Runaway (A New Adventure Begins - Star Elite 4)

“Tell me who you are,” Jasper began as the carriage lurched into motion.

“I have already told you,” she replied.

“Molly what?”

“Molly Egerton.” Given the number of people who inhabited London, Molly didn’t think he would be able to locate her again if he proved untrustworthy. After all, she didn’t actually originate from London.

Nobody knows where I am.

That thought brought forth another wave of isolation within Molly that was unsettling. She almost wished she was back on the riverbank with him, wrapped securely in his arms once more. It stopped her from thinking too much. She felt instead. Felt his warm arms. Felt his comforting embrace. Felt the protection of someone who was stronger and considerably more capable than she could ever be. Felt the security of knowing she had someone with her who gave a damn.

“Egerton. My name is Molly Egerton,” she told him.

“Where do you live?”

“Why?” She squinted suspiciously at him.

“Because the coachman needs to know where to take us,” Jasper reminded her.

Once again, Molly felt foolish. Her cheeks flooded with colour. Her mind raced, but she couldn’t see any alternative but to tell him the truth. There was little likelihood he would leave her by the side of the road close to her lodgings even if she insisted, but the thought of him knowing just how dire her current situation was made her acutely embarrassed.

“Camden,” she whispered.

“Where in Camden?”

“Crawley Road.”

Jasper knew then that she was in dire straits if she lived in one of the most impoverished areas of London. The cramped housing there was barely fit for habitation.

“God in Hell,” he whispered, shaken at the thought of someone like her living in such a God awful place.

Molly’s discomfort increased at the disgust in his voice. Deep inside, a small prick of indignation began to build but she could understand his sentiments. They echoed her own because when she had first set eyes on the only dwelling she was able to afford she had been filled with disgust as well. The alternative had been to face life on the streets, though, and that was something she couldn’t do, not until she absolutely had to.

Suddenly, a loud cry from outside the carriage shattered the silence. Men raced past the window when a loud bang made it shake. Molly flinched and tried to curl instinctively against Jasper, but he had already stuck his head out of the window and was giving the driver an address that Molly didn’t recognise. When he resumed his seat, he slid a protective arm along the back of her seat.

“Where are we going?” Molly asked when she became aware that they were not heading to Camden, but toward the opposite end of the city instead.

“You have to come with us,” Jasper replied absently.

Molly froze. Briefly, she felt incredibly disappointed, in herself for being foolish enough to trust this man, and in him for not being as trustworthy as she had believed him to be.

“I am not coming with you,” she whispered.

“You have to,” Jasper replied firmly in a tone that didn’t invite argument.

Molly looked down at their legs pressed shockingly close together, as was the rest of them. Immediately, she sat upright, put a little distance between them and straightened her sodden skirt. That inch or so gap was enough to make her shiver once more, but she refused to allow the tiny space to be bridged again.

Jasper looked at her and mentally cursed when he saw the way she was now studying the handle of the door beside her.

“Jump out of this carriage and I will damned well tie you up,” he bit out.

“Who are you?” she whispered.

“I am someone you can trust. I am trying to protect you, if you stop throwing yourself into danger long enough to work it out,” Jasper snapped. “Or didn’t you notice the way I came into that raging river to fetch you?”

“Of course I did,” Molly retorted. “I was there, remember?”

“Well, maybe you should consider that before you start to look for another way to get yourself killed,” Jasper replied sharply.