to give him the same consideration, but not right this minute. My body was still sensitive, and my blood buzzed from being stroked and kissed by him for endless hours last night. It would take very little for Huck to convince me to stay. Which was silly since he’d put a helluva lot of effort into getting me to leave, and it hadn’t even made a dent in my resolve.
It took about forty-five minutes to get to Mr. Peters. He was waiting for me on his front porch with a worried frown and a cup of coffee. It took every ounce of self-control I had not to burst into tears when he immediately wrapped me up in a hug and hustled me into the warmth of his house.
“Are those boys being mean to you, Ollie? If they are, I’ll make them pay a heavy price.” He sounded so fierce and protective, I wanted to cry all over again.
Why hadn’t I had parents who could worry about me this way? It would have made all the difference in the world.
“No. I’m not here because of the guys.” I curled my hands around the coffee mug he handed me and looked down at the dark liquid as I blinked back tears. “I know I made things difficult and asked for your help to get into Huck’s house, but I made a mistake. I shouldn’t be there. I need to leave as soon as possible. I need to leave the state. I was hoping you could help me figure out a way to go as far as I can on the limited amount of money I have.” I gulped and gave him a pleading look under my lowered lashes. “I know there is no way to legally break the lease and get my money back, but if you’d consider letting me have some of the advance rent I paid back, I would be endlessly grateful.”
The elderly man grunted and took a seat across from me at his long wooden dining table, pushing a plate piled high with bacon, eggs, and toast in my direction. I couldn’t remember the last time someone cooked breakfast for me.
The tears started to fall despite my battle to hold them back as I gave my landlord the basic rundown as to why I needed to put as much distance between me and the boys as possible.
“Let me get this straight.” Mr. Peters picked up his own coffee and watched me closely. “You wanted to live with Huck because you were childhood friends who had a falling out. Things ended on a sour note, and you wanted to make amends. You also had a stalker. And now you’re worried they followed you from your hometown, or hired someone else to follow you, in order to bring you back home? And you think they’ll hurt Huck and his friends to make this happen?”
I cleared my throat and tapped my nails on the ceramic cup in my hands. “More than a stalker. And I’m not afraid he followed me; he’s not a physical threat per se. But he’s very, very wealthy and doesn’t understand the word no. If he manages to drag me back to his house, that’s the same as being locked in prison for me. No exaggeration. He’s Huck’s half brother. He’s the reason Huck and I turned against one another.” I blew out a breath and pointed at the scar on my face. “I got this scar because Huck drunkenly asked me one night which one of them I liked better. I should’ve lied and said Sawyer, but I just wanted to get Huck in the car and go home because it was late and raining. I was driving because Sawyer made me, but I wrecked the car and injured all three of us. He altered the course of his whole life because he couldn’t handle hearing he wasn’t my favorite, that he didn’t come first in my life. He has issues upon issues and enough money to be a real danger to anyone who crosses him.”
The older man didn’t seem alarmed at all, which I didn’t understand since my heart was racing so fast, I had to put a hand to my chest to make sure it wasn’t about to break free. I kept my eyes lowered and leaned forward to set down the drink. I kept falling forward until my forehead was resting on the table.
“I think someone came for me because last night; the stairs