Total pages in book: 159
Estimated words: 155775 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 779(@200wpm)___ 623(@250wpm)___ 519(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 155775 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 779(@200wpm)___ 623(@250wpm)___ 519(@300wpm)
Then he picked her up again and placed her in the bed, tucking the covers around her.
“Do you want me to plug the heating pad in?” he asked. “What about some painkillers? Drink of water?”
She shook her head, completely overwhelmed again by all the questions. She didn’t know what she wanted or needed.
Well, it wasn’t quite true. What she really wanted was his arms back around her.
To her surprise, he sat on the bed facing her and brushed her hair back off her face.
“What am I going to do with you, Stowaway?”
It was a good question, since she didn’t really know herself. She stared up into his gorgeous face. It seemed like a cruel twist of fate that the one person who had ever made her feel safe from his touch should be this man.
A man who didn’t even live in the same city with her.
A man who thought that she wasn’t quite right.
She had to keep reminding herself of that. He was just taking care of her because he felt sorry for her.
He was a good guy who was giving up his free time to watch over her and her sisters. If she was a better person, she would probably tell him that he shouldn’t be doing this, that he should just go home and live his life.
But just the idea of doing that made her feel sick.
“I’m going to stay with you until you fall asleep.” He grimaced. “I mean, is that okay?”
Why wouldn’t she say yes to that?
“You should sleep,” she croaked.
“Not going to sleep until you do, baby,” he told her. “So why don’t you close those eyes and just try to relax, okay? Take a few deep breaths for me and let them out slowly. Also, I don’t want any more talking from you until your throat is no longer sore.”
She wasn’t sure how long that would take. Not with stress and anxiety riding her hard.
But she just nodded.
“Good girl. Close your eyes and listen to me. Deep breath in, then let it out slowly. That’s it. And now another one. Deep breath in and let it out slowly. Nothing bad will happen while I’m here.”
Addie found herself relaxing into each breath as he kept talking to her quietly.
Gradually, sleep started to overtake her, pulling her down. She jolted, waking up again. It was like her body didn’t actually want to fall asleep, as though she was too stressed and on edge.
But he was there, talking to her quietly, reassuring her, telling her that he would be here when she woke up.
So she finally let herself drift off to sleep.
Cash watched her sleep for far too long. Ralen was sleeping while Butch was somewhere outside. They really only needed two of them here, but neither he nor Ralen wanted to leave. And Butch had just glared at him when he’d suggested he could leave.
Grumpy bastard.
When Cash was certain she was in a deep sleep, he stood and stretched.
He walked out into the living room, but kept her door slightly open so he could hear her if she made any noise.
If she needed him.
29
The men ran at her, their faces filled with rage, then suddenly their eyes turned red and they weren’t men at all. They were monsters with huge teeth. They surrounded her, morphing back to humans, but this time, they were teenagers not men.
And they were pushing her, shoving her, calling her names.
They got her on the ground and laughed at her, threw things, hit her.
She cried. She begged them to stop, but her voice cracked, and she grew silent. But in her head she was screaming for help.
Help!
Help me! Someone help me!
Addie sat up with a gasp, glancing around wildly.
Where were they?
Where were they? Where were those kids? Where were the men, the monsters?
Sweat coated her skin as she shook.
You’re not there, Addie. You’re not there.
It’s a nightmare. It’s a nightmare.
She sobbed for breath, even though she wasn’t actually making any noise. Had she screamed? Probably. But at least she wouldn’t have woken anyone else up with the nightmare, because her screams were silent.
She hated having nightmares of that day she’d been caught by those bullies. She’d been helpless against them. Addie always felt so damn helpless.
Sliding to the side of the bed, Addie grabbed her phone to check the time, only it was dead. Shoot. She should have charged it.
Standing, she realized that she was soaked with sweat, shaking and weak. She needed another shower, a change of clothes, and a drink. Picking up the bottle of water that Cash had left for her, she gulped some down. Then she grabbed the painkillers and took them as well.
Even though she desperately wanted a shower, she didn’t want to wake anyone up. So instead, she grabbed the blanket off the bed, wrapping it around herself. Grasping hold of Snaggles and her squishy, she shuffled out of the room.