Feeling Garrett’s gaze on her as she left the room, she swung her hips just a little, enjoying the little sigh he gave off as she turned into her bedroom. The kiss in the woods might’ve felt like a dream, but making out on the couch with him had definitely just happened.
And she couldn’t wait to do it again.
***
Reese had no idea how much time had passed when her eyes flew open and she sat straight up in bed. The room was just how she’d left it with the bathroom light still on and her door to the hallway slightly ajar. But something had woken her up. Her breaths were coming out hard and heavy like she’d been running for her life. And that’s when she remembered - it was the same nightmare that had woken her up twice last night. She was in the woods, running, but there was no branch, no escape. She couldn’t keep going and then the faceless man who she assumed was the driver found her before Garrett did.
“Reese?” Garrett’s voice came from the hallway, and then he was there, in her room, sitting on the edge of her bed. “Are you okay?”
“How did you know I was awake?”
He took her hand in his, giving it a gentle, reassuring squeeze. “You screamed. I would’ve come sooner but I was in a dead sleep. I think my brain thought it was part of a dream at first. Are you okay?”
Reese shook herself mentally. “I’m fine, I think.” Her nightmare had been too vivid, and she wasn’t even sure if this was real right now. The night before, her nightmares had been about her running through the forest. She’d been lost and scared, but the faceless man had only appeared tonight, and his presence made everything feel ten times worse.
“Can I get you anything? Maybe some water?” Garrett asked.
“No. You should go back to bed. I don’t want to keep you up.” She loathed the idea of him leaving, but he needed his rest.
“How about I stay and keep you company. Just for a few minutes,” he offered.
“What time is it?” She asked, trying desperately to orient herself.
“Just after midnight. Lie back, I’m right here.” A ding sounded from the other room. “That’s my phone. It’s probably Blake. I’ve been waiting for him to get back to me about the van. I’ll be right back.” Garrett stepped out of the room and Reese felt her body tense. She fought the urge to follow him, but thankfully he returned just moments later.
“Well, no surprise there. They got the plates on a traffic cam, but they were reported stolen two days before you were ever in it.”
Reese nodded. “The plates? Not the van?”
“Looks that way. There’s something else,” Garrett said.
“What? What is it?” she asked, hoping they found the driver, or linked her kidnappers to Russell.
“Marcus Dowell made bail today.”
Reese looked at Garrett with a bit of confusion, and then realization set in. That was the man who’d chased her through the woods. “Really? He’s free to go?”
“No, not free to go, but he is out on bail.”
“But he kidnapped me. He pulled me off the dock into that freezing cold water, and he chased me into those woods, and -”Her voice cracked as tears welled in her eyes. She hadn’t cried once since Garrett found her in those woods, but the control she’d been holding onto so tightly was about to break. “- He would’ve - I don’t know if he meant to kill me or not, but if I hadn’t - I wouldn’t be here with you tonight. I don’t know where I’d be. Or with who.” The last of her words were spoken softly, through tears.
Garrett listened and let her get it all out before moving closer to her. Without hesitating, she came up onto her knees and wrapped her arms around him, burying her face in his neck. He held her tight and said, “that’s why we’re going down to the police station first thing in the morning to get a restraining order filed against him. I know that doesn’t sound like much, but it will be on the record and make it easier to prosecute him if he violates it.” His hand was rubbing soothing circles on her back, and he pressed a soft kiss to the side of her head. “You’re safe, Reese. I swear it. And I’m not going anywhere.” He seemed to be answering a question she never asked, but that wasn’t what she was afraid of.
She pulled back, desperately wanting to look into his eyes, but deciding against it at the last second. “I’m terrified that I might.”
He let out a ragged breath and pulled her close again, holding her firm and tight. “Not on my watch. Not ever, if I have anything to say about it.”
The weight of his words sank deep into her gut and lodged in her heart. It was more than just a promise. It felt like a vow. And a threat to anyone who dared try to take her away.
