Page 22 of Nowhere to Run
“As far as Tray knows, you’re in Wyoming.There’s a small town where some of my team is waiting for Tray to show up.Dom has been sending Tray photos of you, proof that he’s with you so Tray will show up to the location Dom gives him.”
I shook my head, not bothering to wipe the tears from my eyes as they fell.
“I don’t get it,” I replied with a sob.“Why does Dom even care so much?What is in this for him?”
“Besides keepingyousafe?”Keith asked, his expression turning serious.“Dom’s sister, Lauren, is involved with someone in the organization.Tray has refused to let her leave, so Dom is using this to get her out.She got involved right after he left.”
“He’s giving me up to get his sister back,” I whispered as everything clicked in place.
“Exactly.Knowing that his sister was involved made it easy for us to get him on board to help us.Once we knew he was in love with you, that just solidified his agreement.”
“Dom’s not in love with me,” I denied, wondering if Dom had confessed it to Keith the way he had already confessed it to me.I hadn’t said it back, but that didn’t mean I didn’t feel it.
“You keep telling yourself that,” Keith teased with a wink.“Just like you keep telling yourself youtookmy gun from me.”
“You’re such an asshole.”I tried glaring at him, but his smile melted my defenses, and I felt myself finally starting to relax a bit.“I’m still pissed that you didn’t tell me about Ashley staying with you.”
“It wasn’t any of your business.”He shrugged as if that answer was sufficient.
“It is my business.She’s my friend, and I don’t want to see her get hurt if –”
“If she’s truly your friend and you care about her the way you say you do, then you’ll stop trying to control everything for her.She’s stronger than you think, Jo.Just last night, I didn’t put the wine in the fridge like she asked me, and she threatened to tase me if I did it again.”
I rolled my eyes and snorted out a laugh at the image that conjured in my head because I could totally see her doing that.
“Fine,” I said with a soft exhale.“I will stay out of things and let you guys figure it out on your own.But—”
“I know, you’ll kill me if I hurt her.Trust me, I’ve never been threatened more than I have in the short time I’ve been in Nowhere.”
“That’s how you know we like you here.”I winked, but we both knew it was true.
The people of Nowhere didn’t usually go out of their way to be kind to those passing through town because we knew we’d never see them again.It was rare for someone to come to our town and decide it was a good place to put down some roots and stay.It was even rarer for us to allow them to do so.
“Alright, I’d better get going,” Keith said, standing up and tucking Dom’s phone in his pocket.“Try to be nice to him when he comes back.”
“Who said he’s coming back?”I asked, hating how my voice betrayed me with the excitement in it at the thought that he would return after I kicked him out earlier.While I was still pissed at him, my heart had a mind of its own and couldn’t wait to see him again.
“Because we all know he’s coming back, Jo.If you think your little temper tantrum scared him off for good, you don’t know Dom like you think you do.”
“I find it hilarious that you think you know him so well,” I said as I followed Keith to the front door.
“We’ve been watching him long enough that I know more about him than I ever wanted to know.Trust me when I say he’s a good man, Jo.Don’t be so hard on him.Everything he’s doing is to keep you and his sister safe.If anyone knows what that’s like, it would be you.”
Keith walked out the door and pulled it closed behind him, while I realized he was right.I didn’t always love easily, but when I did, I loved so fiercely that nothing could stand in my way of protecting them.
