JESSICA
I think he expected me to bring out a little yorkie or something to that effect. I doubt he was expecting me to bring out the large rottweiler that I had. Reeko is a good dog. Well behaved. He usually knows good people and that should have been my first clue. He never liked Sydney.
When Reeko meets a shocked Luke though, he wags his butt and hangs his tongue out his mouth. Luke looks down at my dog. “That is your dog?” Luke is one of the most handsome men I have ever met. His body is sculpted like a marble statue and his face is perfect. If I wasn’t in serious trauma right now I wouldn’t mind flirting a little. But right now I know that I am not in the right space for that.
“Yep, all one hundred and fifteen pounds.” I rub his back to let him know that I am talking about him.
“Was that before or after the boyfriend from hell?” He nods down at Reeko.
“Before. Reeko has been with me for four years. He was still just a pup when I met Sydney.”
Luke nods. “Well, I hope he likes the woods. My brother has a cabin about thirty minutes outside of town that is isolated and private. Not many people know where it is. As a matter of fact about six months ago my brother used it as a safe house for a robbery suspect. No one found her so I would say that is as safe as it gets.”
“Are you sure this is a good idea? I don’t want to invade your brother’s space. What if he wants to stay in his cabin or something?”
“I don’t think so, he’s got a lot going on right now. Plus I am calling him tomorrow. So I’ll let him know that you are staying there. If he has a problem, then I have other places you can stay, this is just the one that offers the most privacy and protection. I figure that we should start with the best. There is another option, but I don’t want to use that unless we absolutely have to.”
“What’s that?” I ask as I shove my suitcase in the back seat of my car. Letting Reeko jump in and up to the front seat. He loves going for rides.
“My parents’ house. It’s actually an estate and anyone would be a complete idiot to try to get to you there, but that would involve talking to my dad and I really want to avoid that, so plan A it is.” He motions towards his truck. “Are you good with following me?”
“Yeah, I’ll be fine. Thanks a lot for doing this. I don’t know how much longer I was going to be able to afford running. I don’t know how he keeps following me. I have traded cars, phones, everything, but he still manages to find me.”
“We will take care of it. My brother is a cop, he will do whatever he can to get this guy gone. I know my brother and he isn’t going to back down until this guy is gone.” He pats the roof of my car. “Let’s get on the road and that way you can get a decent night’s sleep. He isn’t going to get to you tonight. I can guarantee it.”
“Luke, I don’t know how to pay you back for this.”
“Hey, you don’t have to pay me back. It’s the right thing to do. This guy is a horror movie in the making. You needed help. I got the resources to help. If I didn’t help I would have been a dick. Pardon my language.”
“No, it’s fine. I’m not a nun. So, do you need to make any more stops before we head out?”
He shrugs. “I guess I could pick up some things from my place. Maybe some food too. I’ll stay up there tonight. I’m going to call my brother tomorrow and see where we are after that.”
“Are you sure, I don’t want to put you out?” I don’t really know this guy, I am not so sure I am comfortable with him being in a cabin alone with me. I am trying to get away from one crazy guy and it almost seems like I am walking right into another situation that is going to make me run again.
“I know what you are thinking. You have your car, it is a two bedroom cabin. I am not some creep, but if at any point you think I am too freaky, then you can get in your car and leave.” He sighs. “I promise you though. You have nothing to worry about.”
“Then I guess you better lead the way. I just really hope that I am not making a huge mistake here. Sydney was a nice guy at first too.”
“Look, I’m sure you don’t feel all that safe at the moment. I don’t know how long you have been on the run. I am only going to stay for your security. If you don’t want me to stay then I will leave. I just thought that you would want to have someone around to help you feel safe if he does manage to find you. But if it is going to have the opposite effect then I will leave.”
I only take a moment to think about it. I probably should take longer, but Luke has saved me. I have put trust in him. I shouldn’t stop now. “No, it’s fine to stay. I would feel worse if you left. You are already doing so much for me. I am just having a little trouble trusting at the moment.”
“Fair enough. Any time that you want me to leave, you just say the word. I don’t want to make you feel uncomfortable. I just want to help.”
I sigh, “I am fine with it. Let’s get going. Because I have no idea if he is watching us right now or not. I am assuming that he knows where I live. He did say something about my apartment.”
“Then let’s get the hell out of here.” I watch as he climbs up in his truck and I slide into my car. I just really hope that I am making the right choice here.