by Sam Crescent
He wrapped her hair up as well. “I’m clean.”
She didn’t want to say it, but she knew he wouldn’t stop.
“I’m clean.”
“Good. You’re going to keep saying that until you believe it. What those men did was fucking awful. They won’t come and hurt you anymore. Don’t let them take another moment of your life. They’ve already taken enough. Are you allergic to anything?”
“What do you mean?”
“Nuts? Gluten? Meat? Food?”
“No, nothing.”
“Good. I’ve bought us both something to eat. Follow me.”
She didn’t argue with him as he made his way out of the bedroom. The last thing she wanted right now was to be alone in a bedroom with a man she didn’t know, even if he had saved her. That didn’t mean anything to her, not anymore.
The scents of the food made her stomach ache. She used to love food, but right now, she wasn’t sure if she could even stomach anything.
The boxes were Chinese takeout, and as she glanced inside them, she saw noodles, dumplings, rice, and other things.
“You’ve got to try and eat something.”
Picking up the carton with the noodles, she held the chopsticks and tried to eat. The first taste of food made her stomach recoil, but she didn’t stop. Taking another bite, she glanced over the rim of the carton to see him staring at her.
“That’s good. Don’t stop.” He urged her to eat more.
“Do you always do this?” she asked.
“Force a woman to eat?”
“No, save women. Take out the bad guys.”
“You can’t say anything about that to anyone.”
The deadly look on his face made her tense up. It was like he was two different people.
“Who would I tell?”
“You’re going back to your parents, Charity. Whatever went down here, you don’t know. Got it?”
She nodded.
“Say it.”
“I got it. I totally get it,” she said, nodding her head at the same time. She didn’t want to upset him. He’d saved her tonight. The last thing she wanted to do was to tell anyone what had happened here. It was too humiliating. “I promise. I won’t tell anyone.”
“Good. After tonight you’ll never see me again.”
“And if I do?”
“Depending on which side you’re on, you’ll either be dead or wishing you were.”
She stared at him, not sure what to make of that.
Clearly being taken against her will had fucked with her head because she wasn’t afraid. This man had risked his life and brought her out of that hellhole.
She ate her food, all the time watching him as he ate his. He was fascinating, his large muscles on full display, the fact he’d not changed his pants even though they were wet. It was almost as if he didn’t feel it.
“The doctor’s going to be arriving soon.”
“The doctor?” she asked.
“Yeah. Don’t worry. He’s a man I trust, and I wouldn’t just let anyone alone with you.”
That didn’t exactly make her feel very comfortable. In fact, it did the exact opposite. “I don’t want to be alone with him.”
“Just relax, Charity. Nothing is going to happen to you.”
She tried to eat more food, but she just couldn’t. The thought of anyone else being near her, she couldn’t handle anything else. It was all just too much for her.
She gasped and put her carton down as the doorbell rang.
“That’s him,” Dwayne said.
She stayed perfectly still in her seat, refusing to move. This couldn’t be happening. She was panicking about seeing a doctor. A professional who’d taken a vow to care, to do no harm. In the past twenty-four hours, she’d seen an ugly side to life, and the thought of being vulnerable again scared her.
Dwayne returned with a man in his fifties.
“Charity, this is Richard. He’s a doctor, and he’ll assess all of your wounds.”
She shook her head.
“I know you’ve had a trying time, Charity, but I need to see everything,” Richard said.
She didn’t give a fuck what the good doctor had to say. The only person she was interested in and trusted was right there in front of her. Dwayne. The man who’d saved her.
“Maybe I should sedate her?”
“No!” she cried out at the same time Dwayne barked it out. That at least made her feel relief.
“You’re not sedating her. She’s fine. I’ll be there. You’ll let the doctor see you so long as I’m there.”
She nodded. “But … I don’t have any underwear.”
Dwayne sighed. “Come on. I’ve got something. Stay there.” He pointed at the doctor as he passed. Rushing to keep up, she tried not to think about the pain in her side.
“Do you always get what you want?” she asked.
“Most of the time. It’s a fear thing. People fear me so I get what I want.”
“And you like it.”
“What do you think?” He placed his hand on the doorframe and stared down at her. He was so much taller than she was that she just took a deep breath, not knowing what to say. “See, right now you’re afraid.”
“No, I’m not,” she said.
“You’re not?” His head tilted to the side.
“I’m curious about you. I’d like to be able to take care of myself, and you seem to be able to do that.” She shrugged. “You saved me. Why would I be afraid of you?”
“I could be a bigger monster than the men I brought you from.”
“That’s not true.”
“How do you know?”
She opened her mouth and closed it, not really sure how to answer.
“Just a bit of advice, sweetheart. Don’t trust every single guy that saves you. Believe me, some are worse than they look.”
She followed him into the room. “Do you know what it’s like? To be hurt? To be lost?”
His back was ramrod straight and she wanted to look him in the eye, but she didn’t dare demand he turn to look at her. “Let’s just say that I know what it’s like to be hurt by the people you trust. Now, stop asking questions. Boxers and a shirt. He needs to look around your tits, so just lift your shirt and rest it beneath.”
“Don’t leave me.”
“Want me to watch you getting changed?”
“You were in the shower with me. What difference does it make?”
He didn’t say anything, but stood by the door, arms folded. “Get dressed then.”
Was he testing her?
It didn’t matter as she dropped the towel and did as he asked.
End of sample chapter
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