Dakota Homecoming Read Online Free

feeling more drained than she had when they’d arrived at the restaurant. Suddenly, she couldn’t wait to get to the hotel so she could curl up in her bed and pull the blankets over her head, something she’d done when she was a child and tried desperately to block out the fighting between her stepfather and her mother. But there was still two hours of road ahead of them before she could find solace there.
     

Chapter Three
     
     
    Julian had realized in the middle of telling Georgie a story about him and his brother Gray that Georgie had fallen asleep. Her head was tilted back against the seat and her lips were slightly parted. He’d glanced over when she hadn’t responded to his question about rope swings over the lake and realized his story had gone unheard.
    It was just as well. He knew Georgie was stressed. There was so much information she had about Eduardo Sanchez that she probably didn’t realize was even important or could be useful to them. He couldn’t push her though. Kelly was clear about that. Cash’s life depended on it. But the fact that Georgie was still here with him, still willing to go through the charade of being his date for his brother Ian’s wedding, told Julian that she really did want out. She wanted to help her cousin and in return, she wanted to help Kelly find his son. And if that were the case, Julian would help her as much as he could to make sure she didn’t have to return to the dangerous life she’d grown up living.
    He’d learned a long time ago that many women didn’t stay in bad situations because they wanted to. There was usually something, or someone that compelled them to stay longer than what was safe. He saw firsthand how his sister stayed in an emotionally abusive marriage longer than she’d wanted to for the sake of his nephew Liam. But now Grace had met someone new and seemed happy again the last time he’d spoken to her on the phone. He couldn’t wait to meet the man who’d helped cause that happy turn for her.
    He glanced over at Georgie again and heard her rhythmic breathing. She was pretty. No, pretty was too mild a word. Georgie was beautiful in an exotic sort of way with her dark hair and hazel eyes that he could look into for hours and never tire of doing so. He couldn’t deny that. He could see how Eduardo Sanchez, or any other man, would be drawn to her. It had been just bad timing that Georgie had been at the compound at the wrong time and earned unwanted attention from Eduardo.
    They’d use that to their advantage. But it wouldn’t be easy. Julian had tremendous admiration for Georgie’s bravery and her strength in continuing to help Angela. You had to be strong to break out of a cycle of imprisonment that affected so many women in Colombia when their lives were entangled with criminals like Eduardo Sanchez.
    They arrived at the motel while Georgie was still asleep. He parked the car in front of a row of shrubs far from the neon sign that was flashing a vacancy sign in bright red. He glanced at Georgie. She looked so peaceful that he didn’t want to wake her.
    He put his hand on her shoulder and gave a gentle push to rouse her. “We’re here.”
    It took a few seconds, but her eyes fluttered open.
    “We’re here, ” he repeated. “At the motel.”
    Sitting up in the seat, she glanced around with a bewildered look on her face, as if she were confused that they’d time-traveled the last two hours.
    “Stay in the car,” he said. “I’ll get the keys.”
    She nodded and rubbed her face with her fingers.
    With one last look to make sure she was okay, he went inside the motel office. Julian paid for the room in cash and gave false information for the registry just in case they’d been followed. He’d also used a prepaid credit card for the deposit. He really didn’t think they were being followed by anyone. It was a precaution. Kelly had insisted on it given the man they were dealing with. Right now, Georgie’s life was not in danger. But