least know each other’s name,” he told me, then held out his hand. “King Salazar.”

  “Your…your name is King?”

  I didn’t think he was telling me he was a king, but I’d never heard of someone being named King before. Oddly enough, he held that name well. I wasn’t going to tell him that though. Trusting a pretty face was something I would never do again. I hadn’t gotten in this truck because he was hot. I’d gotten in it because he had proven to be helpful and kind. Nothing more. And, yes, because most women in there were checking him out, yet he hadn’t seemed to notice.

  He shrugged with a nonthreatening, amused smile on his face. “Yeah. My dad lost a bet.”

  How interesting.

  I slid my hand into his. “Rumor,” I said, then paused before saying my last name. I couldn’t trust anyone with that information. “Beauregard,” I finished, using the surname of my favorite foster family.

  He gave me that killer smile that I was sure had women falling at his feet regularly. “It’s nice to meet you, Rumor. Now, why don’t we open that box and have a piece of greasy service-station pizza?”

  The way he could so easily put someone at ease was a talent. One I needed to be careful with. Letting my guard down wasn’t an option. Even if this was a nice guy, like I had just about decided he was, I was on the run. No one could be trusted with any of my truths. I’d given him the name I had before I was married. Hill hadn’t felt that Rumor was appropriate. He said it was tacky and sounded backwoods. So, I agreed to have my name legally changed to Carmella. The name he had chosen for me. A name I came to hate so very soon after I said I do.

  I never wanted to be called Carmella again.

  Opening the box, I took out a slice and handed it to him.

  He pointed at the glove compartment. “Napkins are in there. Grab us a few.”

  I did so, and he took one to hold on to the pizza while he ate it. I did the same. Never had grease tasted so good. I couldn’t remember the last time I’d eaten anything like this. Hill had made me keep count of my calories, and I had to step on a scale every morning so that he could check my weight. I learned the hard way that sneaking around and eating food he didn’t approve of would cause the scale to go up, and if it went up more than two pounds, I would pay for it. Painfully so.

  I caught myself making a sound that was awfully close to a moan, and my cheeks flushed. Thankfully, he didn’t say anything about it, and I kept my eyes focused straight ahead. If he was laughing at me, I didn’t want to know.

  “The closest bus station to here is about thirty minutes south,” he said. “But I’m going north, and there is one about an hour in my direction that I can take you to instead, if that’s okay.”

  I wanted to go south, but I also didn’t want to make him go out of his way after he already helped me several times.

  “North is fine,” I replied.

  “Great. I’ll get home in time for my Maeme’s Tuesday night chicken and dumplings and banana pudding.”

  The excitement in his voice made me smile. If he didn’t have such a deep drawl, he’d have seemed much younger.

  “Is that your grandmother?” I asked.

  “Yep. My dad’s momma. She raised me. Dad wasn’t around much due to his work, and my own momma walked out on us in the middle of the night when I was two. I don’t have much memory of her.”

  I had no memory of my mother or father for that matter, but somehow, his story felt worse. His momma had known him. Held him. Taken care of him. Then left after two years. What kind of person did that?

  “That’s awful,” I said before I could stop myself.

  He shrugged. “Not really. My Maeme is great. She’s sweet as sugar, yet she is the only woman alive who can control my dad, and did I mention her banana pudding? Best thing you’ve ever put in your mouth. I figure there’s no woman alive who outshines her. I was a lucky kid.”