Total pages in book: 84
Estimated words: 80940 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 405(@200wpm)___ 324(@250wpm)___ 270(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 80940 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 405(@200wpm)___ 324(@250wpm)___ 270(@300wpm)
“Shower, it is.”
I stripped out of the oversized clothes and grabbed one of the folded towels on the counter. I turned the water on in the shower and stepped inside. The hot water on my hurting body felt heavenly, even with my feet stinging from the heat. There was a fresh bar of soap and shampoo. Well, it was one of those shampoo-and-conditioner-in-one shampoos, but I didn’t care. I washed my hair twice and soaped up three times. I needed to get the feeling of that place, of him, off of me.
He’d toyed with me, describing in detail everything he was going to do to me…but, thankfully, he hadn’t done any of it yet. I was pretty sure that was his MO. Scare his victims before he raped them.
I knew other women had been in that room before me. What had happened to them? Had he killed them? I prayed daily that he would just do what he wanted and then let me go. But I had a feeling the stains on the mattress were blood…
No. I knew they were blood.
Burying my face in my hands, I cried. I needed to get out of here. What if he found me and took me again? I couldn’t be that far from where he’d kept me. Two days of running wouldn’t have let me cover much distance. Not when I was running without shoes, through hills that were like mountains at times.
Sinking to the floor of the shower, I sobbed until I had no more tears left to give. Piper pawed at the glass door and pulled me back to the present.
“Right, girl. I need to get it together.”
I shut off the now-cold water and wrapped the towel around me. I thought once more that I should have been mortified or embarrassed that Liam had seen me naked, but I honestly didn’t care. I was just so thankful he’d found me. He might have even saved my life.
I slipped into my clean panties, then my bra, thankful for always following Granny’s advice of wearing decent-looking underwear. There was another Montana State shirt—this one a T-shirt—and another pair of sweats. They hung off me but, thankfully, had a drawstring so I could tie them tightly.
Looking in the mirror, I studied myself. I wasn’t bad looking, but I wasn’t a beauty either. I looked pale and thin. My plain brown hair was down to my shoulders, and I had hazel eyes that were a combination of brown, green, and gold. Frowning, I sighed.
“Who are you? Why can’t you remember anything?” I asked as I touched the mirror in front of me.
Piper gently nudged me again.
“Right. Breakfast.”
I quickly picked up the brush to remove the few knots and tangles. I could tell I had wavy, maybe curly hair. Once it dried, I’d find out for sure. It was strange to look at myself in the mirror and have no idea who I was.
A pair of fluffy socks—the only clothing likely belonging to a woman—was sitting on the counter. I slipped them on and sighed in relief at how comfy they were.
Looking down at Piper, I said, “Lead the way, girl.”
CHAPTER FOUR
Liam
My hands shook as I broke the eggs into the pan. I needed answers from the stranger upstairs, but at the same time, I knew I needed to go slow with her. She had clearly been through something traumatic. Her whimpers and cries during her sleep had told me that much. Three times, she had cried out for someone to leave her alone. To not touch her. It had made me sick to my stomach to hear the pain in her voice. I’d hardly slept the last two days for fear she would need me. I wasn’t sure what it was, but I felt instantly protective of her.
When I’d gotten her to my house and brought her up to the largest bedroom upstairs that was an en suite, I immediately started to get the soaked clothes off her. I’d noticed a necklace around her neck, but hadn’t initially paid much attention to it. Not until I started to take her bra off.
That was when my entire world stopped.
My fingers could barely grasp the locket because my hands shook so badly. When I opened it, I sucked in a shocked breath. I’d looked at the woman passed out in the bed and whispered, “Who are you?”
The sound of Piper running down the wood steps caused me to draw in a deep breath and focus on keeping calm and not bombarding her with questions. I had so many damn questions. Turning to greet her…it felt like the air had been pulled from my lungs.
I’d known Mallory was pretty; even in the state she was in when I’d found her, I could tell. But seeing her freshly showered, and after what was clearly a lot of much-needed sleep, she was more than pretty—she was beautiful. Her brown hair was damp from the shower and starting to curl as it dried, and her hazel eyes didn’t really reflect fear at the sight of me…but they still said she was afraid of something. And that made me sick.