Chapter 3
CHAPTER 3
“ I ’m just going to make some decisions for you. Feel free to tell me to buzz off. If I’d been in a car for a long time, I’d want food, a toothbrush, a shower, fresh clothes, and a nap. Is there anything you’d like to add in there, switch around, or take out?” Aspen asked, watching Pippa’s face.
“No, that all sounds wonderful. But I don’t want to impose on you,” Pippa said quickly.
“Impose, schmoze. I have to eat, too. Jerico always lets me sleep in when I don’t have to go to the base.”
“You’re a soldier?” Pippa asked.
“No way possible. I work in maintenance. I’m not good at making breakfast. What do you think about having lunch for breakfast?”
“To be honest, right now, I’d eat anything,” Pippa confessed.
Aspen walked into the kitchen and started pulling things out of the refrigerator. “In that case, let’s go big. How about a sandwich, chips, and dip?”
“Yes, please. That sounds amazing,” Pippa said gratefully with a smile. She noticed Rexy didn’t get under their feet, but stayed in his dog bed in the corner where he could keep them in sight. Didn’t he beg for treats?
When they carried huge sandwiches piled with sliced meat, cheese, and pickles to the table, she noticed Rexy moved to a different bed, again a short distance away. “How did you luck out to get the only dog on the planet who doesn’t beg for food?”
“Oh, Rexy’s first owner was a complete lowlife—a big brute that beat him. That’s how I ended up with Rexy. I’d hide this sweetie from him when the jerk was drunk. And other times, too.”
“I’m guessing that put you in danger,” Pippa said.
“Eat!” Aspen encouraged.
She waited for Pippa to take a big bite before answering.
“That’s how I met Jerico. He stepped in to save me when he was threatening me at a restaurant. Then he found out where I lived and came to rescue me before my neighbor was released from the police station. I don’t know what would have happened if he hadn’t come to help a total stranger and an abused dog. My door was already damaged from other attacks. It wouldn’t have held.”
“That’s awful. Okay, I think Jerico is incredible now,” Pippa said after swallowing the delicious food. “Thank you for this. I don’t think I’ve ever been so hungry.”
“Of course. You can have two or three if you want them. Jerico keeps the house stocked, especially when the team’s in town. They have a lot of barbecues and informal gatherings.”
“Thank you.” Pippa took another bite and savored it. Funny how not having food could make you appreciate even the most ordinary of dishes.
“Good, huh? How long has it been since you ate?”
“I’m not really sure. I woke up zip tied to the car door. It was scary,” Pippa shared, shivering.
That word, scary, didn’t come close to how terrified Pippa had felt. If not for the accident that freed her, she knew the final destination would have frightened her more. She set the sandwich down as that memory triggered panic inside her.
“Pippa, it’s okay. You’re safe here. I promise.”
She shook her head, unable to free herself. Pippa cringed back in her chair when she sensed Aspen moving.
“It’s just me, Pippa. Aspen. I’m going to go get something. I’ll be right back.”
Unable to respond, Pippa sat frozen in her chair. Feeling a slight movement in the air, she whipped her head around to stare unseeingly toward the disturbance. A metal jingle reached her ears before a warm body pressed against her side. The massive beast comforted her with his sheer presence.
“Good job, Rexy. You’re helping, aren’t you? He helps me when I’m anxious. Pippa, I brought you a friend. This is a stuffie that my daddy bought for me. He’s too fierce for me, but I think he could battle anyone who menaced you. You’ll feel his fur.”
A brush of softness over her hand made Pippa flinch. Aspen repeated the process until Pippa focused on the object. Relaxing her grip on her own arm, Pippa wrapped her fingers around the stuffed creature. Unable to resist, she petted it with her other hand, and the panic eased.
Pippa pulled the soft object to her chest and hugged it tight. She dipped her head to rub her face in the fur. The air trapped in her lungs eased out as she relaxed. A large weight draped over her thighs, tethering her attention to the present.
“Pippa? This is Zale. You’re having a panic attack. I can’t get to you fast enough to help, but you are safe. Aspen and Rexy are there with you.” The familiar masculine voice helped erase the fog from her vision.
“Zale?” she asked, focusing on the phone screen in front of her.
“Yes, kitten. It’s me. Take a deep breath with me,” he requested and audibly inhaled with her. “Good girl. Now exhale out all those bad thoughts.” He blew out his breath in a gust that made her follow suit.
“Again, kitten. You’ve got this.”
By the fourth repetition, the band of terror that had wrapped around her slowly unraveled. “Thanks, Zale. Oh, Aspen. I’m so sorry I freaked out. You must think I’m a basket case.”
Aspen set down the phone and hugged her close. Pippa couldn’t believe how good it felt to have human contact with someone who genuinely cared. She basked in the warmth of Aspen’s embrace and hated when it ended.
“Ahem!”
The two women’s gazes met before each focused on the phone that Aspen had turned face down to the tabletop. “Oh, Zale. I’m sorry,” Aspen said quickly as she snatched up the phone. Giggles spilled from her lips as she turned the phone back to face them.
“You’re forgiven, of course, Aspen. Thank you for being there for Pippa.”
“I’m okay now, Zale. I don’t know what happened,” Pippa said, feeling embarrassed.
“You’re human, kitten. Now that you’re in a safe spot, your brain is processing what happened to you. It’s okay. It’s important to remember that you’re a survivor. You won.”
Pippa nodded her head. She could feel the weight of those words etching themselves into her psyche. He was right.
Her hand lifted from the stuffie to pet Rexy’s head lying heavily across her lap. The animal’s calm presence continued to reassure her. “Thank you, Rexy.”
“He picks up on more emotions than a lot of dogs, I think—because of his background,” Aspen said.
“Who’s your friend?” Zale asked.
She met his gaze, wondering what he referred to, when Zale added, “The stuffie in your arms.”
Pulling the soft object away, Pippa looked down at the ferocious alligator. Vicious teeth emerged from its closed mouth. She traced one white tooth and smiled. It was furry as well.
“Aspen brought this for me to hold on to. I should give it back.” She couldn’t bring herself to hold it out to Aspen. Toothie needed to stay with her.
“Oh, no. It’s yours now,” Aspen rushed to tell her.
“What’s its name, little girl?” Zale asked.
“Toothie.”
“Once you name a stuffie, it belongs to you,” Zale told her wisely. “Aspen, are you sure you want to give it away?”
“Please. It has to sleep in the guest room,” Aspen shuddered. “I thought Pippa needed a guardian gator.”
Guardian gator. That thought made Pippa smile. She nodded happily. Toothie would protect her. That is, when Zale wasn’t around. “Thank you, Aspen. He helps.”
Pippa looked back at the phone and realized that Zale was running. How had he talked to her so calmly and focused? What kind of shape was he in? “Oh, I’m sorry. You’re busy.”
“I’m never too busy for you, Pippa. We’re about seven miles out on our training run. Do you need me to come to you?”
Somehow, inside, she knew he would traverse mountains to get to her. “I’m okay now. Promise. Go train.”
“I’ll check in on you later,” he promised.
Before she could tell him that wasn’t necessary, he disconnected. Pippa glanced up at Aspen. “I am so sorry. You must think I’m a weirdo.”
“I think you’ve been through a trauma and need time to recover. No worries about the freak out. I can’t imagine what I’d be like if I were in your shoes,” Aspen reassured her. “Besides, what are friends for?”
Suddenly, Pippa didn’t feel so alone. She hugged Toothie close again before patting Rexy’s head. “I’m okay, boy. You can go lie down.”
Rexy returned to the side of the room and sprawled out on the floor. Almost instantly, the sound of soft snores filled the air.
Pippa put Toothie on her lap. She needed to have him close. “How did you know I needed a stuffie?”
“Bowbow always helps me.” Aspen must have seen the confusion on Pippa’s face because she added, “Bowbow is a stuffed rainbow.”
“I love seeing rainbows.”
“I’ll introduce you later. Ready to finish our lunch?” Aspen suggested.
To Pippa’s amazement, her appetite had returned. She picked up her sandwich and took another bite. So good.
“Seven miles out? How far do they run?”
“Forever,” Aspen answered and shared what she knew about the team’s training schedule.
By the time she finished, Pippa had devoured her sandwich, a handful of chips, and some dip. She pressed a hand against her stomach. “That was so good.”
“Can you eat anything else?” Aspen asked. “Ice cream? Cookies?”
“No way. Thank you. I’m good.”
“How about a shower next?”
“That sounds heavenly. Let me help you clean up.” Pippa didn’t want to impose too much on Aspen.
“No need. It will take me five minutes. It’s also on my chore chart. I want to earn a sticker,” her hostess answered, waving a hand toward a large sheet on the refrigerator.
Pippa wanted to ask questions, but refrained. “Then I’d love to take a shower.”
“Let me show you where everything is. Then I’ll get you some clothes to wear.”
In just a few minutes, Pippa stripped out of her clothing and stepped into a stream of blissfully warm water in the spacious shower stall. Even as it stung her abraded skin, Pippa loved the cascading silkiness of the liquid. She ran her tongue over her clean teeth as the liquid streamed over her. This was pure bliss. Tilting her head back, she wet her long hair.
Pippa had never considered what a blessing it was to get clean. She washed her hair and every inch of her skin. Symbolically, water swirling down the drain helped erase her time spent in that car and her abductor’s touch. Even when the liquid stung the cuts around her wrists, Pippa didn’t care. Zale would take care of the wounds again.
She wrapped her arms around herself at that thought. Zale would take care of her. Pippa couldn’t describe the attraction welling inside her toward the man who’d saved her. Obviously, she’d be grateful, but this link between them was more than that. He fit her like a missing puzzle piece. They clicked together perfectly.
Exhaustion draped over her like a blanket. She forced herself out of the shower and into the new underwear Aspen had gifted her. Careful of her wounds, she shrugged into the sports bra, leggings, and long sweatshirt folded neatly on the counter.
Wrapping her towel around her dirty clothes so she wouldn’t have to touch the garments as she picked them up, Pippa carried them into the main living space. “Can I wash these? The shirt is probably toast, but jeans are popular with holes in them now, right?” she asked Aspen, who sat on the couch flipping through the on-screen guide.
“Definitely. Let’s throw them into the washer.”
When the machine filled with water, Aspen turned to Pippa. “I got out the first aid kit. Let me rewrap your wrists. Then would you rather see a movie or take a nap?”
“I have taken so much of your time. Is there something you normally do?” Pippa asked.
“No. I do whatever I want on my days off. I love movies if you do,” Aspen told her as she held her hand out for Pippa’s.
“You’re good at that,” Pippa complimented as Aspen wrapped gauze around the gouges she’d smoothed a soothing ointment over.
“Zale texted me directions. Come on. Let’s choose a movie.”