Total pages in book: 150
Estimated words: 146034 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 730(@200wpm)___ 584(@250wpm)___ 487(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 146034 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 730(@200wpm)___ 584(@250wpm)___ 487(@300wpm)
Someone…caring.
Truly caring about me.
Wistfulness tugged at one side of his mouth. “Yeah, Savannah. Friends.”
We stayed staring at each other for the longest time before he cleared his throat and shut off the engine. “Let’s go get your stuff.”
Before I could open my door, he was already there to help me out. I thought he’d offer me his hand, but instead, he hoisted me up around the waist before he settled me on my unsteady feet.
My heart took off in the opposite direction again.
“Thank you,” he murmured.
“What are you thanking me for?”
“For giving me this little bit of peace.”
God. This man. I didn’t know how to process him.
His weight and his aura and the goodness that radiated from his flesh.
I figured it was best to ignore it as much as I could, and I crossed the lot and quickly climbed the stairs.
Ezra was right behind me.
His big body a shadow that covered me.
A fortress.
A shield.
I trembled and thought maybe I should just pull him into my motel room.
Let us burn out this fire that raged.
A terrible idea because I had a hunch it couldn’t be doused so easily. A hunch that he wasn’t close to being ready for a one-night stand. That his loss was too brittle and raw. And I had a hunch that a fling with him might break me.
I dug into my bag for my keycard as I hit the landing, and I moved to where my door was three down on the left.
Only I froze when I got to it. To the metal that had been smashed and dinged and pried in a bunch of different places with what looked to have been a hammer and crowbar. At the latch that was barely hanging on, keeping the intruder out.
My stomach bottomed out and my heart hit the floor. Just as my knees went weak.
In an instant, massive arms encircled me from behind, Ezra holding me up, his mouth pressed to my ear. “It’s okay, Savannah. I’m right here. I’ve got you.”
EIGHTEEN
EZRA
Motherfucker.
Rage blistered through my being as I held Savannah up, though my attention was darting left and right, ensuring that there wasn’t any present danger.
It was bad enough knowing she was still staying at a motel. That she didn’t have a safe place to call her own.
But this?
My teeth grated through the disorder that pounded through my being, sickness pooling as I thought of what might have happened had she been dropped off here alone. The what ifs and what could have beens roiling through my mind in a spiral of abhorrence.
The hall was empty, not a soul around, and I kept Savannah close while I dug into my back pocket, pulled out my phone, and dialed the direct number to Pamela. She answered on the first ring.
“Ezra?” Worry laced her voice. It wasn’t like she didn’t get calls from me when I was off duty, but it was close to two in the morning.
“Hey, Pamela. We have an attempted break-in at the Riverside Motel. Room 227. Get Samson over here.”
“Are there any injuries?”
“None that I’m aware of.”
“Okay. Good. I’ll get him over there right away. He’s patrolling about five minutes away.”
“Thank you.”
“Always. Be safe out there.” She ended the call while Savannah released ragged breaths that I could tell she was trying to master.
It didn’t matter.
The woman was terrified.
I could feel it. The turmoil tearing through her body and shivering into her spirit. It might as well have been dumping it into mine. The fury that curdled and raced, gasoline in my bloodstream.
I attempted to keep my voice steady when I murmured again, “It’s okay.”
I carefully peeled her away and shifted her so I could take her by the shoulders. I did my damned best not to lose my cool as I looked down at the horror carved into every gorgeous line of her face.
“It’s going to be okay,” I promised, hands squeezing for a beat before I nudged her back toward the wall and pried the keycard from her fingers.
I scanned the lot below. Darkness rained from the sky, only cut by the dingy lights that lit the lot. But in it, there was no movement, just the slow sway of the trees that danced in the background.
“Stay right there.” The words cut from my throat.
Savannah frowned but nodded.
Never before had I wished that I had my gun more than right then. My stomach was in knots, and I hated that we had no goddamn clue what we were up against.
Whatever it was, I was going to end it.
This wasn’t happening.
Not in my town.
Not on my watch.
Not ever again.
Inching up to the door, I pressed my ear to the metal, unsure if the perpetrator had made it inside. The door was thick, but I was ninety-nine percent sure there was no movement on the other side.