Chapter Eighteen
Something trickled on her face, making Caroline squint and bring her hand to her cheek. The cool liquid brought her from a sound sleep, and a scream formed in her throat when she heard Victoria’s voice.
“Did I not say be ready by four?” Victoria demanded.
Sitting up, Caroline rubbed her eyes. “You meant it?” she exclaimed.
“No shower for you, get up, get your workout clothes on, and meet me by the pool. You have five minutes before I tack on another ten laps,” Victoria threatened. “Ten minutes late, Ivan will drag you from the bed, and you’ll run around the block in whatever you’re sleeping in.”
Caroline’s eyes popped open, and she leaped from the bed. Grabbing her workout clothes, she ran to the bathroom to pee, brush her teeth, and get into her outfit. She slipped into her tennis shoes and ran outside, still pulling her hair into a ponytail.
“That’s better,” Victoria purred. “We’ll start with a little jog, then we’ll have breakfast.”
Caroline followed her out of the gate and onto the dark street.
Her eyes scanned the street, searching for someone or something to offer her comfort after the hellish night where she demanded Jameson leave over a stupid argument.
She lashed out at him because she couldn’t control the emotions welling inside of her.
Victoria increased the pace, making Caroline pant harder. Man, she didn’t realize how badly out of shape she grew sitting in a dog crate. They ran the block, and Caroline sighed in relief until Victoria passed it up and kept going. She groaned, protesting her new tormentor.
“I heard you,” Victoria said evilly. “We’ll add a third round for good measure.”
“You do realize they rescued me not too long ago and I’m still recovering,” she wheezed.
“Oh, you may have sent Jameson home like a whipped puppy, but I don’t accept excuses,” Victoria said, not even sounding winded. “Push yourself, Caroline. I suffered multiple gunshot wounds, and I still taught my sons how to protect themselves.”
“The team promised to protect me,” she argued as they rounded the block a second time.
“They can’t give you back your power. Even I’m not talented enough to give it to you. It’s inside you, Caroline. By the time we’re done, you’ll never feel helpless again,” Victoria promised.
“How do you know about last night? You said you planned to stay in Corpus Christi. Jameson went home,” she said, piecing together how Victoria knew about him.
“Did he? Or maybe he called and asked my husband to cover you until he spoke with the rest of the team,” Victoria said, turning and jogging backward. “Scan the area around you. Always know your surroundings. After breakfast, I’m quizzing you about what we’ve noticed on the run.”
“You’re only now telling me,” she exclaimed. “It might be nice if you’d tell me these things beforehand.”
“Tell me. When Cain held you, did you scan the room for perceived threats? When to stay away and debate between two evils?” Victoria questioned as they jogged around the block, and Caroline slowed to a walk.
Stopping, Caroline held her knees and tried to draw in air.
“Walk it off. Ivan has water waiting, and then we’ll have breakfast,” she ordered as she opened the gate and held it for Caroline to enter. They walked inside, and a delicious aroma filled her tiny kitchen.
An older man, grinned as she accepted the water from him. “Hello, Caroline. It’s nice to meet you. I’m Ivan, Victoria’s husband.”
“Your wife tried to kill me,” she told him, making him chuckle darkly.
“She’s taking it easy on you today. Wait until tomorrow,” he warned. “You have time to take a quick shower and to dress casually.”
Rushing to the bathroom, Caroline turned on the shower and jumped in, relishing the cool water. She washed her hair and body in lightning speed, knowing they meant business.
When she returned to the kitchen, Ivan set a plate on the table.
“Do you prefer coffee or tea?”
“I’ll stick with water, thanks,” she said, waiting for Victoria to serve herself as her guest.
“We’ve already eaten, darling. You’ll need the calories. Finish up,” she said curtly as she drank a cup of coffee and scrolled on her phone.
“How will this help me?” Caroline asked. “I can hire a personal trainer.”
Victoria shot her a wry smile and glanced at Ivan.
“Trust me, my wife will teach you things no man will ever want a woman to know. She beats my number one man and occasionally me. You might not see what she’s teaching you, but eventually the fog will clear, and you’ll see what’s before you,” Ivan advised her as he nodded toward the mound of food.
Caroline bit into the eggs, knowing she didn’t have anything in her fridge. Ivan must’ve picked up groceries before arriving.
“From now on, you’ll drink only water, one cup of tea or coffee for breakfast, because I’m not a barbarian. You’ll eat whole foods and nothing from a box. Say goodbye to your cookies. Stick with fruit or protein-dense snacks,” Victoria said, laying out her plan.
“I bought the cookies yesterday,” she groaned. “I haven’t eaten one in six years.”
“Two more weeks won’t matter. You’re malnourished, dehydrated, and your mind has a ton of jumbled thoughts. We must kickstart your brain and get your senses working again. You’re numb and the only emotion you briefly feel is anger,” Victoria said, daring her to deny it.
“How did you get over this?” Caroline asked, biting into her whole-grain toast.
“Ivan took pity on me, but Aleski didn’t. They made me work until my fingers bled and my knees lost a ton of skin. We’re on a limited time, but you showed some fight today. Whatever I don’t teach you, Rebecca can finish.”
“I’m not returning to the ranch,” she told them. “I’m spending time with my father and searching for a job.”
Victoria frowned. “Where do these obstinate women come from? I’m not asking you, darling. Rebecca will finish your training. It’s important you stick with it. Tell me, what did you see on our run today?”
Caroline put her fork down and recalled their jog.
“I saw cars lined up against the street. We seemed like the only ones on the street because it’s before dawn,” she pointed out.
“Wrong. Matthew’s truck sat across the street from this house.
Two men, one Caucasian and one Black, walked their dogs.
A woman three doors down turned on her kitchen light and made coffee.
By the time we ran at your snail’s pace, she finished making breakfast and read on her tablet,” Victoria reported.
“Do you want to get kidnapped again, or do you want your safety back?”
“I want my life back,” Caroline said stubbornly.
“No matter how hard you try, you’ll never be the young woman dragged away from your injured parents.
You’ll always know Cain bragged he owned you.
He took your power away by treating you like an animal.
I’m here to offer you a solution for your future.
Whether you take the information seriously remains up to you,” Victoria said firmly.
“The team said the Feds watch Cain. No one else will come for me,” she said, knowing it sounded lame.
“Do you think they’re the only predators out there?” Victoria asked, sipping her coffee. “Will you ever walk the street again with complete confidence?”
Caroline considered her words. She stopped at the local grocery store for a bit of normalcy.
It felt like someone watched her the entire time.
She walked in with a family and always stayed within sight of other groups.
By the time she left, sweat covered her neck, chest, and forehead.
She sat in her car and used breathing techniques to calm down before driving to her father’s.
“I want to feel free,” she murmured. “How long did it take you before you felt secure?”
“Too many wasted years to count,” Victoria admitted. “Ivan’s love healed me, but I never forgave myself for the decisions I made in my rush for revenge. It hurt other people, as Jameson’s actions did. None of us is perfect, Caroline. We can only guide you from making the same mistakes as we did.”
“Why me?” she asked. “Do you do this with the other survivors?”
“They receive training. If you stayed at the ranch, you might’ve taken the less vigorous route. As it happens, you’re a glutton for punishment and have me. Let’s begin,” she said, rising.
Ivan cleared the table while Victoria went over basic techniques. They went over them again and again until Caroline recited it perfectly. Ivan entered the room, and the older woman used him as her model as she explained the weaker spots on a man.
“How can I possibly take a man the size of Cain down?” Caroline asked. “Ivan towers over you. There’s no way you brought him down.”
Ivan grinned. “Thank you for the confidence, but my Tori has tricks up her sleeve you won’t learn in your self-defense classes.”
Caroline huffed out a breath and straightened her spine. Victoria made a point. If she wanted her freedom, she must fight for it.
“Teach me what I need to know.”
Victoria smiled and said, “Let’s begin.”
Jameson ignored the persistent knocking on the cabin door.
“Come on, brother. I know you’re in there,” Matthew called.
Sighing, he put down his glass of whiskey and let his teammate inside.
“Crap, you smell like shit,” Matthew said, making himself at home on the couch.
“Thanks, bro. You know how to make a man feel better,” he said sarcastically.
“Victoria worked with Caroline all day today. Mac’s watching the house now. Do you plan on avoiding her forever?” Matthew asked. Jameson beckoned toward the bottle, asking Matthew if he wanted a glass.
“No thanks. After I leave here, I have to face Rachel at home. I need all my faculties to deal with her tantrum,” Matthew muttered.
“What did you do this time?” he asked, sitting back in the recliner.
“She put an appointment on my calendar. I expected a new client, but instead, I got a wedding planner,” he said sheepishly.
Jameson laughed and slapped his knee. “Damn. If only I could be a fly on the wall.”