I keep my distance from her, not wanting to spook her any more than she already is.
“Evie, if I wanted to hurt you, I would’ve already. I really just want to help you. We don’t have to take my car. We can grab a cab. Let’s just get you a room at a hotel so you can be safe for the night. We can meet for breakfast tomorrow and talk about the deal some more. Just give me a chance to help you.”
A sad look washes over her face, making her eyes look bruised.
“Okay,” she whispers. I get a feeling she only agreed because she doesn’t have any other choice.
“Will you take the car home?” I ask Carter who has been watching us silently. Yeah, he’s not happy with me right now, but it’s great to know that even though I pissed him off, he still had my back.
“Are you going to take a cab home?” he asks me.
“Yeah, but I’ll call you from the hotel. I just want to get Evie settled.”
“Right,” he says. He knows me better than anyone else, which means he knows I won’t leave that hotel until I’ve talked to Evie and I know she’s off the street.
At least he doesn’t argue. As he drives away, Evie and I start to walk towards McDonald’s.
“You want to get something to eat while I call for a cab?”
I watch her swallow hard, and then she nods, a look of hunger replacing the sadness that was there a second ago.
I’m taking that as a win. The longer Evie’s in my company, seeing that I won’t hurt her, the better the odds are that she’ll take the deal.