Cannon nods. “Thanks.”
Tank shuts the door, and the two men walk toward a second SUV that I haven’t noticed until now. As I glance around, I realize these two vehicles are parked in a grassy area between some trees. They aren’t on the street.
“Where are we?” I ask.
“Hidden from view,” he responds.
“No one knows you were there?”
“Nope.”
“What if I’d wanted you to take me to the police?” I ask.
“Then I would have taken you. We have a plan for every eventuality.”
I glance out the back of the SUV in the direction of the house we escaped from, shuddering. “Is Pete…uh…”
“He won’t be hurting anyone else, if that’s what you’re asking. I’ll never lie to you, angel. I promise. But maybe don’t ask too many questions unless you’re prepared to hear the answers.”
I like that he’s implying he’ll tell me whatever I want to know. It’s refreshing. He’s not condescending. He looks me in the eyes and treats me like I matter. When has anyone done that to me?
I really want that apple, so I bend down and grab it from the floor. It’s still perfectly fine, and the floorboards of his SUV are cleaner than most things I’ve put in my mouth, so I bring it to my lips and take a bite.
The world doesn’t implode. The sun doesn’t go out.
I glance at Cannon. His brow is furrowed. He doesn’t look like a man who intends to rape or murder me. Haven’t I exceeded my quota on such people for today anyway? I mean, how unlucky can one person be in a four-hour stretch of time?
In my case, pretty fucking unlucky. I’ve actually had worse things happen to me in four hours on more than one occasion.
I chew and swallow, trying to control myself so I don’t look like some sort of savage, when what I really want to do is devour this entire apple, core included. It’s so delicious, and it’s been a while since I had anything to eat.
My stomach growls. Juice drips down my chin. I wish I could lick it off because I hate to lose even one tiny morsel of this apple, but I wipe it with the front of my shirt instead.
Cannon slowly reaches out to finger a lock of my hair. “I’m sorry for all the things that have happened to you that I’m not even aware of, angel. Please let me make you safe.”
I swallow the bite in my mouth and nod. “Okay,” I murmur.
“Do you have any belongings in your car you’d like to retrieve?”
“Yes, please.”
He smiles. “How about we move to the front? I’ll take you to your car, and then we’ll go to Seattle.”
“Okay.” I’m out of steam, and for the first time in I don’t know how long, I feel like I can trust someone.
He nods toward the front before getting out of the SUV and climbing into the driver’s seat.
I look at the water and protein bar next to me. I don’t want to leave them behind, so I toss them into the front with my free hand before climbing through the console to get to the seat. I never let go of the apple.
Admittedly, I was a bit afraid he might change his mind and drive off while I was reaching for the handle.
He doesn’t reprimand me for scrambling around in his car like a monkey. He doesn’t seem to care that I stepped on his seats with my dirty tennis shoes.
“Seatbelt, angel.”
I look at him, my mouth full of the next bite of apple. I stop breathing. The chunk of apple rests against my tongue, the flavor nearly making me moan. But I’m suddenly overcome with emotions. I nearly choke on the bite because I can’t seem to chew and swallow it.
My eyes fill with tears, and they run down my cheeks so fast I can’t stop them. I’m instantly embarrassed, and I look down, trying to control myself.
