Chapter 3
Chapter Three
Dusk had settled over Teresa’s backyard, yet the party still went on, and Steff found herself still at the table with Jag.
He hadn’t left her alone, and if someone had come up to talk to him, he made sure she was included in the conversation.
Not that she said much, but it was nice that he made sure she wasn’t ignored.
The panic about being around people hadn’t totally subsided, but it hadn’t consumed her the way it had earlier.
As promised, the cake had been delicious, and Steff had savored every bite.
How Astrid pulled together all the food, as well as the amazing cake, while watching her twin boys impressed Steff.
Then again, Growler was a hands-on dad and had kept the boys occupied while Astrid sat with the other women.
In fact, all the dads had taken a lead role in looking after their children.
Steff envied them, her father had been a background player in her life.
Her mom had always cautioned her not to bother him after he’d returned from work.
That he had a stressful job and Steff needed to be quiet.
It had been hard for her, because she was always excited to share her day with her dad, even if nothing special had happened, she’d just wanted to spend time with him.
She’d lost count of the number of times he’d cut her off before she even finished her first sentence, but she kept trying, until one day she worked out, that to her father, she was an inconvenience.
Her mom never tried to make her feel better either, and Steff spent most of her childhood and teenage years alone in her room.
When she’d gone off to college, she’d reveled in the fact that people seemed interested in her and what she’d achieved.
She’d come out of her shell and then she’d found a job she loved.
Her parents’ death, during her second year at college, had been sad, but, by then, she’d learned to live without having constant contact with them.
Yet, there was still a hole in her soul from losing them young.
What would they have done after she’d been kidnapped if they were still alive?
Would they have supported her after she’d been found?
It was something she would never know and there was no point wondering about it.
“Are you ready to go?” Dalton’s quiet voice interrupted her trip down the road her life had taken her on. There was a certain fork she wished she’d skipped.
“Yes.” And she was. It wasn’t that late, as the sun had just set, but she was exhausted, and the moment she got home she’d collapse on her bed.
Hopefully she would sleep the night through and not have her recurring nightmare.
Somehow, she didn’t think she’d be so lucky.
There hadn’t been one night since her ordeal was over that she hadn’t dreamed about faceless men taking her over and over.
During the time she’d been thinking about her past, almost everyone had left, and the only people that remained were Dalton’s boss and his wife, along with their cute little boy, Oscar.
Had people come up and said goodbye to her and she hadn’t acknowledged them? God, she hoped not, but she needed to make sure.
She reached out and touched Dalton’s arm, the movement reflexive, but the first time she’d voluntarily made the move to touch a man. “Please tell me I didn’t ignore anyone if they came up and said goodbye to me.”
His muscles flexed beneath her fingers. Steff became aware of his strength and the power that he could unleash when required. She pulled her hand away. He looked at her quizzically but didn’t say anything.
“No, you smiled and said bye, and I knew you weren’t really seeing them, but I don’t think anyone noticed that though.”
At least she’d said goodbye, but she didn’t like the fact that Dalton had been aware she hadn’t been present.
“Okay. Um, I need to say goodbye to Teresa.” Steff glanced around the yard.
Outside of the lit area, the shadows were dark, and memories of the way evil lurked in the darkness slammed into her.
Panic returned, and she gripped the box that held her piece of cake tightly, crushing it.
Why had she stayed out so late?
What had she been thinking?
She never stayed out after dark because she never allowed herself to go anywhere. Bad things happened at night, even when surrounded by people and lots of light. It had happened to her.
She’d been taken, and now here she was, stuck in hell with never any hope of getting out.
Her life was over.
“Shit,” a man swore, but she didn’t know who.
“Jag, is she okay?” This time the voice was female. Was it Cynthia who’d spoken, or one of the other women who’d been taken?
No, that can’t be right. She was alone in a room. She had no contact with anyone.
It had to be a trap.
Steff whimpered and wrapped her arms around herself in an attempt to make herself small. If she was small, they couldn’t see her, right?
“She will be,” the man answered.
What were they going to do to her now? Hadn’t they done enough?
All her life, she’d loved being the quintessential blue-eyed, blonde-haired woman, but now, she wished her hair was a horrible dull color and her eyes the same.
That way she wouldn’t have caught the attention of whoever had taken her and decided that she was special.
“Steff, I know you’re afraid, but you’re not there anymore. You haven’t been there for two years. You’re safe. I’ve got you.”
She heard the words but couldn’t believe them.
Hands moved up and down her arms and she whimpered again. It always started out gentle, and then the touch turned rough. A second later the hands were gone.
That never happened, usually she was tugged into position. Or if she resisted, she was hit.
“Steffanie, you’re in Teresa’s backyard. It’s me, Dalton. I’m not going to hurt you. You’re safe with me. Always.”
Dalton.
The name sounded familiar.
How did she know him?
Why did she feel safe?
“Steff, come on, sweetheart, come back to us.”
There was something about the voice that was comforting and calming.
Steff closed her eyes and breathed deep.
Slowly, sounds came back to her. The sound of the wind rustling through the trees.
The distant hum of traffic on the road. The sound of a heart beating beneath her ear.
Along with sounds came sensations. The feel of fabric under her cheek.
A hand rubbing her back in soothing motions.
And most importantly, that sense of safety.
She wasn’t stuck in that room. She was being held by someone, and it didn’t scare her.
Blinking her eyes open, she took in the lights of the backyard. The table which still held remnants of people’s presence. Dalton holding her.
“Oh god, I’m so sorry.” She pulled away from him, embarrassed that she’d had yet another panic attack in his presence. Two in one day, it had been a long time since that had happened to her.
“You’ve got nothing to be sorry for.”
Dalton was being too understanding. She saw Teresa standing on the back deck; she and Dalton were in the middle of the yard.
“Thank you, for being here for me, again.” After seeing her go through yet another episode, Steff doubted he would want anything more to do with her.
Was it because she was around the people who’d been involved with her rescue that had set her off? Or was it because she was having a bad day?
Those were questions she didn’t know the answer to and may not ever know. It was probably time for her to go see Donelle, her therapist again.
“I won’t say it was my pleasure, because seeing you go through that again, is something I don’t want to experience.
But I’m glad I was here for you.” He glanced over his shoulder and gave Angel, who’d come to stand by Teresa, a chin lift.
“Are you going to be okay to drive home? You drove yourself, right?”
“I did and I think I should be.” Never before had she been worried about having an attack in the middle of driving, but she hadn’t driven at night in a long time. It had been the darkness that had triggered her, she’d worked that out now.
The seconds before it had happened, she recalled thinking about the shadows and the evil that lurked in them.
A full body shiver wracked her body.
No, I’m not going to have another attack.
“I think so.” Honestly, she didn’t know if she would be okay driving, but there was no way she could stay at Teresa’s forever.
“Would it make you feel better if I followed you home? Or I could take you, and then tomorrow me and one of the other guys can drive your car to your place?”
“Or another alternative, I could drive with you, and Jag can follow us, and then bring me back home.” The suggestion came from Teresa, and Steff had to admit it was a good option. It wasn’t an option she wanted, though.
“Thank you for the offer, but.” She looked at Dalton. In the muted garden lights, his blue eyes stood out like a safe haven. A welcoming cove where everything was protected from the elements. “I need to drive myself, but I’d be okay if you followed me.”
“I can do that.” His lips curved into a smile, and she found hers twitching in response. It wasn’t the first time she’d smiled tonight, a rarity for her as well. Perhaps there was something to leaving her house. Although perhaps it was the man in front of her that made being out easier.
“Okay, but let me get you another piece of cake. Your first piece is looking a little worse for wear.” Teresa pointed to the crushed white box at Steff’s feet, frosting oozed through the side gaps.
Another wave of embarrassment washed over Steff. “I’m sorry, you don’t have to do that.”
Teresa waved off her concern. “I have a two-year-old, messes are an everyday occurrence.” She headed toward the house, leaving her and Dalton alone.
“Are you sure you’re okay to drive?” There was nothing condescending about what he was asking. He was worried and given the state she’d been in ten minutes ago, it was understandable he’d be concerned with her driving.
After an attack, she was normally so shaky that she wouldn’t even consider walking, let alone driving. While this attack had been bad, there were no tremors rippling through her. Her hands were steady, and she knew if she took a few steps, she wouldn’t face-plant on the ground.
“I am.”
“Good enough for me, but how about we talk the whole way to your place?” Dalton suggested.
“How exactly are we going to do that with me in my car and you in yours?”
Dalton shrugged as if he didn’t have a care in the world. “If you’re comfortable giving me your phone, I’ll put my number in it.”
Steff expected him to hold his hand out in an imperious way, but she should’ve known better. Nothing Dalton had done all evening had been overbearing. If anything, he’d been gentle and sweet, so at odds with his muscular I-don’t-take-shit-from-anyone physique, and job.
Was she seeing the real Dalton, or was he putting on an act to lull her into a false sense of security?
No, he wasn’t like that. She may not know him well, but prior to her kidnapping, she’d been around enough egotistical men who believed nothing about them stunk, and everyone should bow at their feet. He wasn’t giving that vibe at all.
Besides, Teresa knew that Dalton was going to follow her home, if she didn’t trust him, she would’ve forced the issue of taking Steff home herself.
“Sure, my stuff is inside, I think?” Steff couldn’t recall what she’d done with it once she’d arrived, which made her earlier attempt at escaping a joke. She wouldn’t have gotten far if she didn’t have her purse.
“Let’s go look, and we’ll get you sorted.”
Dalton made no attempt to hold her hand or even touch her, but she felt the shadow of his hand on her lower back, there, ready to help her should she need it.
Steff liked that feeling a lot.