Her pretty, pink cupid-bow lips formed an O before she hustled her ass out of the bedroom like it was on fire.
I followed her into the lounge.
“What’s he like? Taylor? Will I be expected to talk to him?”
I smiled, humoring her distraction. “No, it’s too big for that. Usually several thousand people attend. And yes, they check attendees.” My smile faded. “It’s not perfect here, Nora. I’ll be honest, I don’t know what perfect is. Just stories Blaine has told me over the years. Taylor isn’t the worst out there, that much I know. He accepts differing opinions, might even be open to suggestions from time to time. But when he decides something or mandates something, it’s final. He’s fair to those who follow the rules and ruthless to those who don’t. And when I say ruthless, he will kill anyone who causes dissent.”
The buzzer drew our attention.
Nora
I’d been expecting Ava. I wasn’t expecting Mary and Rachel. I burst out crying, which Adam was none too pleased about.
“They allocated us together,” Mary said, answering my question. Rachel beamed as she spotted her honorary little brother.
“Is he well now?” the little girl asked earnestly. “They said he’d been treated at the hospital.”
“Yes, sweetheart, he’s all better now. I’ve missed you guys so much.” I opened my arm in an invitation, and she came straight over for a hug with Adam and me. “How have you both been?” I glanced up at Mary with a smile as I handed Adam over to a giggling Rachel.
Adam was making his happy baby noises and clearly excited by the arrival of his familiar play partner.
Mary’s smile was wry. “We’re doing fine, honey.” She glanced around the apartment with interest. “Not doing as good as you.” She winked. “But the place they gave us is clean, and we’re near a couple of Sanctuary folks.” She rattled off the name of a few of the older ladies who’d lived within Sanctuary.
“Do you—” I suddenly felt very awkward in wanting to ask but was nevertheless curious. “Do you have an owner?”
Mary made a little snorting noise.
Rachel giggled again. “She’s got a suitor!”
My brows raised, and a smile bloomed. “A suitor?”
“Huff. Us older women past childbearing age, don’t need an owner.” She glared without heat at Rachel, who still laughed. “But we’re expected to accept suitors. Why some old crusty has-been wants companionship, I can’t say. I told him straight to put the radio on if he wants to listen to folk talking nonsense. Fool seemed to think I was being funny.”
“A suitor with a mind to becoming your owner?” I asked to be absolutely sure. I couldn’t imagine Mary with any man, yet I got a strong impression that she wasn’t immune to her suitor’s charms. I was also ashamed to admit that I’d been too caught up in my own woes to think through how ownership might work for the older women. I was delighted to hear that it wasn’t forced upon them in the same way. I thought it shouldn’t be forced upon anyone, but any concession felt worthy of celebration. It wasn’t perfect here, Carter had said as much, but it wasn’t terrible either. And I was delighted to find that Rachel had been allowed to stay with Mary.
“So he keeps telling me,” Mary scoffed with a roll of her eyes. Then her face softened. “But enough about me. You know you scared us witless when you marched up to that soldier and demanded someone treat your baby.”
“I wasn’t thinking straight.” I mentally winced, wondering at my crazy. But I’d been so worried about Adam that the risks were unimportant. “It worked out. It’s such a relief to see him well and know it’s forever.”
“Adam’s not the only one who’s looking better,” Mary said, boney fingers closing over my hand in a tight squeeze. “You deserve a break,” she whispered for my ears only. “Hell, we all do.” Leaning back, she placed her hand against my cheek. “The only constant in this life is change. Don’t always know if it’s the good kind or the bad kind. Can’t hide from it, and sure as hell can’t stop it. Can only buckle up and get ready for the ride. Don’t talk about the past much, and that’s for the best if you ask me. We all got our share of hurting. From the looks of the sweet guy eyeing us with concern, I’d say you found one of the rare good ones.”
I nodded, feeling the sentiments of her words to my very core. There’d been so many bumps since I’d first met Carter. I’d been super rude to him in the hospital. The next day I’d claimed he’d offered to be my owner. Then he had become my owner. He was complex. I’d seen the scars on his body, along with the new ones he’d acquired defending me. I’d barely scratched the surface of knowing him, but everything I’d seen had shown me what a good man he was. Mary was right. We didn’t talk about the past for a good reason. But I’d still spent too much time wallowing in memories. It was time to put my past life to bed, both the fleeting good parts and the darkness.
I smiled, my eyes instinctively going to Carter. “Yeah, I really did.”
Ava
Blaine was barely home, and when he was home, he damn near killed me with his attention. But I couldn’t lay all the blame at his door; I was a willing and equal participant.
Then there was his reaction to Jodi that had shown me another side to him. I was more convinced than ever that I was in love with him, which would make it even harder when I was forced to leave.
News of an announcement that I must attend brought my days living in a bubble to an end. Something had happened last night, and Blaine had been cagey ever since.
So, here I was, dressed up in a new outfit with jeans, boots, and even a new hooded jacket that was warm and soft to the touch. It had been a long time since I’d had new things.
I could get used to this, whatever this was.
But I shouldn’t because that would only make it hurt worse.
Leaving the apartment was surreal enough, standing beside him in the elevator more so. How things had changed since I’d last stood here with him. Back then, I’d been a terrified, nervous wreck, exhausted from my days on the streets and wondering at my fate.
I was still wondering about my fate, but now it was a different story, and I no longer feared the man.
He didn’t hit the ground floor button as I expected; instead, he selected a floor. I turned to study his profile. Leaving home after so many days was weird enough; this was even weirder. “I thought we needed to drive there?”
“We do.” His lips tugged up on one side, and he winked at me. “But we’re stopping off on the way.”
Okay, I guess I would find out what this was about when he was good and ready.
The floor we stopped at had notably more doors leading off each side than the one where Blaine’s apartment was. Taking my hand in his, he led me to the end of a long passage where he stopped at an indistinct door. He glanced down at me with an expression that was hard to interpret. “My younger brother lives here,” he said before pressing his finger to the buzzer.
He was so cryptic that I’d no idea what to expect.
It definitely wasn’t the young doctor who’d tended to me when I first arrived. I blinked a couple of times. He was dressed casually in jeans and a T-shirt, which threw me... as did the cuts and bruises on his face.