Page 17 of Bound By Threads
“Why?”
“I have money. The money in the bag will make them all think you’re dead. Give me your shoes,” I say gently.
She pulls the shoes from her feet, and I gather them in my hands with the bag. Jumping from the truck, I leave her sitting in the warmth as I jog down the sand. I then throw the shoes and bag at the edges of the waves, watching them push them further up the beach.
This is goingto be hard for her, but all I can think about is that I need to get her out of here, away from the edge of the cliff that I watched her jump from, and away from the pain that dragged her under.
I get back to the truck, and she watches me with wide eyes. “I’m not going to leave you,” I say, my voice steady but firm. “I don’t care what you’ve been through or what stole your voice. You’re not alone now.”
She lifts her head slightly, her brown eyes searching mine, flicking over every inch of me like she’s trying to find something to hold on to. Her hand reaches out, trembling as it presses against the skin of my wrist. She doesn’t say anything, but her mouth opens as if she wants to.
Her eyes close, her head falling back against the headrest as I reverse the truck, determined to get her back to my home where she’ll be safe. Her breathing slows, and the tremors in her body lessen.
I can’t fix whatever’s broken inside her, but I can give her something to hold on to.
A promise that I’m here.
Chapter10
Archer
“Do you want to talk about it?” I ask quietly after an hour of driving.
“I don’t know what to say,”she signs,“I don’t feel like I deserve to be alive.”
My chest tightens at her words. “You don’t get to decide that,” I tell her firmly, lifting my hand to grasp her hand in mine. “You don’t get to decide you don’t deserve to live. Especially after everything you’ve been through.”
Her head turns to face me.“Do you think I can ever be okay again?”
I don’t have the answer. I can’t promise her things will be easy or that everything will suddenly be better. But I can promise that I’m here and that I’m not leaving.
I tell her as much, but her eyes pass with a shadow, and she pulls her hand from mine when I reach for it again, retreating into herself.“Everyone says that, but it always comes with a price. There’s always something they want in return, and they take it even if I’m willing to give it or not.”
I wantto tell her I’ll make sure nothing ever hurts her again. But I don’t know if I can keep that promise. I don’t know if I even know how to help someone who’s already been broken.
And deployment. I’m not always going to be here.
Mom and Dad will help her. They have the knack of taking and fixing broken things, and Oscar, my best friend, will never turn his back on someone who needs a shoulder to cry on.
But none of that matters right now. Right now, it’s just me and her, and I don’t know how to make her believe that she was worth saving. That she deserves more than the dark thoughts that pulled her down into the abyss.
“I don’t have all the answers, and I can’t promise it will be easy. My job means I’m not around all the time, but you’ll have a family who will be there for you every day. And maybe one day you’ll realize that life is worth living again.”
“You won’t want anything?”
She’s looking at me like prey, like I’m the predator who’s going to rip her apart for my own gain. My chest tightens. I want to argue, to tell her that I don’t expect anything from her. But the reality is, I don’t have the words to convince her. All I can do is be here and show up, and I hope she sees that I mean every truth I’ve told her.
“I’m not asking for anything,” I tell her softly. “I’m only asking you to believe that you now have someone behind you.”
She turns her face toward the window, staring out at the passing lights, lost in thought. I give her space, not wanting to push her further, but I won’t let her spiral back into the abyss.
Never again.
I don’t knowwhy I care so much about a complete stranger.
Maybe it’s because I saved her when I couldn’t save him, or the broken, haunted look in her eyes. All I know is I’m all she’s got, and I’m determined to make her realize life is good... and maybe she can show me it is, too.
I know I can’t fix everything. I know there are going to be days when she feels like the weight of the world is too much to carry. But I’ll be here. I’ll carry the load with her, even if it means walking through the dark with her, because I’m already there.
