Maggie slid into the driver’s seat and put the van in reverse.
Cindy seemed to forget that she was going to wait for Tony, which was fine by Maggie.She knew the girl was not safe with that man.
“I’ve got some ground beef for burgers tonight.Hope you aren’t vegan.”Maggie smiled hoping to put the girl at ease.
Cindy shook her head.“I’m not vegan.”She cut her eyes at Maggie.“I can’t pay you for gas or food or anything.Tony took my money before he made me get out of the truck.
Maggie gritted her teeth together.Tony sounded like a complete jerk.
She forced herself to relax and give Cindy a reassuring look.“No need to pay for anything.Besides, you kept an eye on Walker while I was inside, so we are even.”
Cindy’s brows bunched together and she chewed the bottom of her lip.“People always want something.”
Maggie cleared her throat.“Did Tony teach you that?”
Cindy was silent for a beat, and Maggie thought she might have said too much.
Cindy shrugged.“He’s not always mean.It’s just when he’s been drinking too much or when I push his buttons.It’s my fault I made him angry this morning.”
Maggie arched her brow but kept her tone neutral.“Oh yeah?What did you do?”
Cindy picked at a hangnail.“I put cream in his coffee.I’m the one who likes cream.This morning, I handed him the wrong cup and he got upset.”She shook her head.“I should have double checked before handing it to him.”
Maggie couldn’t believe what she was hearing.“So, you made a mistake, and your boyfriend gives you a black eye and abandons you.He sounds like a real jerk.”
Cindy shook her head.“He’s not always like that.He’s been so loving and attentive.He gave me a place to stay when my parents told me they disapproved of our relationship.He’s paid for everything since then.I should be more appreciative of everything he’s done for me.”
Maggie tightened her hands on the steering wheel.“I’m going to assume this is not the first time he’s hit you.”She nodded at the girl’s black eye.
Cindy quickly looked out the window, hiding her eye from Maggie’s inspection.
Silence filled the van.
When Cindy finally spoke, what she said shocked Maggie.
Cindy took a deep breath and breathed it out.“I haven’t talked to my parents in over six months.Tony threw away my cellphone, so there’s no way for them to contact me.After all I’ve put them through, I’m sure they don’t want to hear from me now.He’s all I know.This is my life now.”
Chapter18
Maggie wasn’t sure what to say.Cindy has certainly been brainwashed by Tony.She didn’t want to say the wrong thing, yet she wanted to give the girl some encouragement.
She smiled.“I want to thank you for watching Walker while I was in the store.This is a spur of the moment road trip, and I didn’t think things through.”
Cindy blinked.Her face went pink with embarrassment at the compliment.She ducked her head.“It was nothing.”
Maggie shook her head.‘No, you were a big help.Thank you.”
Cindy smiled and sat up a little straighter.“So where are you stopping tonight?”
Maggie cut her eyes at the girl.“Well,weare stopping in Wichita, Kansas, for the night.I already booked a campsite at this cute RV park.It even has a swing set at our site.”
Cindy shifted in her seat.“Maybe you should just drop me off at the next exit at a gas station and I’ll call Tony to come get me.”
Maggie shifted in her seat.“I thought you didn’t have a cell phone?”
Cindy shrugged.“I don’t.But I’m sure I can borrow one from someone.”
Maggie didn’t volunteer her own phone.She didn’t know how to convince Cindy not to go back to her abuser, and she knew, if she pushed too hard, Cindy would do the opposite.“You know, I could use some help with Walker on my trip.Why don’t you just go with us to Estes Park.Once we get there you can call Tony and find out where he is.He can come get you or I can give you the money for a bus ticket to meet him.”
