The Criminal Soulmate

Chapter Eight

Dylan didn't know why he felt such a deep responsibility to the girl. He found himself thinking of her all the time, forever wondering if she saw anything in him besides a criminal. Hate seemed to be in her eyes each time she looked at him. And how could he blame her?

He'd destroyed her entire life.

Leanna slept on one of the two twin mattresses in the motel, her hair fanning out around her. They'd been on the run for almost a week now. Still, Dylan knew they would find him. They always did. This wasn't the first time he'd left, and it wouldn't be the last.

Sighing, he paced the room trying to think of a way to escape from Morgan and Tom for good. No matter how hard he tried, the couple had a way of finding him. Leanna hadn't even had the slightest clue who they were when she talked to them at the last motel. If he hadn't woken up to find her missing...

No. Dylan refused to think about that. He had to make sure Leanna stayed safe.

Two years ago, when he'd woken up to the tattoo, it had confused him.

'You've got to be kidding me' could mean any number of things. Part of him hoped that maybe he just spilled a drink on someone, or that something they would laugh about years later would be the cause of those words falling from whoever his soulmate's mouth was.

Instead, the one person that was meant for him was someone he could never have. Dylan was no fool. He knew Leanna wouldn't stay with him. No girl in her right mind would be with someone who took her parents away from her.

A phone started to vibrate, ripping Dylan from his thoughts. Confused, he began to search for the small object. It wouldn't be his, he'd smashed it the first day. A life of crime may not be ideal, but it did teach him some valuable lessons. Like people could track you if you kept your cellphone on.

Ten seconds later, the source of noise was found. Leanna's cellphone. Hidden in her bag.

"Who's that?" Leanna's husky voice mumbled from the bed.

Dylan whirled to face her, fuming. "How long have you had this?" he growled, squeezing the phone in his hand.

All traces of exhaustion left her face, and Leanna sat up. "That's not—"

"Don't you dare say this isn't yours. How stupid do you think I am?"

He should've known she would bring her phone with her.

A frown creased her forehead, and Leanna smoothed her hair down. "What does it matter that I brought my phone?"

"Anyone with the knowledge could track a phone! Do you think the people I work for are idiots?"

The frown turned into a glare. Leanna crossed her arms over her chest, her eyes narrowed. "They can't be that smart if they trust you."

Rage boiled his veins. She had a way of making him want to destroy something. Biting back words he would regret, Dylan stormed across the room to the door. Right now, he needed to get some fresh air. To get away from his infuriating soulmate.

The door slammed shut behind him, and Dylan leaned against it, taking a deep breath. He had no idea how he would be able to spend any longer with Leanna. More than once, he'd found himself in a dangerous situation. If he allowed himself to get any closer to her, there would be no telling what might happen.

The sound of falling rain pattered on the awning. A steady stream of water ran off the thin metal, forming a tiny river in the parking lot below. Dylan ran his hands through his hair, stepping toward the railing. Without his car, they had no way of getting away if Morgan and Tom found them again. Make fun of it as she'd please, Leanna didn't realize the car had been Dylan's last reminder of his life before it turned to crime.

It had been three years since he met a mysterious woman on the side of a lonely highway. Dylan doubted his father and stepmother missed him. They probably had no idea he'd run away from the military camp he had been forced to attend every year since he'd turned twelve.

"Are you okay?" Leanna's voice carried with the slight wind.

Dylan could feel her warm body standing behind him. It took everything in him to ignore her, not to turn around and sneer in her face. Blaming her for all of this would be so easy. But it wouldn't be justified.

"Can you just get away from me? I'd like to be left alone for once."

Leanna didn't listen. She never did.

Dull footsteps echoed on the wooden balcony, and Leanna settled in beside him, her shoulder brushing against his own.

"This can all be over if you just tell me where my parents are. Tell me, and I'll leave. You can start your life over without having to worry about being followed."

It always came back to this. Leanna would never give up on the hope that she would someday soon be reunited with her parents. Telling her the chances of that happening being unlikely would only break her heart. The girl had more hope than Dylan could ever dream of having.

He swiveled just enough to glance down at her. "Leanna, you know I can't do that. I've told you before. Going after them is a guaranteed death."

That look of pure misery filled her eyes again. He saw it every time the issue of her parents was brought up.

"I'm sorry," said Dylan, meaning it this time.

Despite his rugged outward appearance, he did have a heart. But emotions couldn't get in the way of a job. He'd learned that the hard way, one year after deciding to commit to this life. Loving people would only get them killed.

"Sometimes I wonder if you have a heart at all," Leanna hissed before storming back into the room.

Once he was sure she wouldn't come back out, Dylan allowed his shoulders to slump.

If only she had any idea how much he wanted to help. But all she saw was a criminal.

A person not worthy of love.