Total pages in book: 36
Estimated words: 34187 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 171(@200wpm)___ 137(@250wpm)___ 114(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 34187 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 171(@200wpm)___ 137(@250wpm)___ 114(@300wpm)
“Clear.”
“Clear here too, Xavier. Let’s get your girl and get the fuck outta here.”
“Tillie? Come on out, honey.”
I stood, the skillet falling to the floor. Later, I was sure I’d be embarrassed at how I acted, but I threw myself at Xavier, wrapping my arms and legs around him, and sobbed into his neck.
Chapter Three
Xavier
I’d never been so glad to have Tiny as my backup as I was now. Standing in the little farmhouse with Tillie wrapped around me, clinging to me like I was her whole world, felt like nothing I’d ever imagined existed. I could savor the moment, and Tiny would watch over us. I glanced at the big guy and he nodded before going outside to give us a moment.
For a hot minute, my mind drifted to possibilities I knew better than to dwell on. Sure, I was out of prison now. Had no plans on that changing. But this girl… This fucking girl… She deserved everything in life I could never give her. Like this fucking house.
What were the odds Tillie had been the one to buy this property? No one had made it past talking to the real estate agent in years. Sure, the owner desperately wanted rid of it, but there was an old maintenance road along the southern edge of the property he didn’t own the right of way for.
That road was like the fucking Autobahn for smugglers from Mobile to Indianapolis as a way to be off the radar. The interstate was the preferred route, but the more experienced mules used that small road to bypass the interstate in and around Nashville.
Because the road was no longer necessary after the coal mines were closed, the road wasn’t on modern maps. A cartel presence in the area maintained the road, but as long as no one got in their way they didn’t hinder anyone else.
Eventually word got around and the locals stopped trying to buy the property. Those who either didn’t know or were too stubborn to believe the stories soon got the same warning Tillie just got.
* * *
“Thank fuck we got here when we did.” Tiny spoke softly as he took a hard left, weaving in and out of traffic. “Sorry as shit we didn’t get there sooner, man.”
“We got here before she was hurt. That’s the main thing. It’s my fault someone wasn’t already here waiting to get her to safety. I should have realized when she told me the house she’d bought was in Terre Haute.”
“Did I do something wrong, Xavier?” Tillie and I were in the back seat of the big F-150 Tiny brought for the trip here. Tillie was still plastered against me, chest to chest, with her arms wrapped tightly around my neck, straddling me. Her voice was barely above a whisper. She sounded so Goddamned fragile it was breaking my heart.
“No, honey. There’s no way you could have known about that property. I’ll explain all that later. For now. I want you to stay right where you are until you feel like moving.”
“Shouldn’t I sit in the seat and buckle up?”
“Only when you’re ready. Tiny’s our road captain for a reason. He’ll keep us safe.”
“Once we get on the interstate I’ll ease up,” Tiny said. “They won’t follow us even if they were watching, but I’m not taking chances.”
“You leave a calling card?” I met Tiny’s gaze in the rearview mirror.
“Yep. They ain’t comin’ after us.” Tiny adjusted his grip on the steering wheel. “Even they know better.”
I expected Tillie to question us or at least ask where we were going, but she seemed content to stay silent and where she was. The slight tremor of her body told me she was probably in shock and still terrified. I reached for the blanket I’d put in the seat beside us. It was one she’d brought me, and I got the impression she’d liked it herself. I draped the throw over her, so she was covered from the neck down. The large blanket even draped over her feet and legs.
I held her securely, rubbing my hand up and down her back, needing to soothe her as much as I could.
“It’s all right now, baby. You’re safe with me,” I murmured into her hair, inhaling her scent. Vanilla, and something uniquely Tillie. It was intoxicating.
She nuzzled closer, her breath warm against my neck. “I was so scared, Xave. I thought… I thought he might…”
“Shh. I know. But he didn’t. And no one’s gonna hurt you now.” My arms tightened around her instinctively. The thought of someone threatening her made my blood boil, but I kept my voice steady. I felt like this was at least partly my fault. I should have had Knight keep closer tabs on her. If I had, I’d have known she was headed toward trouble and kept her away.