“No! I said I’d get it. You stay right there.” His tone had shifted to don’t-you-dare-cross-me firmness.
I’d seen the gentler side of Luke until now. This was the do-what-I-say-or-else version of him. I settled back into the couch. “Okay, already.”
“You’re welcome, Debbie.”
After the door closed and the key turned in the deadbolt, I snapped off the television and closed my eyes.
I should have been cruising down the tree-lined interstate, out of Virginia and into Tennessee by now. So much for my dreams of an easy escape from this town. The way I felt right now, I couldn’t drive ten miles, so my departure would be delayed.
Then there was the problem of my missing wallet. I’d left my phone at the house, so Dom couldn’t track it. Now I had no money or ID either. This was the kind of situation they referred to as up shit creek without a paddle. And, even if I felt like leaving, I had one tank of gas.
I opened my eyes to take in Luke’s place—my cave of safety for the moment. By this time, Dom would know I was gone and possibly be out looking for me. Talk about dumb. I’d been such a shit earlier to Luke that it was a miracle he hadn’t thrown me out on my ass. Then where would I be?
I forced myself up and shuffled to the window. I had no clue as to how close or how far we were from my house. The drive here had been a blur. Hell, a lot of things this morning were a blur. I knew this house wasn’t by the road, so even if Dom happened by after Luke retrieved my car, he wouldn’t see anything. That was a comforting thought. Wandering into the kitchen, I found a water in the fridge and gulped down most of it before locating a bathroom down the hall.
My little trek around his house took its toll, and I settled back into the couch to rest. It was odd that I was both safe here, and a prisoner of my situation. I couldn’t afford to leave, even if I wanted to.
But why would I?
I’d successfully brushed away Luke’s questions so far, but that was unlikely to last. I had no particular reason not to trust him, but right now, I didn’t feel I could trust anybody in this town.
Luke hadn’t been my attacker. That much I knew from the voice, but that left the six or seven men who’d been in the store. It could have been any of them, or even a pair. For that matter, the guy could have driven up while I was in the restroom.
I was right back where I started: I didn’t know anything about Luke, but this was my safe space for the time being.
“Hey, wake up,” Luke said.
I pried open an eye to find the blurry version of my fake doctor in front of me.
“Sit up. It’s time for soup.”
I hadn’t heard him come back. “Huh?”
“You fell asleep.”
Duh. That was the point of lying down. “Yeah.”
I lifted myself to a sitting position, and the discomfort returned. I hadn’t slept but a wink last night. Even so, my pain had kept me awake forever this morning. But this proved I had managed to fall asleep.
Luke stood in front of me with a tray in his hands. “Chicken noodle. Good for what ails you.”
I settled it unsteadily in my lap. “Thank you.” Two words I would be saying to him more often. The bowl was steaming hot and the aroma savory.
He went to the kitchen and returned with another tray and bowl, taking a seat on the couch next to me. “It’s good that you slept.”
I slurped a hot spoonful. “Why?”
“Some injuries can be painful enough to not allow sleep, at least not easily.”
“I see.” I didn’t tell him it hadn’t been easy to get to sleep, and probably my lack of sleep the night before had helped.
“Did you make this?” It was all I could come up with along the lines of casual conversation.
“I opened the can. Does that count?”
I nodded; it had been a stupid question, considering this was soup. When I had almost finished my bowl of warm goodness, I got up the courage to ask the important question. “Can I stay with you for a bit? Just until my friend gets back from DC.”
His eyes narrowed at me, indicating maybe I shouldn’t have asked, or at least I should have found better words for my question.
“Why?” was his only response—a fair-enough question when a stranger asks if she can impose upon you, a stranger that up to now hasn’t been particularly nice.
I am such a schmuck. I fumbled for something to say that wasn’t lame and settled on the truth. “Because I don’t have anywhere else.”
He moved closer and did that thing again where he put his finger under my chin to guide my eyes to his. “Why here and not your home, is what I meant.” His eyes held me like a Vulcan mind-meld.
I was powerless to look away. Frozen in his intensity, I couldn’t escape, but I also didn’t have the courage to confide my predicament to him or anyone. “Please,” I pleaded. “Just trust me. I can’t.”
He pulled his hand back. “I will only trust you if you trust me. Do you?”
I mentally leapt off the cliff into the unknown with more confidence than I felt and nodded. “I do.” I had to. Who else did I have to turn to?
He stood suddenly. “Okay, then. You’ll be safe here. You can help with the cooking and laundry. I’ll be in the garage. I have work to do.”
The terms shouldn’t have surprised me, but his abruptness had.
He turned at the door. “Get some rest. Doctor’s orders.” Then he was gone. He’d turned into a grumpy boss.
Thinking back to his bumper sticker, I realized nobody rode for free with this guy. I guess I’d gotten off easy. I didn’t have grass or money for gas, and housework was better than paying with sex.
He didn’t know me. Why should I have expected a polite “Sure, stay as long as you like” response instead of the gruff answer I’d gotten? I wasn’t a relative, a friend, or even an acquaintance. I’d been a rude nobody so far.
He didn’t know squat about me, and I hoped not to have to tell him.
When I managed to get up off the couch, the soreness hit me. Walking around and doing a few chores was probably good therapy to keep my muscles from seizing up.
Limping into the kitchen, I found it surprisingly modern with quartz countertops way nicer than the Formica we had in our place. The appliances were new and upscale stainless. The contents of the sink, however, were standard-issue bachelor—a full load of dirty dishes stacked inside. My first order of business was those, along with the ones we’d just eaten from, and the pot he’d used for the soup.
“I forgot,” his words came from behind me.
I jumped and let out a bit of a yelp. “You scared me.”
“Trust me, Princess, if I wanted to scare you, you’d know it,” he said.
I guess that was supposed to make me feel better? “What did you forget?”
He held a finger in front of my face. “Follow my finger.” He moved it to one side and then the other.
I rolled my eyes.
“I said follow the finger,” he commanded sternly.
“Yes, sir,” I huffed. I concentrated on the finger in both directions.
“Any dizziness?”
I sighed. “No.”
“Balance on one foot for me.”