I stare at the pills in his palm. The idea of swallowing anything makes my stomach twist, but everything hurts—my face, my ribs, my wrists, my ankles.
Finally, I sigh and nod once. He’s right. Luke and Josh won’t let anything happen. They are not the bad guys.
“Okay.”
Relief shows on his face as he hands me the pills and a glass of water. My fingers tremble as I take them from him. The glass clinks against my teeth as I swallow.
A soft knock sounds at the door, but before Josh can answer, the door cracks open.
“I’m coming in.”
My heart flutters. I’d know that voice anywhere.
The door swings open and Luke steps inside, his eyes locking on me instantly. The moment he sees me, he smiles. He doesn’t waste any time heading straight to me.
“Hey baby girl.” He drags a chair to the bed right beside me, sits down, and reaches for my hand. His fingers graze along the tender flesh of my wrist and I wince. He freezes at my reaction.
“Did I hurt you?”
I shake my head quickly. “No. It’s my… wrist.”
His eyes move to my wrists, taking in the angry raw flesh circling it. He leans down and presses his lips against the tender skin with heartbreaking care.
“I’m so sorry,” he whispers against my wrist. “I should’ve been there.”
My heart breaks at him blaming himself. That either one of them feels responsible for what Abraham and his son did guts me.
Josh’s voice pulls me from my thoughts. “Do you think you can tell us what happened?”
My stomach knots. Do I want to relive what happened?
I bite the inside of my lip and squeeze my eyes shut. The images come rushing back the second I let them.
“It’s okay, baby,” Luke’s calm voice tells me, squeezing my fingers lightly. “If it’s too hard right now, you don’t have to. The important thing is you’re okay.”
I shake my head. I need to do this. Face what happened to me and tell the men who say they love me. Who risked themselves to rescue me.
“No…I’ll tell you.” My voice comes out hoarse, broken. “He seemed so nice,” I whisper. “Just…some random guy at my counter. Quiet. Lonely. Looking for someone to talk to.” I swallow hard. “I was so wrong.”
Both of them stay completely still, giving me time to tell my story.
“He’d been watching me the whole time,” I continue. “I didn’t know. Not until he told me. No, he gloated about it. How stupid was I for not noticing?”
I can feel my eyes watering, and I pull my hand free from them to wipe my face. I make sure to be careful not to cause anymore pain.
“He started leaving roses on my car. And notes.” I can see both of them look at the other in question. “I thought they were from you, Josh. It just seemed like something you would do. And the note said he was tired of waiting. Something you’ve told me a few times.”
Josh gives me a faint, sad smile. “I’ll give you a million roses,” he says softly. “A million love letters. For the rest of your life. I want to erase what he did to you and fill it with good memories.”
He picks up my hand and lifts it to his mouth, kissing my knuckles. Then carefully he inspects the wounds on my wrist from the rope. He reaches over to the cart and opens a bottle, placing some of the liquid onto a square gauze bandage and gently begins to clean the wound. The antiseptic stings, butI need to finish my story, so I continue telling them what happened.
“He took me in the parking lot,” I whisper. “Tricked me by saying his battery was dead. I offered to help. I didn’t even see his son come up behind me until it was too late.”
My voice trembles.
“He grabbed me from behind. I thought Abraham was going to save me at first. But he didn’t. Then they injected something into my neck and everything went dark.” I sniffle, and Luke reaches out, grasping my free hand again, giving it a reassuring squeeze.
“You don’t have to tell us anymore.” Luke’s voice is soft and comforting.
