Page 46 of Theirs to Treasure

The brothers were my escape from reality, but Forrest has ruined it all.

He wants to run my life every bit as much as my mother did.

Frantic to escape once again, aware of the clock ticking, I dress. Then I reach for my clutch.

A pile of cash is sitting there, next to the cupcake tower.

For my ring.

I dig the piece of jewelry from my clutch and drop it to the marble, then I grab up the money I’m going to need to start over.

Swearing, praying Forrest doesn’t return and that Zev stays outside a little longer, I stuff everything in the luggage and then leave the room, quietly closing the door behind me.

As fast as I can, I hurry toward the elevator…the regular one, not the one we’d taken last night because that’s the one Forrest is sure to use.

Since running is now familiar to me, and I need to be more cautious than ever, I catch a ride to another property, then I repeat that process at the second.

In all, I leave three resorts behind before I enter a massive casino and seek out a rental car agency.

I’m no longer foolish enough to believe I have any anonymity, but that doesn’t mean I have to make it easy for anyone to find me.

I’m the new me, and I’m in charge of my own damn life.

Forrest Donnelly can fucking go to hell. And take Zev with him.

CHAPTERTWELVE

A Week Later

Harper

With my backpackslung over my shoulder, I head into a small coffee shop on the outskirts of McCall, Idaho.

I love this little gem.

Now that Las Vegas is behind me, I am able to breathe a little easier.

While I was on the open road, looking ahead, not in the rearview mirror, I remembered that one of my closest friends had a family cabin that we visited one spring break while we were in college.

At a gas station, I bought oversize clothing, snacks that I never permitted myself, and a baseball cap. Then I borrowed a phone from the cashier behind the counter and called my friend and gave her a quick overview of my situation.

Immediately she said I should go and spend as much time as I wanted. They even had an SUV in the garage that was available for my use.

The place couldn’t be more perfect. The rustic, large log cabin is a long way from town, but has all the modern conveniences I needed.

After unpacking, I shopped for food and coffee, along with plenty of juices. Then, because nights were chilly and I only had summer clothing in my luggage, I found a thrift store and purchased a lightweight jacket, sweatpants, and flannel shirts.

For the first couple of days, I was on edge, looking out the windows, jumping at every sound. And in the wilderness, there were a lot of them that I never noticed when I was here with a group of women. Being constantly vigilant exhausted me. Even so, I could hardly sleep.

When I did close my eyes, memories caught up to me, and my dreams were a terrible juxtaposition of events, from catching Edward screwing my sister to my mother shrieking that I needed to marry him anyway.

Worse, maybe, were the ones of the brothers making love to me.

Maybe four days later, I was finally able to unwind.

I lazed on the couch and took naps to catch up on the rest I’d missed.

Then, thankfully, my energy returned, and I began to venture outside. I visited a local outfitting shop for sturdy walking boots, and I discovered a locally owned coffee shop that also served bottles of cold-pressed juices that are to die for.