Saved by the Devil (Devils Arms Book 3)

at her.
“Maybe just some more juice,” Phoebe said.
“Sure, hon. Do you want the check too?”
“Yeah, thanks.”
Phoebe couldn’t stop thinking about the hotel and the idea of a good long nap took form in her mind. Spending some of her money on a room seemed like a bad idea. She needed to save as much as she could because she didn’t want to have to find a job immediately once she got where she was going. Having the baby to think of was another concern too. She was tired and the book had said sleeping when she was tired was good for the baby and less likely to stress her.
The waitress brought her second glass of juice which she sipped while she debated the pros and cons of getting a room. She was tired and she couldn’t sleep well on the bus. A few hours of undisturbed sleep won out and she decided to get a room.
Phoebe lifted her glass, drinking the last of the orange juice, and found herself thinking about the last time she’d had sex with Johnny. It was odd that she thought about it while deciding to get a room for the night. They’d had a weekly date night and it had been a particularly good night. She’d had a few glasses of wine and he hadn’t hurt her in a few days. She snorted; it was sad that him not being violent for a few days had made her feel sex with him was a good idea. Thankfully he’d never actually violently raped her, but with his escalating violence if she had ever said no, she was sure it would have happened. That night was the last time they’d had sex and she’d guess she was likely between nine and ten weeks along.
Thinking about how little they’d had sex in the past year, she realized that Johnny had likely been cheating on her. She cringed a little and wondered if she should get STD testing when she finally found a doctor. Who knew who he was sleeping with while hopped up on drugs or if he even bothered to use a condom? It was nerve racking to think about it and she felt queasy. Phoebe felt her cheeks heat; it would be embarrassing to tell a new doctor about the possibility that the bastard had been cheating on her. Phoebe realized that she’d have to have invasive testing that would likely cost a fortune.
Shit, could she even afford the testing for STD’s? Damn, she’d have to get a job quickly instead of waiting like she’d planned because she needed insurance. There were too many things to worry about even without the baby, but with it problems were quickly adding up. Not that she would change anything. No, she could do this. She had left Johnny and that was most of the battle; everything else would work itself out. She wouldn’t stress. Even as she thought it, she felt her stomach twist again.
Despite this baby being unexpected she needed to keep it together. She reached down to grab her bag from the floor and dug out her money pouch which she tried to hide inside the bag as she removed a few twenties for the bill. Phoebe glanced around, hoping no one was looking. She didn’t want anyone to know she had about five thousand dollars in her duffle. Someone being aware of that was a good way for her to get mugged. The server came over to take the check and asked if she needed anything else. Phoebe shook her head and handed her the little black tray with one of the twenties on it.
She sat back waiting on the change. No way was she giving the woman a nine dollar tip—three maybe, but nine was too much on her shoestring budget. She zipped her bag back up and her eyes were again caught by the guy and his daughter. She saw him frown darkly at the little girl and wondered if he was like Johnny. Would he hurt his daughter like Johnny had hurt her? No, she wouldn’t think like that. She wasn’t going to see darkness around every corner. He was likely a great dad. He probably took her to the mall to buy things and spoiled her with ice cream. If only Johnny hadn’t been such an asshole. They could have raised this baby together and been a happy little family. Only that wasn’t meant to be. She just hoped that she could give her child the life he or she deserved. Too bad the baby’s father was already a deadbeat.
The waitress handed over her change and she quickly left the tip before picking up her bag and heading out the door. Phoebe had just walked outside when she tripped on her shoe laces and nearly fell. She managed to catch herself and moved to sit on a bench which was up against the building. She set her bag down next to the bench and her hands began pulling at the laces as she fixed her shoe.  That was when the person struck, jerking her bag up and running away.
“Hey!” she shrieked.
Phoebe started to chase after him when a stern male voice yelled out for the guy to stop and a hard body took off past her.

Chapter Seven
Peanut wiped a bit of ketchup from beneath Jazzy’s chin. He glanced up when the door opened and his eyes were drawn to the slender figure that entered. She was wrapped in a thick sweater. He frowned, wondering why she’d be wearing such a heavy sweater in the middle of summer. It seemed odd since it was in the seventies outside. He scrutinized the tiny blonde, watching as she slid into a booth near the front window. She scanned the street before letting her bag go, reminding him of a skittish cat making sure it was safe.
She