* * * * *
Chapter One
“Sanctuary.”
The word trembled from Chloe Sinclair’s lips, and she glanced down the road. The sky was darkening and lightning flashed in the distance. Chloe glanced up at the road sign one more time. “Sanctuary it is,” she said lightly before settling her backpack a little easier on her shoulders and starting down the side of the road.
She’d barely walked ten feet when a car pulled up in front of her. As she walked abreast of it, the side window rolled down and a weird smell caught her nose. The driver leaned closer to the passenger side, a big-bellied man who was smoking a cigar. “Need a ride, girlie?”
Chloe waved a hand in front of her face as the smoke he blew out the window threatened to choke her. Cheap cigar, bad breath and a lack of personal hygiene made her feet hurt less, and she shook her head. “No, thanks. I’m almost where I’m going.”
“You aren’t thinking of going to Sanctuary?” the man said, his tone one of horrified disbelief. “You don’t want to go there, girlie. You go there and you won’t be heard from again.”
“What are you talking about?” Chloe let her hands rest on her slim, jean-clad hips and blew a strand of black hair away from her face. “Come on, I’m a bit old to listen to ghost stories.”
“I’ve been driving these roads for a lot of years, girlie. These aren’t stories. Lots of hitchhikers go missing on this road.”
A clap of thunder rent the air around them, followed by a gust of breeze that sent a shiver down Chloe’s spine. “Is it always so cold around here?”
“It’s Michigan in October, girlie. You’re lucky we don’t have snow. Now, do you want a ride or not?”
Chloe glanced down the dark road and the forest that lay just beyond the ditches. Another shiver shuddered through her, this one not due to the cold. A sharp wind blew through the trees, stirring up the leaves and making a rattling kind of noise that had her reaching for the door handle.
The man laughed as she tossed her duffle bag down on the floor of the front seat, taking a deep breath of the fresh cold air before sitting down in the smoke-filled car. “I’m just going up the road to Sanctuary. You can drop me off there.”
“You’re a crazy girlie, but if that’s what you want.” He chuckled and chewed on the end of his horrible-smelling cigar, casting glances at Chloe as he pulled back onto the road. “My name is Wayne.”
“Chloe,” she said simply.
“So where you from?”
“Idaho originally. But I’ve been traveling all over. I want to write a book about my travels.”
“Really, what about your family?”
Chloe stared over at him, getting a creepy feeling. She’d learned quickly on the road that she needed to follow her instincts. “Oh, I call them every night. Just to check in and make my mom feel better. I didn’t call once and she had the cops out looking for me.” She reached up and pushed her hair behind her ear, tugging down on the stocking cap that she was wearing. A set of winter long johns had her jeans hugging her slight curves and in the heat of the car, she was beginning to feel warm again, finally. She dreaded the thought of going back to walking. Rides had been few and far between since she’d crossed the Ohio border near Toledo. She’d gotten only as far as Adrian yesterday and had managed to find a room at the YMCA there. With her money running low, she was going to have to take a couple weeks off travelling and find somewhere and get a job.
But for now, the thought of work was the last thing on her mind. The first was the fact that the man she was getting the ride from now had his hand on her knee and was slowly moving it upward. Chloe lifted it and place it back on his own leg. “I don’t pay for rides that way. If you need payment, I can give you gas money or you can let me out right now.”
“Oh, come on, sugar, what’s a little slap and tickle between a couple of travelers.” His hand went back to her knee, and he squeezed hard. When she tried to fight, he turned down a side road and into the woods.
Chloe reached for the door handle, only to hear the auto locks click. Hitting the button on her side of the car did nothing, and the small knob in the door was impossible to pull up. She turned back just in time to see the old man roll down his window and toss out his cigar. “What are you doing?!” she cried.
“Sugar, if you don’t know then you’re a hell of a lot more naïve than I took you for.” He scooted closer, lifting the middle divider in the seats and reaching for her.
Chloe fought, kicking, screaming, scratching at his face. Wayne responded, balling up his fist and hitting her in the face. It knocked her back in the car seat, dazing her so that everything around her seemed soft and fuzzy, just out of reach.
Wayne grabbed her again, his hand pulling open her jacket and yanking up her shirt and the long-sleeve thermal undershirt she wore. Her breasts in their pretty pink lace cups were exposed, as well as a lot of satiny skin. “Oh, now ain’t that just so sweet. I love a girl who wears pink, especially pink lace.” His hand rose to her cheek, moving her face toward his, and his lips found hers, thrusting his nasty tongue inside her mouth.
She turned her face, fighting the urge to vomit from the pain and from the smell of him. “Stop,” she moaned.
“Oh come on, sweet thing, you know you want this as much as I do. Quit fighting now.” There was the whisking sound of metal against metal, and then he held up a slender knife that looked wickedly sharp. “You don’t want me using this now, do you?”
Chloe’s eyes grew wide when she saw the knife, her hand scrabbling at the door even as she shook her head. “No, please.”
Her gasping plea put a smile on Wayne’s face, and he slid his hand over her cheek. “Good girl, now hold really still, I don’t want to accidentally cut you.” With that, he turned the knife in his hand, sliding it between the lacey pink cups with the sharp side away from her skin. It took but a small twist of his wrist for the lethally sharp blade to part the cups, her breasts exposed to the cold and his eyes.
They were round and full, with tight pink nipples that had a darker ring around them. He growled deep in his throat at the sight and his hand came up, his fingers grasping one of her nipples and twisting it harshly. Chloe reacted before she could think, slapping his fat face as hard as she could.
As soon as she did, she realized what she’d done, her fingers going to her mouth as she gasped in horror. His head had turned with the blow and now he slowly turned back to her, the anger in his eyes scaring her even more.
“I-I…” she began. But he didn’t allow her to finish, balling his fist again and hitting her hard in the jaw.
“Bitch!” he growled. But she was beyond hearing him, a buzzing in her head stopping her from hearing anything. Her eyes rolled in her head, pain bursting in her like a huge firecracker. She didn’t feel the knife coming out and slicing at her jeans, tearing them until he could pull them off of her. Her long johns were next, leaving her clad in nothing but the lacey pink thong that had gone with the bra he’d already cut off of her.
“Oh yeah,” he said aloud. “Gotta love a girl who wears pink lace.” He reached out, grabbing a hold of the front of her thong, ripping it from her body, the waistband digging cruelly into her skin before it parted. He lifted the scraps of material, bringing them to his face and inhaling deeply before stuffing the pink lace into the front pocket of his shirt.
Wayne moved her limp body around until he could reach her the way he wanted, his fingers pushing into her dry sex, his nails scraping against her soft flesh. Pain had her stiffening, her hands coming up to push his away. “No…” she moaned.
She sighed when his hands fell away, opening her eyes and staring unseeingly around her. Noises began to sift through the buzzing and she heard a rustling, unsure of what it was. She found out quickly. Wayne pressed his body against her, his naked cock peeking out from under his fat stomach. “Come here, bitch,” he ordered, grabbing her legs until she was sitting up on his lap, her back pressed against the steering wheel that he’d pushed up.
“You ready, girlie?” he asked, his foul breath hitting her in the face. “I’m going to fuck you up good.”
He wrapped her legs around his waist, pulling her even closer to his cock. She could feel it against her, pushing into her thigh, bruising her leg.
“Nooo,” she cried. “No, stop!”
He laughed, his mouth finding her nipple and suckling upon it hard, leaving a bruise on her breast. His hand grabbed her breast, his fingers squeezing hard enough that her flesh was coming out between his fingers. He twisted it, making her scream again as the pain became too much to bear.
“Oh yeah, girlie, sing for me.” He bit down on her nipple, the rubbery tip splitting, her blood filling his mouth as she screamed again, her hands beating at him, uncaring of anything but that the pain stop. He slapped her breasts and then her face, drawing blood from her nose and sending her head flying backwards to hit the windshield.
“You’d better not crack that glass, girlie. I’d have to put you to work to pay for it if you did.”
She mumbled something unintelligible, pushing against his chest with her fists. They fell weakly away, falling to her side as he laughed at her feeble attempts to get free. “I thought you’d have more spunk than this.” With a grunt, he pushed up and into her, hearing her squeal of pain and greeting it with a laugh. “You sound like a pig. Piggy, piggy,” he laughed, pulling on her thighs to push himself into her further.
Chloe screamed, scratching at his face while trying to lift herself off of him. She’d almost succeeded when he slammed his fist into her belly. She bent over as far as she could, her mouth gaping open as she tried to catch her breath.
“Fucking bitch,” Wayne growled, wiping blood off his cheek where she’d scratched him. He lifted her, slapping her face once, then again. “Move your ass.”
Chloe ignored him, still wheezing from the blow to her stomach. Wayne lifted her up, moving her until she could feel his cock pressed against the virgin territory of her ass. “N-no, God, please, no.”
“Then move,” he growled.
He pushed back inside of her, ignoring her cry of pain. With a swat on her ass, he forced her to move against him, feeling his cock rub against the rawness of her dry sex. He pushed the driver’s seat back, reclining and watching as she kept moving even as tears spilled out of her pretty blue eyes and her teeth gnawed on her lower lip until it bled.
“That’s it, baby,” he said, reaching out to play with her bobbing breasts. Just as he touched her, a loud thud sounded from the back of the car, as if someone had slammed something heavy on the trunk. The entire vehicle jerked. Wayne reached out and pushed her off of him. “You stay there,” he growled, pointing at the passenger side.
Chloe forced herself into a small ball, reaching up to pull her shirt down over her abused breasts.
“Did I tell you to get dressed?” He stopped fastening his pants to stare at her threateningly just as another thud hit the back of his car. “God dammit! I’m going to fucking kill the punk messing with my car. You stay there, girlie.” He reached out and hit the lock switch that would unlock his car door, opening it and stepping out with a huff as he pulled his weight out of the low slung car.
Before he could even turn to look at the damage, something grabbed him around the throat, dragging him away as a shrill scream left his mouth.
Chloe backed even further in her seat, staring at the open car door. She trembled as the cold air took away the warmth of the car, blowing over her naked skin. When a shadowy figure stepped into the light from the car interior, she tried to press backward further.
“Do you want to stay there?”
Chloe ducked her head, not wanting to look at the man. He was tall, his shoulders wide as he bent, his form filling in the driver’s side door.
“He can’t hurt you again,” the man said gently. He held out his hand to her. “I’m not going to hurt you.”
Chloe sobbed as she made her decision, reaching out cautiously and taking his hand, letting him pull her out of the car. She stood shivering, half naked, her jacket barely reaching the top of her thighs. When a long, thick coat was wrapped around her shoulders, she finally got the nerve to look up at him. “H-he r-raped me,” she said, sobbing and shivering.
* * * *
Dane stared down at the abused brunette, feeling a sense of responsibility and a tenderness he didn’t understand. “He can’t hurt you again,” he repeated. “He won’t be hurting anyone again.”
“R-really?” she sobbed, reaching out for him. She fisted a handful of his flannel shirt, holding onto him like he was her only lifeline.
“Yes. Are you hurt? Do you need medical attention?”
“H-he h-hit me.” Her other hand rose to her face, and she flinched as she felt the knot on her jaw and how her face was swollen.
“Anywhere besides your face?”
She pulled his jacket aside, touching her side where Wayne had slammed his fist into her. It was tender, and she flinched away from her own touch. “Here.”
“Come on; let me take you somewhere you can get looked at.” He held out his hand again.
“H-how do I know you won’t do w-what he did?” she asked, backing away.
“My name is Dane Alistair. I live in Sanctuary.” He reached into his back pocket and pulled out his wallet. Flipping it open, he showed her a silver badge. “I’m the Chief of Police.”
He hadn’t expected his admission to knock her off of her feet, but Dane was quick to reach out and grab her, lifting her into his arms. “Whoa,” he said softly, feeling her unfettered breasts pushing against his chest. “We need to get you to that clinic.”
“Y-yes,” she said, burying her face in his shoulder. “M-my bag is still in the car.”
“I’ll have one of my men bring it in for you.” He looked over his shoulder and nodded. Then he felt the girl lift her head, and he quickly started walking down the dirt road. With his night vision, it was very close to how she would see during daylight hours. He managed to carry her all the way to his police cruiser without tripping on any of the hidden rocks or branches along the way.
Opening the passenger door, he settled her inside. Her eyes went to his face, and he felt her scrutiny. Dane couldn’t help but wonder if she liked what she saw. “What’s your name?” he asked, realizing he’d never asked.
“Chloe, Chloe Sinclair,” she whispered, licking her dry lips.
“Well, Chloe, Chloe Sinclair, you’ve got to let me loose if we’re ever going to get to that clinic.” He watched as she realized she still had her arms wrapped around his neck, her hands tangling in the flannel of his shirt, her face flushing bright red in embarrassment.
“Oh, I’m sorry,” she said, horrified.
“Don’t be. I didn’t mind a bit.” He stood, watching as she covered her face with her hands before he closed the passenger door and skipped lightly around the car to the driver’s side. When he was settled in, he reached across her, feeling her flinch away from him. “I’m just fastening your seatbelt, Chloe. I’m not going to hurt you.”
She nodded, letting her head fall back against the seat. Dane carefully reached across her again, pulling the seatbelt over her and fastening it. Then he did his own, putting the car in reverse and backing around carefully until he could pull down the thin dirt road. By the time he reached the main drag, Chloe was asleep.
The memories of what he’d seen in that car wouldn’t stop circulating through his head. He’d wanted to kill that fat asshole who’d brutalized this tiny scrap of humanity seated next to him. How could any man abuse a woman in such a manner? He just couldn’t understand it. He glanced over at the bloodstained, bruised slip of a girl and wondered at her story.
She had the prettiest eyes, he thought, remembering how they’d looked when she’d stared at him. Bright blue like a summer sky, they were surrounded by thick lashes that had swept her cheeks when she’d been embarrassed. Her face was swollen and already bruising. He wondered what she’d look like when those bruises faded. “Maybe you’ll stick around so I can see?” he whispered aloud.
Shaking away those thoughts, he picked up the microphone in the cruiser and turned down the sound a bit so he wouldn’t wake her. “Gemma?”
“This is Gemma, Chief,” came the quick reply.
“I need you to alert the doc. I’m bringing him a girl who’s been pretty beaten up.”
“You got it, Chief. Anyone we know?”
“No, I’m thinking she’s a hitchhiker who ran afoul of the wrong person.”
“I hope you took care of that ‘wrong person,’” Gemma said.
“The boys are doing it right now.”
“Good. Out.”
He hung the mic back up and saw the first streetlights of town outside his window. This was his town and he was proud of it, it and the people who made it what it was. There were few out now, but those who were waved and he waved back. He knew most of them. He’d been chief for a long time now, and he enjoyed his job and the interaction that was necessary to do it right.
He pulled down Main Street, waving at Max, the heavyset butcher who was just opening his shop, before pulling up in front of the Sanctuary Critical Care building. Doctor Edward Ransom was waiting outside for him. The doc was a tall, stocky man who moved with a grace that belied his size.
He put the car in park and got out, carefully closing his door so that it wouldn’t startle Chloe.
“Whacha got for me, Chief?” Doc asked, his eyes going to the sleeping girl in the front seat of the police cruiser.
“She’s a rape victim, Doc. He roughed her up some, but we got him before he could finish up. She’s got bumps and bruises and there’s blood on her thighs.”
The doctor’s dark brown eyes shone with sympathy in the light of the streetlamps. “Let’s get her inside and I’ll do the exam, unless you think maybe Charlene should do it,” he said, thinking of his wife who was also his nurse.
“I don’t know, Doc. She’s kind of skittish.” He went to the door, opening it slowly and reaching across to undo her seatbelt. “Chloe,” he said softly.
Chloe was used to waking up in strange places, but she wasn’t used to waking up in pain. She ached everywhere, including a throbbing between her thighs that was definitely unpleasant. “W-what?” she asked, looking around blankly. Then she remembered, and her eyes filled with tears that slowly dripped down her face. “I hurt.”
“I know,” Dane said, brushing away the tears with his knuckles. “Doc Ransom here is going to fix you up good, and then we’ll decide what we’re going to do with you after that. Okay?”
Chloe glanced around Dane’s wide shoulders towards the other man, and her hand came out and fisted Dane’s shirt.
“He’s okay, Chloe. He’s a doctor and he just wants to make you feel better, okay?”
“W-will…will you stay with me?”
Dane looked back at the other man, who shrugged his shoulders in an “it’s up to you” answer. “Yes, I’ll stay. Now, can you wrap your arms around my neck again?”
Chloe did as he asked, and Dane lifted her with ease, making sure that his coat covered her legs as much as possible. He walked toward the doors of the clinic with her, letting Doc Ransom open them for him.
“We’ll take her into exam room three,” he said, nodding at the woman who sat behind a reception desk, with a partition wall holding a glass window. His wife, Charlene, rose and headed over to open the door for them, letting them through.
“Poor thing,” she said to her husband as he followed Dane and Chloe through the door.
“Yeah, you can say that again. Bastard worked her over with his fists before raping her.” He brushed a kiss against his wife’s pale cheek. “I might need some help with her.”
Charlene stared up at her husband of many years. “You’ll have it if you need it.” She smiled up at him and then went back to the exam room to prepare the girl for her exam.
* * * *
In the light of the exam room, Chloe’s bruises looked even worse. One eye was swollen shut, and there was a bit of blood coming from her ear and her nose. Charlene helped her out of her coat and clothes while Dane kept his back turned. When she was lying on the gurney, a sheet over her, dressed in a paper gown, he turned and went to her side.
Chloe reached for his hand and he gave it to her, twining his fingers with hers.
“I’ll let the doctor know you’re ready.” Charlene smiled down at Chloe before glancing up at Dane, her eyes filled with pity for the poor girl. Then she left the room.
“T-thank you.”
Dane glanced down at the girl. “You don’t have to thank me, Chloe. I’m just doing my job.”
“Do you always hold the hand of rape victims?”
“Well, no. We don’t get much of that here in Sanctuary. The man you ran afoul of has been raping and killing hitchhikers out this way for years. He won’t be doing it again.” Dane’s voice was harsh. “I’m just sorry that you had to be hurt for us to finally stop him.”
“Me too.” Chloe closed her eyes, her strength gone. She just wanted to sleep for about a week and wake up when her injuries were healed. As if he understood, Dane stood quietly next to her. She was almost asleep when the door opened, startling a cry from her.
“It’s okay. It’s just me,” the doctor said. “We really haven’t had a chance to be introduced. My name is Edward Ransom.” He smiled down at her. “My wife tells me your name is Chloe. It’s a very pretty name.”
“Thank you,” she all but whispered. When the doctor went to touch her face, she flinched away from his hand.
“Chloe, it’s okay. He just wants to make sure you’re not worse than you look.” Dane stroked her long black hair away from her face. “I’ve known Doc Ransom for a lot of years, honey. He wouldn’t hurt a fly.”
“I’m sorry,” Chloe said, her voice husky. “I didn’t mean to pull away.”
“That’s okay.” He reached out and took her other hand, squeezing it gently. “How about we try this again, and I’ll tell you everything I’m going to do before I do it.”
Chloe nodded her head, then moaned as her injuries protested the movement.
“I’m going to check out your eyes now, Chloe. I want to make sure that there’s nothing broken. It might sting a bit.”
Chloe closed her eyes as he moved closer. She couldn’t help but flinch a bit as he gently pressed his fingers against her injuries. She could hear Dane, feel his breath against her face as he bent close, talking quietly to her.
What he said, she didn’t remember. All she knew was he stayed beside her during the entire examination, never letting go of her hand, reminding her to breathe when something the doctor did started to send her into a panic. Before she really had time to dread what was happening, it was over.
“You can sit up now, if you want.”
Chloe did, letting Dane help her up. She drew the sheet up and over her shoulders.
“I’m going to give you something that will treat any chance of pregnancy or STDs, and I’m also going to give you something for pain. I want you to see your own doctor within a week.”
“I don’t have a doctor.”
“Then come back and see me, Chloe,” Doc said with a small smile. “Go get some sleep. I’ll have Charlene make you an appointment for a week from now.”
Chloe nodded, jumping when there was a knock on the door. Charlene popped her head in, handing Dane Chloe’s duffle bag. “You need any help, doll?” Charlene asked.
“N-no, I can do it.” Chloe reached eagerly for her duffle, pulling out clean clothes as well as her wallet. Before getting dressed, she opened her wallet, checking her money before setting it back down.
“Will you be okay here for a few minutes? I need to speak to the doctor.”
Chloe nodded, staring up at the good-looking chief of police. He was handsome, tall and muscular, making her feel tiny and protected with just one look of his unusual eyes. They weren’t blue, nor were they green, but seemed a mix of both. Wide set under arching black brows with thick lashes surrounding them, Chloe couldn’t help but notice their beauty. If it weren’t for the masculine plains and angles of the rest of his face, he might have been thought pretty. But his nose was a trifle big, a bump on the bridge showing where it’d been broken once upon a time.
“I’ll be right back.” He turned and glanced at her once more before leaving the exam room. Doc Ransom was standing outside the door as if he’d been waiting for Dane.
“Come on, let’s do this in my office.” The doctor led the way down another small hallway and then through a door he opened with a key from a large keychain he carried in his doctor’s coat. The room was small with little fitting in besides the desk and the medical books that lined every wall, a few sitting on the desk and the chair across from it.
Doc Ransom picked up the books from the chair and then nodded for Dane to take a seat. “She’s human, you do know that, don’t you?”
Dane nodded, not surprised by the doctor’s statement. “I’d figured as much. She’s a hitchhiker, Doc. What else would she be but human?”
“Well, we do get others wandering through here from time to time. I just wanted to be sure you knew. I saw the look in your eyes while I was examining her.”
“What look?” Dane demanded. “She’s been through hell, and I was just showing her a kindness. Would you rather I treated her like a prisoner?”
“Dane, boy, I’ve known you since you were barely knee high to a grasshopper. I don’t want to see you hurt. I promised your parents I’d watch out for you when they were on their deathbeds. That’s a promise I gotta take seriously. You feel some attraction for her, don’t deny it.”
Dane sighed heavily, staring down at his hands for a minute before meeting the doctor’s eyes. “Yeah, she’s pretty, or I’m thinking she will be when the swelling on her face goes down. She’s strong too, so yeah, I feel some attraction. But I’m not ready to settle down with a mate yet.”
“Okay then.” Doc Ransom brushed a stray lock of hair out of his face. “She’s underweight by about ten pounds. That could be from being on the road though. She’s got vaginal bruising and tearing. You were right, he wasn’t easy on her. She’s got a cracked rib and the bruising and swelling on her face, but nothing’s broken. I would keep her here, but after that bar brawl you broke up earlier and all the patients you sent me then, I don’t have room for her. I can call Millie if you want, see if she might have an empty room and could keep an eye on her for a day or so…”
“No, that’s okay. I’ve got an empty room. She can stay there for the next few days until she’s ready to get back on the road.”
Doc Ransom nodded, though Dane could see that he didn’t approve by the twist of his lips. “It’s just until she’s healed, Doc.”
“Yeah, okay, sure,” Doc said. “You’d better go let her know.”
Dane nodded, rising and reaching out to shake the doctor’s hand. “Thanks for looking out for me, Doc.”
Doc Ransom shook his head, but his lips twisted into a smile. “Can’t do nothing but, not for my best friend’s son.”
Dane nodded and then left the room, hurrying back to the exam room he’d left Chloe in. He knocked before turning the handle and opening the door, frowning when he saw the room was empty. “Chloe?” he called, wondering if she’d gotten scared and had hidden at his knock. But there was no answer. Her duffle bag was missing as well.
Dane hurried toward the waiting room. Maybe she’d just gone out there to wait for him. He burst through the door, startling Charlene and the few patients waiting to see Doc Ransom. But Chloe wasn’t there either.
“Where is she?” he asked Charlene as soon as she opened the glass window that let her talk to patients.
“She left,” Charlene said, a look of confusion on her face. “She paid her bill and left, told me to tell you thank you.”
“You let her leave? Do you know which way she went?”
“Out the doors, Dane. I’m sorry, I didn’t know you didn’t want her to leave.”
Dane forced his anger down, swallowing the harsh words that wanted to burst forth. He knew he’d regret it if he said them. “It’s okay, Charlene. I’m sorry I snapped.”
“Not a problem. She didn’t leave that long ago. If you hurry, you probably can catch up with her.”
Dane nodded, heading toward the door. He went out the first set and then down the few steps that led to the outside doors. Sliding to a stop on the sidewalk, he felt the first mists of the cold October rain falling on his face.
He lifted his face into it, breathing deeply and closing his eyes. Her aroma was light, but it was the scent of her fear that burned in his nose. He turned, opening his eyes, and saw her moving slowly about two blocks down.
He could have run after her but he thought better, feeling the rain beginning to pick up. It was beginning to freeze. In her weakened state, she could catch her death.
“Dammit.” He growled and ran to his car, clicking the locks quickly. He had it started and sliding on the icy road within seconds. With a deft hand, he managed to curb the slide and pull up beside her. Getting out of the car, he called her name.
“Chloe, where do you think you’re going?”
She turned to stare at him, her jacket already wet, her hair damp and her nose bright red. “I-I have to find somewhere to stay tonight.”
Dane sighed. “We have that taken care of, honey. I have an extra room.”
“I don’t want to be a burden.”
“You aren’t a burden. Now get in the car before you become an icicle.” He went around the car, slipping a bit in the ice, and took her duffle bag away from her, slinging it in the backseat before holding the passenger door open. “Come on, I promise, you aren’t a burden.”
Chloe walked stiffly to the car, the jeans rubbing against places that hurt terribly. “Tonight,” she told him, staring up into his unusual eyes.
“For starters. We’ll see what we can figure out tomorrow. Besides, if this keeps up, I’ll be out all night dealing with crumpled bumpers and people unable to get to work.”
She nodded and sank into the heat of his car with a sigh of relief.
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