Chapter Five
When Bailey’s eyes opened again, it took her a minute to remember where she was. She sat upright as quickly as her sore body would allow, and looked around.
“Hey, you’re awake. Take it easy, you don’t want to move around too fast,” a soothing voice said on her left.
She looked over to see the woman who had been tending to her. She was sipping on coffee and sitting in a chair against the wall.
“What’s going on?” Bailey mumbled, a little disorientated.
The pain was better, but she was feeling a bit sick from the blood loss and lack of food.
She actually didn’t remember when she ate last, but she needed to get something in her soon.
Plus, she had no idea who this woman who had been watching her sleep was.
She seemed friendly enough, but she was a stranger.
She kind of assumed Aaron would be there with her, waiting for answers.
“You passed out,” the woman replied gently. “I was looking after you while you were resting. I’ve patched you up and gave you some painkillers, too.”
Bailey tried to sit up straighter while keeping the woman in sight. She noticed the pain in her ribs was not as intense, and her leg wasn’t throbbing as much. So that was something, at least.
“I’m River.” The woman introduced herself. “I work here at Warrior Peak Sanctuary.”
“Are you a doctor?” Bailey couldn’t see a reason why this woman would be here looking after her otherwise.
“No, but I do have some medical experience. When someone’s hurt, the guys usually get me first to see if it’s something easily treatable before they call the town doctor or discuss going to the hospital.”
That made sense. And Bailey was grateful for the assistance. There was no way she wanted to go into town, and definitely not to a hospital. That would lead them right to her.
“Well, thank you, River. I appreciate you helping me,” Bailey replied, and she meant it. Even though she was exhausted and sore, her gut told her that she was in a safe place. That she didn’t have to worry about those men finding her while she was here.
“You know much about Warrior Peak Sanctuary?” River asked.
Bailey shook her head slowly, noting that it didn’t feel as bad as before, either.
She hadn’t known anything about this place, apart from the fact that Aaron worked here.
That was the only reason she had come. On the run, she had only been able to think of one person she could trust, even if he was also the last person on earth she wanted to see.
“It used to be for law enforcement and military people who’d suffered through traumatic events and were recovering, but it’s expanding now,” she explained with a soft smile.
“It’s also for people getting out of dangerous situations who need a place to stay while they get back on their feet.
So you’re safe here. I promise. These are good guys and they just want to help. ”
Bailey nodded. There was a note of sincerity in River’s voice, and she wondered if she had been through something similar—something crazy that had brought her here in the first place.
“And speaking of traumatic situations,” she added, nodding toward Bailey. “You really got yourself beat up. In case you’re unaware, you have a few cracked ribs and a stab wound on your thigh. I’d like to check you for a concussion, too, considering that goose egg you’ve got on your head.”
“Sounds about right.” Bailey sighed. The attack was still something of a blur to her, but she remembered hands on her, the flash of metal, the terror she felt in that instant, certain this was the end for her.
“You mind?” River indicated toward Bailey’s head.
Bailey nodded slowly. “Sure. Go ahead. I don’t think I have one, though.”
“Let’s just double-check to be certain,” she replied, then asked Bailey to follow her directions as she examined her head further. Once she was satisfied there was no concussion, she sat back in her chair, giving Bailey space. “You want to tell me what happened?” she asked.
Bailey flattened her lips and shook her head at once.
River might have seemed nice, but she didn’t know a damn thing about her, and she wasn’t about to go handing over her biggest secrets without getting to know her a little better.
If these last couple of days had taught her anything, it was that she couldn’t exactly trust everyone she thought she could.
She needed to be way more careful about how she handled herself.
“No problem. I get it,” River murmured, and she rose to her feet.
“You stay put. I’m going to see if dinner is ready.
You must be starving, and getting some nourishment and fluids in you will help you feel a bit better.
We usually eat together in the cafeteria, but I don’t think you’re in any state to be getting up right now. ”
Bailey thanked her again, and let out a sigh of relief as soon as River closed the door behind her.
She squeezed her eyes shut and tried to remind herself that she was here for one person and one person only—Aaron.
She had to get the truth out of him. She was sure he must have known something about the nightmare that had driven her out here.
Maybe it even had something to do with his sudden departure.
She was regretting how she had handled seeing him again.
She shouldn’t have blown up at him like she did.
It wasn’t her best move, going on the attack, when he was who she was here to see.
Telling him to leave her alone and she’d handle it wasn’t exactly her brightest moment.
He must think she’d lost her mind. She needed to get herself under control before she saw him again.
River returned with another woman in tow, carrying three plates of food between them. River handed one to Bailey, who took it gratefully. It was just meat and veggies, nothing special, but to her hungry stomach, it looked like a damn cornucopia.
“This is Hannah.” River introduced the other woman, who smiled kindly in greeting. Bailey vaguely remembered seeing her when she had rushed in the building asking for Aaron.
“Hi there. If you need anything while you’re here, let me know. I tend to have the most interactions with the guests with their day-to-day needs. The guys are more involved with keeping the place running and the bigger problems.”
“Thanks, I’ll keep that in mind.” Though Bailey had no idea how long she’d be here.
“I also heard your meeting with Aaron earlier didn’t go too well,” Hannah remarked. “So, I figured you would probably want some space to yourself to regroup and rest instead of going to sit with everyone else for dinner.”
“Yeah, thanks,” Bailey replied. These women were being so kind to her, but all she could think about right now was Aaron.
“So how many people usually stay here?” she asked, keeping her voice as casual as possible.
She didn’t want these women thinking she was trying to scope the place out, though that was exactly her intention.
She needed to know how many people she was looking at, and then she could figure out where to go from there.
“Anywhere from ten to twenty on average,” Hannah replied through a mouthful of food. “It’s pretty busy in the cafeteria in the evenings, as everyone eats together.”
“Well, thanks for giving me an out from that,” she replied. She appreciated it. The thought of being around so many people she didn’t know was discomforting right now, to say the least, especially after what had happened to her. Her instincts radar seemed to be malfunctioning.
“Hey, I get it,” Hannah replied. “Most people who come here need a little time to themselves at first. It’s not unusual.”
She paused for a moment, staring at Bailey, and then exchanged a glance with River.
“So,” she said, “how long are you planning on staying, exactly?”
Bailey didn’t know. These women were being so nice to her and they hadn’t asked her to leave, but she wasn’t sure how to respond.
She knew they were curious as to why she was here in the first place, broken and beaten no less.
She wasn’t sure what she could tell them that wouldn’t guarantee more questions she couldn’t answer. Not yet, anyway.
“Until I get what I came here for,” she replied firmly. That was something, right? Enough for them to go on for now.
“And what did you come here for?” Hannah inquired.
“To get information from Aaron,” she muttered, more to herself than to the other women. And with that, she turned her attention back to her food, shutting off the conversation before it could go any further.
Once they had finished dinner, River and Hannah cleared out and left Bailey to get some rest, much to her relief. She was exhausted, and her body still ached, despite the pain meds. She tried to remind herself that this wouldn’t last forever—she would get better soon.
Right now, she just needed to rest and work on rebuilding her strength. Hopefully, they’d let her do that here. She could feel her eyelids getting heavy as she snuggled down under the covers.
She drifted off with thoughts of Aaron and the last time they were together before her life went to shambles.
Answers first, then she’d maybe see if there was anything left of them to salvage.
She startled awake and it took her a minute to realize where she was. Looking around the room, she felt everything come rushing back. Kings Mountain, her attack, finding Aaron, Warrior Peak Sanctuary. She suddenly felt like the walls were beginning to close in on her.
It was dark outside, and she didn’t hear any activity or voices inside, but she needed to get out of this room.
She slowly rose to her feet, even as her body screamed in protest, and silently opened the bedroom door.
The painkillers were starting to wear off, but she didn’t care.
She needed some fresh air. Hopefully, it was late enough that she wasn’t going to run into anyone.
She made her way through the quiet corridors of the lodge, half expecting to bump into someone, but found the place empty.
She took a couple of wrong turns, but eventually managed to find the lobby.
She stepped outside the main entrance and inhaled a big lungful of fresh air.
Her ribs protested, but the stretch still felt good.
She wasn’t used to lying in a prone position for so long.
It was colder up here on the mountain, she realized. The air felt crisper, cleaner.
In the distance, she saw the trees swaying in the breeze, the sound of the leaves rustling the only noise around her.
Her back still ached like crazy, and she knew she wasn’t going to be able to take a walk or anything like that, but at least she could get out of that room and try to clear her head.
She had no idea what she was going to do, now that she was here.
Get the truth from Aaron, sure, but what then?
She didn’t have a clue. She was in no condition to go back to work, and even if she did, those corrupt cops in the department wouldn’t allow it.
If she ever showed her face around there again, she wasn’t sure she would walk away with her life this time.
She wasn’t sure why she had now. The thought sent a shiver down her spine.
She spotted a small porch seat around the side of the building, and she slowly made her way to it, glad to take the weight off her injured leg.
She hated feeling this weak. She might be small, but she had always prided herself on being strong and fit.
To be enfeebled and injured was an awful feeling.
She wanted to heal so she could take on the men who had done this to her.
She wanted to expose them for everything they had done, not just to her but to the community.
But right now, she couldn’t have won a fight against a kitten.
She heard footsteps behind her, and without even having to turn around, she knew at once who it was. A weight landed on the seat next to her, and she smelled his cologne, the familiar scent of him that she had grown to love so much when they had been working together.
“What are you doing out here?” Aaron asked her. “You should be resting.”
She didn’t reply. She wasn’t going to take orders from him, and she didn’t feel like arguing. He wasn’t her boss or even her friend, anymore. Nobody who really cared about her could ever have done something like he did, no matter the reasons.
But, as she felt the warmth radiating from his body, she knew she didn’t have it in her to ask to be left alone.
He was the reason she had come to this place.
As much as she didn’t want to admit it, she needed him.
It would have been a whole lot easier if she could just forget about him, but that was never going to work.
“You mind if I sit with you?” he asked, and she shook her head.
“No.” She sighed. She missed this, his closeness. There had been a time when they had known everything about each other—or so she’d thought.
“How are you doing?” he asked.
Her shoulders slumped slightly. “About as well as I can be, given that I was just beaten up by a bunch of dirty cops.”
She felt the air shift between them at once.
Was he expecting her to say that? Hoping she wouldn’t?
She didn’t have a clue. She stole a look at him out of the corner of her eye, wishing she could just ask him what was going on in his head, but she had to be more careful than that.
She had let this man close to her once before, and it had ended with her getting burned.
She wasn’t going to hand him the chance to do that to her again.
“What happened?” he asked her.
Rubbing her hand over her face, and trying to ignore the sharp twinge in her ribs, she reasoned with herself. She came to this place to find him, ask for his help. She had to tell him at some point so she could get answers. So, why not here? Why not now?