Free Rules of Survival (Entangled Embrace) by Jus Accardo

It might not have been one of her rules, but it was solid advice that had gotten me out of more than a few tight spots. Patrick had been the bad guy for as far back as I could remember. That wasn’t going to change just because Shaun said so.
    “See?” he said, nudging me with his elbow. He gestured toward the parking garage with a smug expression. “I told you. It’s fine. There’s no one waiting to jump out at us. I don’t know what you were expecting, but as you can see, we’re safe. Can we go over there now?”
    I wanted to argue, but couldn’t. One step at a time. I needed the cuffs off, and Patrick was bringing the spare key. As soon as my hands were free, I could work on getting away. Patrick wasn’t operating for the police, which meant he didn’t have a warrant. That meant no paperwork to prove what he was doing with me. A young girl and two men. Some creative lies and a lot of screaming should buy me enough time and confusion to bolt. The whole “stranger danger” thing worked for girls of all ages.
    Each step closer to the garage made my pulse pound a little faster. Just because I couldn’t see trouble didn’t mean there wasn’t any. I’d learned that ten times over the hard way.
    Shaun, sensing my unease, took my hand. He laced his fingers with mine and adjusted the black hoodie we’d “borrowed” from the apartment laundry room strategically over the cuffs. I tried to ignore the pleasant warmth that radiated from his hand. Our life hadn’t lent itself to staying too long in one place. That put a serious damper on my social life. It was kind of depressing that the first boy I got to hold hands with was trying to turn me in.
    I knew I should pull away, because taking comfort from the enemy was against the rules, but something stopped me. It was his voice. “Relax. I promised I’d make sure you were safe. I don’t go back on my word.”
    No. Not so much his voice, but the words. So reassuring. So genuine.
    I believed him—or at least, I wanted to. Like, really wanted to. Since Mom died, I’d been on my own, skipping from place to place. It’d been a scary series of never-ending bounces from here to there just for some small fraction of safety. Or the illusion of safety. Having to sleep with one eye open got tiring, and more than that, impossible. Live like that for too long—always moving, always running—and you were bound to slip up. In my case, I had a feeling that would equal a long dirt nap in an unmarked grave.
    He’d asked how I managed on my own for so long, and the truth was, not well. There were so many close calls that Mom was probably rolling in her grave—wherever that might be. I hadn’t been able to stick around long enough to find out.
    I’d found her on the floor of the cabin. Bleeding and nearly gone. She’d taken my hand, squeezed, and given me permission to break one of her golden rules:
    Never return to the scene of a crime.
    “When you’re sure the coast is clear, come back. I left something for you—there are things you need to know… I left something…”
    “What is it? Tell me!”
    She coughed, and a small trickle of blood leaked from the corner of her mouth. “No—no time. They’ll be back…”
    “They?” I panicked. “They, who?”
    “There’s something— Something I need you to do for me. Back when—safe. For now, though… Run. Don’t let them find you, baby girl. Don’t trust anyone.”
    It had been seven kinds of agony leaving her there like that. Cold and alone like some discarded and unwanted thing. Mom had been my entire world. Turning away from her that day had been the hardest move I’d ever made. And staying away for so long when I knew she’d left something for me? It’d taken every ounce of self-control not to come running back the very next day.
    I hadn’t seen the signs before it all went down, but she’d known danger was at the door. It was the only reason we would have gone to the cabin in the first place. It was our