The Scarred Wife's Racing Five

Chapter Four

POV Holly

“So…how about it?” The longer I took to decide, the more my brain went to some dark places.

“I'm not sure.” I finally said.

“How about this? I'll stay on the first floor. There's a futon in my office that I can sleep on. That's where I'm at most of the time anyway. The separate living space upstairs is all yours. I'll rent it to you for cheap. Win, win.”

I scoffed and rolled my eyes. “Yeah. It's not like you'd need the money.” I grumbled and I didn't realize I said that out loud. “Sh*t! I mean, sorry.”

“None taken.” He reached his hand further and I finally looked up at him. No anger or malice. None of that cocky attitude that made my skin crawl. Just a person who wants to help.

In his defense, we both knew there was no way I'd be able to find a third option. He's not going to take me to a motel, obviously. So I'll just have to deal with it. “Fine. Does it have a separate lock too?” He raised a brow and nodded once. I grabbed his hand and he pulled me to my feet. For a second longer, the pair of us stood silently staring at each other. “Let's go then.” I huffed out, pulling away from him and climbing back into the car.

He smirked before closing the door behind me, placing my duffle in the trunk and sitting back in the driver's seat. He pulled out of the driveway.

As we drove to wherever this dealership was, the silence was comfortable like it was before, but I couldn't get over the embarrassment of thinking he'd take advantage of me. Now he really thinks I'm a weirdo. He cranked the volume of his music high and I let the music calm my nerves. I glanced his way a few times, expecting a hit or two but…nothing. He continued to drive and hum along to the songs. Well, I can always tuck and roll out of a car, if I need to. We weren't going that fast.

When we finally made it to the dealership, I realized it wasn't just your run of the mill space partnered with some commercial car company. No, he sold high end custom cars that looked like they were only built for the track or some elite showroom. My mouth dropped as he climbed out of the car. I hesitated before stumbling out shortly after. “This is what you meant by owning a car dealership?!” Once again, he already had my bag slung over his shoulder as he headed towards the building.

He turned to look at me. “Yep.” He grunted before unlocking the store. His nice dress shoes clicked against the floor while my dirty worn boots seemed to stand out more here than ever before. I wanted to touch the cars so bad. See what was under the hood, but everything seemed so spotless compared to me. I shouldn't even be breathing in here. “You break it, you buy it.” Noah hummed before taking a seat in what looked like a common area for his customers.

I walked up to him and he turned to look at me. “Is that your way of telling me to look around?”

He waved toward the showroom and I didn't think twice. “Sure. You've already proven to me you won't do anything you can't fix.” There were so many exotic brands I've only seen in car shows. I didn't think they’d actually existed. Not to mention in a place like this. It didn't seem like the middle of nowhere, but it also didn't seem like a place anyone would go looking for such nice things.

“Alright, this is pretty awesome. I mean...is that a Tycan?!” I asked.

“Like I said, you really do know your cars.”

“Know them? Please, I worked most of my life to make sure I can fix them. I'm a ‘work with your hands’ kind of person. Wait….that's a ‘94 NSX! How did you get your hands on one of those in such good condition?!”

“Around.”

“Yeah. Right.” I clipped back at his vague answer.

He smirked before letting me explore for a bit longer. As the sun rose a bit further in the sky, he stood to his feet and ushered toward the back of the store. “You should head upstairs and get some more sleep before you start to settle in.”

“Oh yeah. I'm sure you're exhausted too. You drove the whole way.” Noah nodded before heading to the back and unlocking another door with the store key he used before. The entrance led to a staircase with a couple of small windows and a dim light overhead.

When we made it to the second floor, Noah pulled out a different set of keys and opened the deadbolt then the regular lock. “This is it, right in here. If you need anything, I'm sure it's somewhere in here. The fridge and pantry is stocked. The room to the far left is off limits. The room in the middle is the bathroom and the room to the right is the guest room you can use. Other than that, the same rules apply: you break it, you buy it.”

He tossed the keys my way and I grabbed them with ease. “Thanks.” I whispered.

“Sure. Make yourself at home. I'll let you know when I need to grab anything from here. Have a good rest.” He called before closing the door behind him. I took the silence to let my eyes wander over the expensive decor. This place is not just some random place he can rent out whenever. Especially not with such expensive vehicles downstairs. I looked around to see if there was some semblance of humanity, but there was nothing but crisp white walls, shiny appliances and couches that looked like they were barely in use. I walked over to the kitchen and the fridge was stocked with food and drinks so at least that was one clue someone lives here. I checked the cabinets to find dishes, glasses, and utensils. He wasn’t kidding when he said I could find everything I needed in here.

I smirked and headed to the room he nodded towards before disappearing. It was a simple room with a queen-sized bed, two nightstands and a small closet. There was an empty desk against the window and a small dresser in front of the bed. Other than that, the room was clean and it was much better than I’d get at a motel. Something kept nagging at me though. Shouldn't I be more concerned than this? Why is it that he makes me feel so…safe?

I threw my duffle onto the dresser and pulled out some clothes to change into before limping to the bathroom. Even though I had some sleep in the car, I’m still exhausted. Trying to figure out the enigma downstairs will have to wait.

The steaming water from the shower warmed my pores and singed my wounds as I slowly took one of the most relaxing showers of my life. No time limits from the orphanage or terror from my ex. Just me, the steamy water, and the delicious smell of the body soap I’d found in here. Rainforest Mist or something like that.

Once I got all of the sweat and dried blood off of me, I reluctantly stepped out, dried off and took my time combing through my hair before brushing my teeth and dropping the towel. I gulped as I stared at myself in the mirror. I looked better than I did before I left that horrible place, I’m sure, but I still looked pretty bad. Noah was right when he said that he didn’t judge me. I would have if someone came to me looking like this. Covering these bruises is going to be a challenge, but I’ll deal with it like I always do. Also, if I give it a few days, I might be able to look for a job that won’t ask too many questions and I shouldn’t scare potential customers away with how I look.

I sighed and slowly twisted my hair into a plait down my back. I smiled and forced myself to focus on the positive. I have a clean room to sleep in. I was able to take a shower and…and I might have found someone who is safe to put my trust in…maybe. That’s all that should concern me for now. I have enough money to survive the week at least.

Just as I was about to put on my clothes, I heard a knock on the bathroom door. “Holly?” Sh*t I forgot to lock the door.