“Victor would never hurt me, Mr. Desantro.” Her hazel eyes glistened with fresh tears. “He just needs to see that I’m not going to change my mind, and distance will show him. Plus, I needed time to think.”

“Right.” Nate rubbed his jaw, studied her. “I’m sure that’s what every former girlfriend and wife said before her ex proved otherwise. If you’re hiding out, the man’s dangerous.”

“No, he would never—”

“You can’t stay here. If he’s got half a brain and a little ambition, it won’t take him long to find you.” He narrowed his gaze on Elissa and said, “We’ll take you back to Magdalena with us. You’ll be safe there.”

“Magdalena?”

“I’m sure you’ve heard all about it from your former employer,” he said, sarcasm coating his words. “She had some very strong opinions about it, but what she might not have told you is we’re a tight bunch who look out for people in trouble.”

The woman bit her bottom lip as though the thought of heading to Magdalena was as bad as returning home to her ex-fiancé. “Mrs. Blacksworth said Magdalena was an unkind place that judged people without having facts or a legitimate reason to do so. She called it a scourge of inhumanity.”

“My mother had opinions about most things, even those she knew nothing about, like what constituted a good marriage and how to choose the right partner.” Christine forced herself to remain calm as she recalled the attempts to break up her marriage with a fake seduction. “I’ve found Magdalena to be a safe haven where for the first time in my life, I know what real friendship and community means.”

Elissa Cerdi’s next words were smothered in sadness. “Mrs. Blacksworth said she missed you, Christine. She said everybody in that town turned you against her, that they lied about her.” Her voice cracked. “It was so tragic when she died. I wasn’t family, but I’m the only one who was with her. Shouldn’t her family have been there?”

What she meant was shouldn’t you have been there? “My mother had a very convincing way about her and a habit of punishing those who didn’t agree with her way of thinking. I’ll spare you the ugly details, but my mother created the environment that left her all alone. Now, you can come with us while you sort things out, or you can pack up and go somewhere else. But you aren’t staying here.”

“But I’ll pay—”

“Victor will find you, Elissa, and then what?”

The woman swiped at her cheeks, held Christine’s gaze. “Mrs. Blacksworth was very good to me; I owe her my loyalty and traveling to Magdalena feels like I’m betraying her.”

“That woman knew all about betrayal,” Nate muttered.

Christine recognized the set of his jaw and the flared nostrils that said this conversation had gone on way too long. “Listen, Nate and I have a few things to discuss. We’ll step into the next room and give you some time to decide what you want to do. You can either follow us to Magdalena or head somewhere else. Okay?”