Embracing Today, a firefighter romance: (The Trading Yesterday Series, #3), Kahlen Aymes [essential reading txt] 📗

if Marin would want to drive the entire twelve hundred miles home in one day or take a slower pace. We could do it, but it would be more than sixteen hours in the car. I had spoken to my chief after I was already on the way to the airport. I wasn’t sure what I was going to do if he denied my request for an extra day off, so I’d already met up with Davis to drop off Gem and he’d agreed to swap one of his days off to cover for me. I already had today off, so it was only tomorrow I had to worry about and thanks to my friend, it was taken care of.

Adrenaline had flooded my veins and I’d launched into action the minute Marin’s frantic text hit my phone. I chastised myself for letting her go alone, then realized I had no right to let her do anything. She wasn’t my girlfriend so she didn’t have to take my advice, but for reasons I didn’t fully understand, I felt extremely protective over her.

I rolled over and reached for the phone I’d left on the bedside table checking the time. It was just after 8 AM and if we were going to drive the full distance today, we probably should get going. My head fell down to rest on my arm as my eyes fell on the sleeping woman in the bed opposite me.

She was curled onto her side, her body folded into a fetal position with one hand curled up by her face. She was beautiful; her features relaxed and her skin barely showing the shadow of the old bruise and the glorious mane of blonde hair flowed loose over the pillow. I wished we’d met under different circumstances and her heart wasn’t broken. Fury rose up inside my chest. How could she love a bastard who abused her? I knew the signs of abuse and she clearly had them; I’d seen similar marks on my sister, Missy. Thank God she’d finally been able to flee her abusive situation.

Obviously, Marin was helpless without her uncle around to help her. I wondered how she could be so isolated with so few friends, but then remembered how Derrick had isolated Missy. That’s how abusive men controlled their victims.

Well, she had me now, whether she liked it or not. I’d be damned if I’d let anything happen to her and who knew if Carter’s family would leave her alone. It was safer to plan on them being persistent.

I sighed and rolled onto my back. The room was shadowed by the drawn shades, the white walls appearing a lilac color and the furniture and carpeting cast in darker, though equally faux, shades of purple. I ran an open palm over my face, noting the scruff on my jawline. It felt a bit itchy in its longer state, but realized I’d failed to pack a razor in my haste to get to Minneapolis.

I wondered if I should wake Marin. “Hey,” I said softly. “Marin.” She didn’t move so I tried again, a little louder. “Marin.”

She stirred this time and her light grey eyes fluttered open, then closed again. “Hmmm?” She settled back into her pillow briefly before her eyes flew open and she sat up, leaning on one of her arms. “Oh,” she said blinking. “I forgot where I was for a minute.”

“No worries. I just wondered if you wanted to get going? It’s early, so we can make the entire trip today if you want, or we can stop halfway. I have today and tomorrow off, so it’s up to you.”

“Oh, I wouldn’t want to take too much of your time, but it’s a long drive.” Marin seemed undecided. “I mean, either way it’s asking a lot of you, so you can decide which works better for you. If you want, I can pay for a plane ticket for you. I still have mine, but it doesn’t leave until tomorrow.”

“I figured you’d want to get out of here right away, considering,” I said, throwing back the covers and pushing off of the bed. “Unless the police need more from you?”

“The officer said the DA would decide if they were going to prosecute the case and if so, then I might need to come back to testify, but she said she didn’t think it would come to that. She said I wasn’t hurt, and the kidnapping would be hard to prove because Carter’s entire family would say I was there willingly, and it’s their word against mine.”

I could see a visible shiver run through her and every instinct told me to fold her into my arms. She was afraid. When I lived in Billings, a lot of my friends were cops, and the DA rarely took a case they didn’t believe was a definite win. “Bastards. It sucks, but yeah, I’ve seen it several times before. Bigger cases make careers and so many criminals skate.”

Marin nodded, ruefully. “That’s me, small potatoes.”

I paused and looked at her. “I didn’t mean it that way. I just know it is mostly politics. It’s not right, but it often happens.”

Marin’s eyes welled with tears. “I understand. I’ll just be glad to get out of here.” She stood up and my T-shirt, hung down to her mid-thigh. “I’m going to change.”

I nodded. “Okay. I’ll call the front desk and let them know we’re checking out.”

I could see a deeper fear behind her luminous eyes, and I wanted to know what was worrying her. Maybe I’d be able to find out more on the drive.

By the time she came out of the bathroom I’d already thrown the clothes and shoes I’d worn the day before into my duffle and moved past her into the bathroom to quickly dampen my hair. I ran a quick comb through it, then brushed my teeth and shoved everything into my Dopp kit.

“Are you ready to go?” I asked, picking up the T-shirt she’d laid on top of