twinge of guilt shot through him. He’d driven longer than he probably needed to, but he couldn’t take the chance they were being followed. Even now they were taking a chance. But she had to eat.
There was a very real possibility this was the first meal she’d had in days. Her most recent safe house had been compromised last week. Ronin hated to think of how she’d been surviving since. Or how she’d even managed to make it out safely. He smiled to himself. She probably went out through a window. Not that it was a laughing matter. She was in very real danger. He’d do well to not let himself get too comfortable with her. He needed to keep reminding himself of that.
Her safety had to come first.
He checked his watch. They’d driven for several hours. It would be midnight soon. With the weather it had been slow going. It didn’t help that he’d stuck to using mostly back roads. There had been no sign of any other vehicles in miles, besides those whose drivers had lost control and ended up in ditches along the highway. Like he’d promised, when he was sure they were safe, he’d pulled over for a much needed break and food.
They sat at a table near the back of the truck stop. Only a few people—all truckers from what he could tell—were out at this time of night and in these conditions. From his position he had a good view of the entrance over Thea’s shoulder. Ronin took a bite of his fries, hoping she wouldn’t notice how intently he’d been watching her and the doorway behind her. She’d been on edge since they’d left the town behind them. Not that he could blame her. The fact that she hadn’t fainted dead away or lapsed into a fit of hysteria spoke a great deal for her inner strength.
He’d studied every written fact about the princess for months knowing that she was probably the best, if not only, hope he had of clearing his father’s name. But all of the studying he’d done hadn’t begun to prepare him for the truth of who she really was. All of the words written on paper couldn’t really capture the essence of her.
Although after all this time and all she’d been through he hadn’t expected a pampered, tiara-wearing princess. He watched her take a very large, unladylike bite of her cheeseburger. He hadn’t really anticipated her being able to blend into her surroundings so well, either. He should have known better. “Expect the unexpected” was a good motto to live by.
Despite the fact she had learned her fair share of survival techniques, he could still see a softness around the edges. She would be offended to know he noticed.
By all appearances she was paying him little attention while she ate her meal. But he’d caught her watching him, even though she’d kept her eyes lowered. She was guarded and wary. Both were good qualities to have when you weren’t sure where danger might be lurking. She’d be wise to not trust every stranger they might come across.
She was wise to not trust him.
“You have some ketchup...” He made a motion at the corner of his own mouth, hoping she’d find the spot. “Right there.”
The tip of her tongue flicked around the corner of her mouth, licking her pink lips clean.
“It’s not polite to stare.”
“I’m sorry, Princess Dorthea.” When she shot him a glare, he corrected himself. “Thea.”
“You must think I’ve turned into a barbarian.” A juicy hamburger grease mixture with mayo and tomato ran down her fingers. She set the remainder on her plate and used her napkin to wipe her hands clean.
“If I were going to think you barbaric, it would have been when you hit me with that brick.”
“I might do it again if I felt threatened.” She smiled but he knew how serious she was. He could already tell she was very stubborn. That was just another characteristic about her that surprised him.
“No matter how sorry it made you, of course,” he teased, tossing back her earlier statement.
“Of course,” she agreed with a nervous laugh.
“While I admire that you are capable of taking care of yourself, your brick-wielding days are over. I’m here to protect you now.”
He heard her sharp intake of breath and noticed the flash of daring in her eyes but was spared the reply as the waitress walked up to their table.
“Can I get you guys a refill?”
“Yes, please.” Thea pushed her nearly empty glass of water to the edge of the table, where the waitress could pour from the pitcher she held in her hand.
Ronin nodded and did the same.
“I hope you’re planning on leaving a good tip,” Thea said after the waitress had walked away. “Most waitresses live on tips, you know.”
He couldn’t say that he knew or didn’t. It was one of those things that in this place and time didn’t really matter much in the grand scheme of things. But it mattered to her.
Thea fidgeted with the straw in her drink, swirling it around between the ice cubes, staring at it, but he could tell her mind was somewhere else.
Ronin knew nearly everything there was to know about her. She’d been allowed to work part-time as a waitress at local diners near her last few homes. The choice had been a foolish one. Being in the open made her an easy target. If not for the fact any money the sympathizers had managed to get from the sale of family jewels and salvaged belongings had long ago run out, it probably wouldn’t have even been considered. Although he’d only known Thea for a short time, he could imagine she’d been very stubborn about wanting to pay her own way.
Foolish or not, the job might have saved her life.
“I worked as a waitress.” Thea pulled her hands back and placed them in her lap. “I wasn’t home when they came for me. A coworker asked me to cover a shift and I snuck out. I was at work. I came home and found them...” Her words trailed off.
Ronin reached across the table, willing her to take his hand so he could pull her from the terrifying memories she was lost in. Just then, the waitress reappeared, pad and pen out in front of her ready to tally up their meal and any extras she might be able to talk them into. “Can I get either of you some dessert?”
Thea jumped in her seat. For a brief moment he thought she might get up and run.
“I’m sorry, hon. Didn’t mean to startle you,” the waitress said, noticing Thea’s edginess. “The pecan pie is very tasty and made fresh this afternoon. We even buy the pecans locally from a grove down the road.”
“No nuts, thanks. We’re allergic.”
Thea eyed him from across the table. The fear seemed to change to suspicion.
“I think we’re about finished up here,” he said, glancing over at Thea. “Unless you would like something else?”
“I’m fine, thank you,” Thea replied guardedly.
“Just the check, please,” Ronin requested. The sooner they got back on the road, the better.
“Sure thing,” the waitress replied. “You two aren’t from around here, are you?”
“Just traveling through.”
“We
