Chapter 12
G abby
Spending time with Cherise at the clinic while David worked with the sick puppy gave me an opening to find freedom.
She’d taken me to the little kitchenette the staff used and found me a pair of old flip-flops that one of the techs had left behind.
I tried to explain that I’d been screwing around in the truck on the way over and my sandals fell off, but she only laughed and shook her head.
She hadn’t bought it, but she hadn’t pushed for the real story either.
“Look. David is one of the best vets we’ve had in this clinic since we opened,” she said.
She looked to be in her late fifties. The roots of her hair were bordering gray, a stark contrast to the deep brown of her locks and she had a pair of reading glasses hanging around her neck.
“What he does when he’s not here is his own business.
I’ve never seen a man so caring when it comes to these animals or their owners.
He never gets short with them, no matter how annoying they get. ”
“The pets or the owners?” I asked, wiggling my toes into the sandals. A little big, but better than his shoes had been.
“Both.” She laughed. “Take Scott. That puppy of his is just fine. It takes a week sometimes to get over kennel cough, but he’s a worrywart. Does David get mad that he has to come in on his day off? No. He just picks up and comes down to make sure the dog is doing okay, and to calm down Scott.”
The man she described reminded me of the David I’d met at camp. He stuck up for kids that couldn’t hold their own against bullies. Even if it meant having those jerks turn on him. Jason had been a member of his own scout tribe, but that didn’t stop David from stepping in to help me.
But that man contrasted with the man in the cabin. That David punished me. He kept me in a crate. He bathed me and treated me like a pet.
My cheeks heated as I considered the fact that I hadn’t hated it like I should have. Once I recognized him, once I knew who he was, the fear had diminished. What had started as a way to survive my captivity had grown into something more.
Something I didn’t want to understand yet.
“So, where are you from originally? What sort of work do you do?” Cherise asked while putting a can of soda on the table beside me.
“Oh. Uh. Chicago. I work at a library, a small branch library.” I opened the can and took a long sip, loving the feeling the bubbles gave me as they tickled my throat.
“A librarian?”
“No.” I shook my head. “I just reshelve books and work the checkouts for the kid’s department. Nothing fancy but it pays the bills.” I took another sip. And that’s all it did. Other than putting cash in my bank account every two weeks, I had no love for the job. A means to an end, that was all.
“Okay, Cherise. Scrappy is all set to go. Scott needs to make an appointment for two weeks from now and I’m sending him home with a care kit.” David appeared in the doorway, his eyes flicking toward me first. Probably to be sure I wasn’t halfway to the highway.
Cherise nodded. “Great. Thanks again for coming down.” She stopped in the doorway to turn back to me with a smile. “I hope to see you again, Gabriella. It was nice to meet you.”
“Same here, Cherise. And thanks for the soda.” I gestured toward the can on the table.
David stood frozen until she was gone. “Soda is full of sugar and caffeine. It’s going to be hell getting you down for your nap now.” His grin softened the sharpness of his tone.
“Funny,” I said and picked up the can to finish off the sweet drink. “Is Scrappy okay?” I asked him.
“He’s fine. Scott needed a little hand-holding, that’s all.” He looked down at my feet. “She found you something.”
“Yeah. If we’re going already, I can leave them.”
“No. Keep them. They’ve been back here forever. If someone finally realizes they forgot them, I’ll replace them.” He put out his hand for me. “But we do need to get back.”
“Of course.” I stepped toward him, slowly putting my hand in his.
He squeezed gently, then laced his fingers through mine and led me back to the truck. My opportunity for escape, if there had been one, was gone.
We drove back to the cabin in silence. I watched the trees as we passed them, rolling down the window to get some breeze and fresh air.
Who knew when I might have this sense of freedom again?
I pushed the idea away from my mind. Getting my future to line up with my present wasn’t working.
As afraid as I was of what might happen, there was also a sense of calm.
I was with David. How could something bad happen to me?
“Who the fuck?” David turned off the radio and slowed his truck as he pulled up the drive toward the cabin. A black Ford Bronco was parked outside the house with music blaring.
“Not a friend of yours?” I swallowed hard.
“No.” He parked the truck. “Stay here.” He reached over me to the glove compartment and removed a gun, tucking it in the back of his pants. “Don’t get out of the truck until I say so. Understood?”
“Wouldn’t it be better if I went inside?” I asked, glancing at the front door.
“Not until I know if anyone’s in there.” The driver’s side door creaked as he pushed it open. The door of the Bronco opened as well, and the driver hopped out.
David’s door slammed shut. He walked toward the front of his truck. I unbuckled my seat belt and leaned as far forward as I could to see the man making his way toward David.
My breath lodged in my throat, choking me.
Jason.
“Shit. You?” David laughed when he realized who was standing in front of him.
Jason hadn’t changed, would never change.
He was still the entitled little dick he’d always been.
Dressed in a pair of designer jeans and black leather pointed boots, he stood in front of David with a look of superiority that he had no right having.
“What the hell are you doing here?” David asked, still forcing his tone to hold some levity, but I knew his mannerisms well enough to know when he was tense. And every bit of him was wound tight, ready to fight.
“I came to pick up my puppy. You got her ready for me?” Jason leaned forward, looking toward the truck where I was. He nodded. “There she is.” He held up a hand.
My stomach rolled with nausea.
“You did this to her?” David asked, his fingers curling into fists.
Jason turned back to David with a sneer. “You know what a cold bitch she can be. She just needed a little training, and when I heard that you were in the business, I knew you would be just the guy to handle her for me.”
I pushed the door of the truck open and jumped out.
“What’s she doing in that dress?” Jason asked, pointing at me as I stepped toward them.
David put his hand up to stop me and I froze in place. His jaw was tight, his full attention on Jason.
“You aren’t taking her anywhere,” David announced firmly.
“We already had a deal, Davey-boy. No going back.” Jason’s facade faded and the asshole I knew for over fifteen years came forward. “She’s mine.”
David drew his gun and pointed it at Jason. “You take one step in her direction, and you’ll never see the light of day again.”
“What the fuck is this? What… did you fall for her again? Man, didn’t you learn last time what happens when you get in my way?” Jason stepped forward, puffing his chest like a peacock. As though he could scare David away with such a weak move.
“Yeah. I got a good idea what happens when you don’t get your way.” David cocked his gun, moving his finger to hug the trigger.
“Jason,” I called to him. “Just go. Just go home.” I waved my hand at him. “I won’t tell anyone about this, and you can just go home.”
The little wrinkles around Jason’s eyes deepened. He had no concept of what sort of trouble he was looking at. He really thought he had the upper hand.
“Go home? Fuck no. I paid top dollar for your ass, and you’re coming with me. But I sure as fuck don’t want you this way.” He pulled out his phone. “You’re going to another trainer. One that will do the fucking job right. I want you on your damn knees, Gabriella.”
“Never gonna happen,” David said, then squeezed the trigger, sending a single bullet straight through Jason’s forehead while he was still tapping his fingers against the screen of his phone. Birds flew from the trees above with the sound of the gun, but then there was silence.
Jason fell backward, landing on his back on the gravel driveway.
My scream stuck in my chest. A burst of emotions clogged my throat.
“Gabby.” David tucked his gun back into his jeans. “Go inside, Gabby.” He hurried to me, blocking my view of Jason’s dead body. Blood already pooled beneath him, spreading through the pebbles.
David grabbed my face with his hands and drew me to look at him. “Go inside. Here are the keys.” He pulled a small set of keys from his pocket and pushed them into my hand. “I’ll be inside soon. Just stay inside. No, don’t look at him. He’s not going to hurt you.”
“You killed him.” I brought my gaze back to David’s. There was no remorse there, no fear or panic, just resolve.
“He wasn’t getting one finger on you. Now, go inside.” He let go of my face and gave me a little shove. “Go!” he barked, smacking my ass when I remained frozen to the ground.
I nodded and as though my body went into autopilot mode, I walked up the steps to the front door and shoved the key into the lock. When I looked over my shoulder, David was still blocking Jason’s body from me. His arms were crossed over his chest and his firm glare fixed on me.
My nerves settled. David would take care of this. I just needed to trust him.