Betrayals of the Heart Read Free Page B

I’m afraid that vehicle belongs to me. See, I already have my paperwork filled out.” She held up the papers to prove her point and cringed as they shook within her grasp.
    “Excuse me?” He turned to face her, his deep throaty tone sending shivers down to her toes. Not to mention what those eyes were doing to her insides. They were a hue of blue she’d never seen before and they were drilling right into her.
    “I’m so sorry. But my son and I have to leave tonight.” We have no other choice , she said to herself.
    “I see.” He was clearly a man of few words. She watched petrified as he studied her face and then flicked a brief glance over to her son, who danced excitedly behind her. “Does he need a potty break?”
    “What?” The comment caught her off guard. His sudden interest in Michael set off all kinds of alarms. “No,” she said moving to stand in front of her son. “He’s just ready to get going.” She felt like she was sweating buckets under his intense stare. “I hope you understand.”
    “Which way you headed?”
    Gulp . The last thing she wanted was to tell anyone where she was going. Steven had ways to make even the most reluctant person talk. “South.”
    Without another word to her, he turned to the lady behind the counter. “ We’ll take it.”
    Makayla’s mouth dropped a good three inches. She felt the ground shift beneath her feet. We’ll take it? Who the heck was he talking about? Was someone traveling with him?
    “Sir. Did you hear me?” Her voice cracked and she mentally scolded her lack of control.
    The man didn’t respond.
    Makayla stood silent and watched as he signed the papers and handed them back to the lady. She’d just let her entire future flash before her. Coward. The lady behind the counter looked in her direction with a questioning eye. She knew Makayla was in the right. Say something. Stick up for yourself.
    “Are you ready?” The man now stood in front of her like a giant, holding his laptop with one hand, a brown overnight bag slung over his broad shoulder.
    She just blinked at him. Ready for what?
    “Do you have any luggage?” Deep lines eased into the corners of his eyes as he squinted, like he was trying to read her mind and figure out what was wrong with her.
    Again, no words came out.
    He placed the laptop on the chair beside Michael and took her cold hand in his. “Look, I’m not going to hurt you. We are just going to share a ride. I’ll get you to the next town and you can get your own car there.” He paused to let his statement sink in. “Okay?”
    His hand warm and so much bigger than her own comforted more than she wanted to admit. When he spoke, he searched her face, the savage expression softening. Oh, dear God. Did she have a choice?
    “Okay,” she said, her throat so dry she feared a coughing fit would follow. “Thanks. But only to the next town.”
    “Yeah. Don’t thank me yet. Let’s get going before the weather turns worse.” He grabbed his laptop, shifting the bag higher on his shoulder to accommodate the extra weight and then picked up her small bag with the other hand and headed toward the parking garage.
    “Who’s the man, Mommy?” Michael asked as she picked him up to follow after the stranger in a brisk walk. This man, whoever he was, had to know that a small boy Michael’s age wasn’t capable of walking so quickly. Yet he continued on without even glancing back.
    Doubts bombarded her control. What was she doing? What was his hurry? Was he really desperate to leave, or desperate to deliver her into the hands of the devil she called her husband? Could he be working for Steven?
    It suddenly occurred to her that she hadn’t even gotten his name. Stupid, stupid, she told herself. No one knew where she was or where she was going. She could have just made the second worst mistake of her life.
    But she didn’t have time to contemplate his motives. A feeling deep inside urged her to trust him and for right now it was all