Having been married to the man, Caleb had obviously seen her naked before. Even so, knowing she’d been completely at his mercy gave rise to a whole new level of rage.
Staring at her reflection in the bathroom mirror, Charlie studied her battered face. It was a look she’d become all-too-familiar with.
There was a dark bruise on her left cheekbone, the center a reddish-purple. She ground her teeth together knowing that last blow had damned near broken the skin.
Her jaw was also turning dark, her bottom lip was swollen and split, and she had the flittering thought that she could be the poster child for domestic abuse.
This wasn’t supposed to happen again. I was supposed to be free.
When she caught her reflection again, something else struck her as odd.
I’m clean.
She remembered tasting blood, but there was none dried on her face. Charlie held her good arm out in front of her to inspect all of the smaller cuts and scrapes she’d collected from both the jump from the car and the woods. They looked red and angry but were otherwise clean.
She brought a thick lock of hair to her nose. It smelled of strawberries. Her gaze shot to the tub where she found small puddles of water still resting on its bottom.
Charlie’s stomach threatened to rebel again when she realized Caleb hadn’t just changed her clothes; he’d also bathed her.
Horrified by how truly vulnerable she’d been, Charlie stumbled back into the bedroom. When a whimper escaped, she pressed a hand to her mouth to keep the screams from escaping.
What am I going to do?
She squeezed her eyes shut, images of Derek instantly filling her head. She’d give anything to be with him right now. To have one more moment to tell him how much she loved him.
You won’t get that chance if you don’t get off your ass and do something.
That tiny voice was right. Charlie needed to take a proactive role in her own rescue. She was on her own here, and if she didn’t come up with some sort of plan soon, Charlie knew she was going to die here, too.
Giving herself a mental shake, she wiped her cheeks dry and looked around for a way to escape. Feeling more clear-headed now, Charlie studied the room with fresh eyes.
There was the window, but it was much too small for her to fit through. Noting its high position, it finally dawned on her that she was in a basement.
Something else she was just now seeing was a door in the far right corner of the room. Determined to get the hell out of this place, she went to it and turned the knob. It was locked. She was trapped.
Charlie felt light-headed. Her breathing picked up and more tears threatened to fall.
Thankfully, her anger toward Caleb began to take over, pushing away the helplessness she’d almost given in to.
She was stronger than this. Derek had helped her see that. A new wave of determination stormed through her as she thought of a future without him.
To hell with that.
Their story was nowhere near done, and shewouldbe with him again.
Charlie’s mind raced to come up with a plan. With no way out, her only chance would be to fight.
She had no idea how she was going to manage it, but she would. For Derek. For their future.
With a sudden burst of energy, Charlie rushed around the room, looking for something she could use as a weapon. After a thorough search of the dresser and bathroom vanity, she’d found nothing but a bunch of empty drawers.
She’d have to use her hands. Charlie glanced down at her injured arm and for a second, her resolve started to waver. But only for a second.
One good arm was better than nothing, and if that’s all she had, that’s what she’d use.
Just then, she heard the door being unlocked. Charlie stood back, ready to take him on. But when Caleb entered the room, she caught sight of the gun in his hand.
Shit. Shit. Shit.
