“Wow. Do you think they are really okay with me being there?”
Sharp nodded. “Oh yeah. They have a woodworking studio where she makes furniture, then there’s all the land.”
Danika picked up the conversation. "They have space out there. It's wonderful. And she does have the garden, and so many other things, so you can keep busy. I know when I need to think, it's easier if I keep my hands busy."
Calla nodded. "Yeah, the worst days were when Brent was gone and I was locked in the room for days on end with nothing to do. I had water, so I didn't die, but even when he left food, it was never enough. And all I could do was sit around. It always made time tick by slowly."
Sharp shook his head. “I can’t imagine.”
Thario put his hand on her shoulder. “You don’t have to worry about that anymore.”
He was glad neither Sharp nor Danika said anything about how he was mooning over Calla. He knew she was younger than he was, and she was innocent. He would have to be very careful with her.
Being too hopeful for a relationship would only lead to bad things. He needed to get it through his skull that she may not want him once she met a regular guy who wasn't damaged.
Chapter 17
Brent couldn’t believethe police were still poking around his house. He needed to get in there and get some stuff. He couldn’t believe Thario had survived. That ruined everything. Now, Calla was free and would talk. He had to find her and kill her.
The day he’d covered Daniel’s face with a pillow and waited until he stopped making noise, he knew what his purpose in life was. He should have cornered Calla and taken her out, but their parents had started watching him like a hawk. It hadn’t been fair.
If he’d known they would react so harshly, he would have acted faster. At least Abigail was out of the picture for now. He needed the contact information of the man he’d sold Abigail to. He needed to make sure she was still out of the country.
Thario’s place was gone, but that didn’t mean Thario would stop hunting down traffickers. The guy would be more wary going forward. He would have to use other methods to get information from the guy, like his location and how to get to him.
Showing up at conferences wasn’t an option. Maybe he could head to South America and get facial reconstruction surgery.That helped some people escape capture. It would be expensive. Getting out of the country would be difficult, but he could figure out a way to escape.
For now, he would concentrate on finding Thario and killing him. Also, Calla, he had to get her back. She was his, and it wasn’t fair that she’d gotten free. If he couldn’t have her, at least he could make some money by selling her. His operation was still running, though with the barn gone, it was only limping along.
He had a drop he had to make in fifteen days. That was only for four women. It would be easy to procure four hookers and drug them, but he didn’t have a place to hold them right now. He had to find something. Maybe he could use a rundown hotel. It was his best chance of meeting the demand he’d promised he’d meet.
Damn Thario for threatening to get in his way. He should have watched the man better or eliminated him earlier. The guy was a cripple, so he shouldn’t be that hard to get rid of.
Chapter 18
The drive outto the mountains took way longer than he wanted. Of course it was because Calla was in the other vehicle and he wasn't driving his own van. Frog had looked at him funny when he sat down in the passenger seat, but took it in stride.
After a few miles, watching the road turned exhausting. He’d shut his eyes for most of the journey but didn’t fall asleep.
“You doing good?” Griz asked when they had about thirty minutes left in the trip.
"Yeah. I think so. My eyes just get tired, and my head spins."
“Concussions suck.”
“They do.”
“So this woman, Calla. What do you think of her?”
He opened his eyes for a moment and glanced over at Griz, who had his hand slung over the top of the steering wheel, acting all casual.
“Do you think she’s too young?”
Griz shrugged. “For someone like me, yes. For you, I don’t think so. I mean, age does play into relationships, but it isn’t the only factor. Do you think she’s mature enough to have a relationship?”
“I don’t know. I need to get to know her better. I’m certainly not going to push her.”
“That’s good. She needs time to heal.”
