Violent Ends

Jacob shook his head. “We’ve never been away from the top, Dad. Right now, you’re sinking us down to the bottom. We’re no better than the Coltons if you do this deal.”

One by one, they turned to leave. Gideon pulled her out of the room.

She saw the brothers as they all looked at each other. Clearly a message was being spoken among them, even as she didn’t have a clue what it was.

Gideon didn’t stop as he took her back to her room.

“Get dressed. Pack a bag.”

“Gideon, what’s going on?” she asked.

He stood in the center of the room. “You’re going to stay with Owen and Wyatt.”

“No, don’t do this to me.” She went to hold him, feeling pain strike her chest as he caught her arms, stopping her from getting any closer to him. “Gideon, please, don’t do this. Don’t push me away.”

“I’ve got to make this right.”

She had no idea how bad it was. He wouldn’t let her hold him.

“Don’t push me away. I can help you,” she said.

“You can help me. You can stay with your brothers so I know I don’t have to worry about you. Please, Emma, for me, just do this. I need to know you’re safe. Then I can do what needs to be done.”

She stared at him. “Don’t do this, Gideon. Please.”

“I know what I’m doing. You’re going to have a little faith.”

****

Tamsin breathed a sigh of relief as the bus came to a stop. She’d been traveling via bus for three days, and she stopped inside a small town. She hadn’t caught the name as she’d been too busy scrolling through her list of messages from her brothers. The only ones she read were Landon’s. Everyone else she deleted.

Her stomach rumbled, and she caught the diner across the street.

She was no longer Tamsin Denton anymore. Her name was Tanya Davis. A nice name. She’d have to get used to it, but she liked it. A nice name for an ordinary girl. The guy Landon had told her about already messaged her the necessary details. The moment she had an address, he’d mail her ID to her.

Everything was working smoothly.

Entering the diner, she felt that sense of freedom she’d been missing all of her life.

Between being a Denton, her father, and just life in general, she’d never felt her own person. She’d never been able to step outside and breathe in the fresh air without someone being there, constantly watching.

She took a seat in the back, picking up the menu to see what she could afford. The money she had would be limited, and she’d already planned out how long it would last, so long as she was careful.

“You look a little young to be here by yourself. Where’s your mom?”

Tamsin looked up at the much older woman. “I’m eighteen. Plenty old enough.”

“Yeah, and pigs fly.” The woman poured her some water. “I’m going to say fourteen, not much older than that. A runaway.”

She didn’t like how quickly this woman seemed to know what she was talking about. “Erm, could I just have the pancakes, to go?”

The woman sat down across from her, making no move to leave.

This was unexpected.

“I know life can be pretty hard at times. Running away doesn’t solve life’s problems, honey. It makes them.”

“With all due respect, I can’t go back there.”

“Why not?”

“Because I refuse to be forced into a marriage I don’t want.” She may as well go with some of the truth. Well, that was pretty close to the truth.

“You’re a baby.”

“Doesn’t stop arranged marriages, does it?” She forced a smile to her lips, even though she didn’t feel it.

“I’m Cathy Wingcroft.”

“Tanya Davis,” she said, hating the fact she lied to this woman.

“I own this diner, and seeing as you’re a runaway, I can offer you a room to stay for the night. We’ve got a lot of tourists, and the hotels are all filled up last I heard. I’ve got a room.”

“Do you need a worker?” she asked.

“Are you used to hard work, Tanya?”

“I can be a hard worker. Please. I want to repay you in some way.”

Cathy licked her lips and shook her head. “I’m a fucking sucker for this. Sure. We’ll deal with that tomorrow though. For now, I want you to just eat pancakes when I bring them out.”

“Please don’t call the cops.” It suddenly dawned on Tamsin that this woman could ruin her chance to get away.

Once the cops had her, she’d be back with her family.

Back with Mason Savona.

That wasn’t happening.

“I can see how terrified you are. I’m not a monster. You’re not the first stray I’ve taken in. Don’t worry, have a little faith.”

****

Gideon left strict instructions with Owen and Wyatt. They were to take care of Emma, and if they hadn’t heard from him by the end of the day, they were to run, no questions asked.