“I think a cool shower.” I glance at the door. “But first, I need a cell phone so I can try my mom and brother again.”
“I brought you one,” Jack says. “I had a spare. I just put it on the bedside table.”
Aware of my semi-nudity, and the two huge men in the room with me, I grab a towel off the rail, wrap it around me, then go fetch my new burner phone.
Jack has already plugged in the phone numbers he’d taken from my old phone, but I know my mother’snumber off by heart anyway. I swipe the screen to call, and it goes straight to voicemail. I leave another brief message and hate the sinking terror that curdles in my stomach. That panic starts to threaten again, but then three dots appear on my screen.
She’s typing. Oh, my God, she’s alive.If it is her.
A sob bursts out of my throat, but it’s a happy one. “They’re alive,” I cry out, racing back into the bathroom.
Ghost smiles at me. “Good news.” He turns to leave. “I’ll be downstairs,” he says to Jack.
I type a fast reply to my mom, letting her know I’m alive and safe.
“Don’t say where you are.” Jack’s words are firm, but his tone is softer than usual.
“I won’t,” I tell him and hit send.
I turn to Jack. “Thank you. I’ll take that shower now, if that’s okay?”
He turns it on, messes with the knob to adjust the temperature, then hands me some fresh towels from the closet.
“There you go. There’s shower gel in there, and you’ve got your own toiletries, right, in the bag Vani packed. We’ll go downstairs and give you some privacy, but we’ll be nearby.”
The door closes with a gentle click as he leaves. I take a shuddery breath and let the tears flow again, but this time they are happy tears. I’ve lost my father but, right now, my mother and brother are alive, and I have a way to contact them.
It’s more than I could have hoped for.
20
CAMILE
After my shower,I dress quickly in a loose, short shirtdress, not wanting anything tight against my body. Everything feels too much right now, even restrictive clothes. Self-conscious and unsure what to do with myself, I tiptoe down the stairs, wondering if I should go find Jack or not.
I hit the bottom step and pause. Male voices drift out from the living room. Peering in, I see Jack on the couch and Ghost at the other end. Ghost is drinking a bottle of Coke and Jack a beer.
They fall into silence, and I’m about to walk in when Jack speaks again. “You two seemed comfortable together.”
Ghost turns his face to Jack, revealing his profile, and his features tighten. “She was fucking throwing up, Jack. Get a grip.”
I hold my breath. Won’t Jack punch Ghost’slights out for saying that?
“You’re lucky I’m not in the mood for breaking bones tonight,” Jack grumbles.
Ghost picks at the neck of his bottle. “I think she needs some meds. Just for a night or two to get her through the worst of the first shock. Sleep is important for helping people process trauma, and she probably won’t get a lot without help.”
“What are you suggesting? We call a doctor?”
“I’m pretty sure we have some shit between us that can chill her out.” Ghost shrugs.
“Ghost, if we give her something without a prescription and she has an allergy or something, we could kill her.”
“Fine, call a doctor, then, but be ready to answer a fuck ton of questions.”
He has a point, and I don’t want meds. As bad as I feel, and it’s pretty bad, I don’t want to be out of control at this compound full of people I don’t know. The thought is terrifying.
