My answer shocks her. She sputters out a breath and her hand jerks, like she wants to grab her ribs again. “I’m not drunk or high.”
I wait her out, crossing my arms over my chest.
It takes her a couple of minutes, but she finally sucks her teeth and rips her glasses away, carelessly tossing them over her shoulder into the car. “You happy now?” she spews.
I notice two things once I get a good view of her face. One, is that her license didn’t do her one bit of justice. She’s fucking stunning and her eyes are the prettiest green I’ve ever seen. They remind me of emeralds.
The second thing I notice is that one of her eyes is slightly swollen with the skin around it an ugly purplish-green. My blood runs hot, because I know what a black eye from a fist looks like. My teeth creak as I grind my molars together. If there’s one thing I hate most in the world, it’s abuse against women and children.
“Who did that to you?” I growl the words, not even attempting to hide the rage simmering inside me.
It’s her turn to cross her arms over her chest. She adds a cocked hip to her stance.
“No one,” she mutters, her eyes skittering away from me. “I hit a table when I fell after running into the banister.
“Bullshit,” I state, my words a deep rumble. Her eyes jump back to mine. “You ain’t foolin’ anyone with that lame ass story, sugar. Now why don’t you try again.” I step closer. “Who fuckin’ gave you that black eye and busted ribs?”
Her shoulders droop and her arm wraps around her middle, as if she knows her tough girl act isn’t working, so there’s no need to keep trying. Her head swivels to the left, looking down the road past my car, before she swings her eyes back to me.
“An ex-lover of mine,” she admits reluctantly.
“Where is he now?”
Her brows knit together as she again looks behind my car. “I thought he was following me, but I guess I was wrong.”
I tense. “That why you were speeding?”
Her earrings sway when
she nods. “Look,” she starts, looking down at her feet before lifting her head again. “Can you just give me a warning or something and let me go? If my ex finds me, it won’t end pretty. Running a license through the system will leave a trail he’ll easily be able to follow.”
“What makes you think he’ll be privy to that information? It’s not exactly made public anytime law enforcement runs a driver’s license.”
She tucks her hands into her long skirt, her bracelets jiggling. “Because he has connections with the San Antonio Police Department and they’ll notify him if my name turns up in the system.”
“Your license says you live in San Antonio. Why are you all the way out here?”
“Because that’s where he lives too.”
“Where’re you headed?”
She shrugs one shoulder. “I don’t know. Just away.”
I look to the right, toward town, as I contemplate my next words. The citizens of Malus don’t welcome new people, unless we specifically invite them. There are things we do that most people wouldn’t agree with. To keep our secrets safe, we keep to ourselves and never let in outsiders that could potentially cause problems. Under normal circumstances, I’d let this woman go on her way. For some reason, that thought doesn’t sit well with me. I feel like if I let her leave, I’ll be sending her to her death bed. My conscience and morals won’t let that happen. I may not know this woman, but there’s no way in hell I’ll let her go knowing there’s someone out there wanting to hurt her.
I flip up my aviators to rest on top of my head then scrub my hand over my jaw. Silently cursing myself up one way and down the other, and hope that Judge won’t have my hide, I make a suggestion.
“Why don’t you follow me into town and stay for a few days to make sure this ex-lover of yours hasn’t followed you.
Her eyes widen. A moment later, the perplexed look is gone and one of stubbornness replaces it.
“I’d rather just be on my way, if it’s okay with you. The more distance I put between me and San Antonio, the better, and I’m still way too close.”
“Well, you see, that’s not okay with me. I can’t just let you leave knowing you’ll be in danger.”
She huffs out a breath on a humorless laugh. “I know my rights. You can’t keep me here.”
I flash her my teeth. “Your tag’s expired.”