Chapter 12
“I’ll be fine.” At least I hoped so as I watched him hurry out of the room.
After finishing the food on the tray, I slid my legs over the bed just as a knock sounded on the door.
“Come in,” I called out.
Ruby stepped into the room with an armload of folded clothes She laid them on the bed along with a cosmetic bag. “Harlon sent me to pick you up a few things since he didn’t let you pack.”
“So, he told you he kidnapped me?”
Ruby kept a straight face, not giving away whether that news was something she knew or didn’t.
“His determination to save his family drives him. It’s the reason I chose him to work for and not any of the others. He’s dedicated to helping his dad and to finding his sister. I’m not surprised he was willing to do whatever it takes.”
“So, he’s done this before?” I asked.
“These clothes should fit. I put shampoo, conditioner, and soap in the bathroom for you, and there are towels beneath the sink.”
“Thank you, but you didn’t answer my question,” I said as she picked up the tray and headed for the door. She opened it and paused.
“Harlon Simmons is a good man, Nina. He’ll do whatever it takes to bring Suzie home.” Ruby left, easing the door closed behind her.
“That’s what I thought.” I needed to get out of here. I needed to go home before I got pulled into this game even further.
I slid off the bed and held on to the bedside table until my shaky legs felt a little more stable. Taking the clothes, I used the furniture and the walls as support to stabilize my steps.
I didn’t think it was possible to look worse than I had at Harlon’s home. My hair was knotted like it normally would be after a fitful sleep. My face was pale and drained of color.
I lifted my shirt over my head. A pink scar stood out on my arm. I ran my finger over the raised area. He hadn’t lied. How was that possible?
I started the shower and let the water run while examining the rest of my body and what I could see of my back. I had not one new scar but three.
In the shower, I washed my face to wake me up. Maybe this was a dream. Maybe I was stuck in it.
I washed my hair and my body, resting my hand on the wall and my head under the showerhead, letting the heated water clear the fog from my brain.
When I turned the water off and grabbed the towel, I pulled the curtain open. A knock sounded.
Ruby must have forgot something. “Come in.”
Harlon opened the door and I realized my mistake. His gaze met mine before lowering down my body.
Concern crossed his eyes as he closed the distance between us. He ran the pad of his thumb over the fresh scar. “They didn’t all heal?
“Maybe they're just slow,” I offered. “I have three new ones.”
He leaned down and placed a tender kiss on my shoulder as he inched the towel down my body.
Heat climbed into my cheeks as his gaze turned assessing. As he kissed the second scar he found on the swell of my breast, I held in my moan.
“Where’s the third?” he asked.
He went to ease the towel down farther, and I stopped him, yanking it back up again. “Uh-uh, you can’t kiss that one. It’s on my inner thigh, and if you did, I might not tell you to stop.”
His eyes twinkled with delight as the heat grew between us. “When this is over, I have every intention of kissing that one too.”
I pushed against his chest, moving him out of the bathroom before I shut the door in his face. The pile of clothes still had their tags on them. The matching bra and panty set were red satin and lace. The top hugged my breasts, and the jeans hung loose on my hips. Ruby had been close in guessing my sizes, although not precise.
