She splashed cold water on her face, letting it drip down her neck.Then she spotted a brush on the counter.
There were a few black strands of hair in the bristles.She ran her finger over the handle.It belonged to Hunter.
She hesitated, then picked it up and began working through the tangles.Each stroke felt like reclaiming a piece of herself.She still looked like shit, but at least her hair was brushed.Never in her life had she gone without showering for more than a day.The last time she'd showered, Leigh had stood inside the bathroom that adjoined the bedroom and made sure Jason couldn't get to her.
Putting the brush down, she stepped out of the bathroom.The scent of pancakes was stronger.Her stomach growled again, louder this time.
Hunter set a plate on the counter and pointed at it.Annie hesitated.She was starving, but she hated to waste a minute more.
"I really need to go," she said slowly, shaping each word clearly.
Hunter pointed at the plate again.Then he pointed toward the door.
Eat first.Then he'd take her.Understood.
Her throat tightened.She wanted to argue.Wanted to scream that her sister's life depended on her.But the truth was, she hadn't eaten since yesterday.Maybe longer.Her hands trembled as she reached for the fork.
Hunter turned back to the stove, flipping another pancake.
Annie sat on the stool, the plate warm beneath her fingers.She took a bite.Real butter.Mrs.Butterworth's syrup.It tasted like heaven.
The last time she had someone else make her breakfast, her mom was alive.That was two years ago.That seemed like a lifetime ago.
Never in her wildest dreams had she imagined that at age twenty, she'd be a full-time caregiver to her forty-five-year-old mom, who'd suffered a stroke.At that time, her mom was still taking care of her, explaining how to make car payments, do her taxes, and navigate adulthood.
Although she didn't want to turn her life upside down and care for her mom, she wouldn't have done it any differently.At the time, Leigh was newly married, living three hours away.Even though she wanted to help, it made the most sense for her to step away from her job, take her mom to therapy, and tend to her own basic needs.
During that time, her mom worked hard for nine months, regaining strength in her left side.After months of therapy and a gradual return to independence, her mom made breakfast as proof that she could manage on her own while Annie worked.It was an exciting day for both of them.She could finally return to her job at the restaurant, where she waited tables, and her mom could reclaim her confidence by being on her own for eight-hour stretches.
On her first day, after finishing her shift and feeling exhausted and sore, she was anxious to see how her mom had managed on her own.When she arrived at the apartment, she found her mom collapsed in the bedroom, dead.She had suffered another stroke, and this one had taken her life.
She glanced at Hunter.He wasn't watching her.
He might not be able to hear her, but he was aware of her being in the room.She had a feeling not much got past him.
Since learning what Jason was capable of and her sister's husband destroying any belief that the people who were supposed to protect her wouldn't, she lost trust in everyone.
But something about Hunter made her want to trust him.Maybe it was wishful thinking.The truth was, she was petrified.
He put the last bite off his plate into his mouth, ran the back of his hand across his lips, and moved to a stack of envelopes at the end of his counter.He pushed them aside and picked up a black marker.
He approached and motioned for her hand.She let him take it.His warm fingers were soothing, yet firm, against her wrist.He uncapped the marker and wrote a string of numbers on the inside of her wrist.Then he lifted her chin with two fingers, forcing her to meet his eyes.
"Text," he whispered.
Her mouth dried.He wanted her to text, not call, if she needed help.Dawning hit her.Texting him allowed him to read the message.Of course, he wouldn't be able to hear her over the phone.
She nodded, even though she no longer had her phone.Jason had taken it from her.She looked down at her arm, saying the numbers repeatedly in her head until she memorized them.
Lifting her gaze, she mouthed, "Thank you."
If she survived and lived through the terror in her life, she would send him a text message thanking him for being kind to her and trying to help.
Hunter held her gaze for another beat, then let go of her hand.He picked up his T-shirt and vest.She swiveled on the stool, watching him.He moved quietly.For a man over six feet tall, he was graceful.His thick arms bulged when he pulled the shirt over his head.Her exhale shuddered, and she was glad that he couldn't hear her reaction.
He was sexy.More so today than yesterday, when she was scared to death.
Tall, dark, and tatted.His quietness only made him more mysterious.
