“Got any water in here?” he asked Phoebe.
“Yeh.” Phoebe navigated the room lit only by a red light and bent over to lift a plastic jug of water from next to the door. The door had a six-inch-tall slot in the bottom and was half as wide as the door, probably for sliding food through.
She hurried back with the water.
Sam slid around behind Hallene with her back against his chest. Phoebe helped Hallene hold the jug as she drank. Then Phoebe handed it to Sam to take a slug before she put it aside.
“I’m doing better,” Hallene said, moving a hand to her face. “I can sit up on my own. I want to see you.”
Sam reluctantly moved to where he could also see the two of them.
Phoebe sat with crossed legs, shifting her gaze to Sam then back to Hallene. “I’m chuffed to see you, but nowyou’recaught.”
Hallene seemed unsure of how to respond. Her throat moved with a hard swallow. “Sam and I are here to get you out of this place. I won’t let anyone hurt you again.”
Eyes bulging with tears, Phoebe nodded. She gulped down a swallow and sobbed, “I’m sorry.”
Hallene said, “You didn’t do this, Phoebe. There are bad people in this world, and you just got caught in their web.”
Sam let them talk. This was not the Phoebe that Hallene had told him about and expected to see again. The teen had been through a horrific situation to this point and still had no promise of being freed.
When that happened to anyone who didn’t function in his world, it often broke them. Phoebe wasn’t broken yet, but she had long forgotten whatever trivial things had been important to her before being captured.
She wanted to feel hope she would escape and for someone to care about her.
“Yeh,” said Phoebe, as she sniffled and coughed, “but you told me to be careful to not trust any blokes.” Phoebe looked down at hands she twisted and clenched. “I think one of ’em set me up.”
“What do you mean?” Hallene asked, hands fisted. That one was back in badass mode and ready to kick some idiot’s butt.
“’E was a ’ottie and talkin’ all nice. I’d never seen ’im before and ... I was crushin’ on ’im. Thought ’e was so much nicer than the other blokes.” She snorted out a derogative sound and wiped her nose with the back of her hand. Looking up with regret bleeding from her eyes, Phoebe explained, “The place was packed. Asked me to go somewhere to eat with ’im. Like an idiot, I said sure. Told me ’is car was parked way back in the lot and to wait for ’im by the side exit.”
“Oh, Phoebe.”
Tears spilled again. Phoebe took a minute to pull herself together. “I stepped out in the dark and someone grabbed me then shoved a stinkin’ rag over me nose and mouth.”
Hallene had been holding herself erect, the distant half-sister. But when Phoebe covered her face and began crying in earnest, Hallene shot a glance at Sam then scooted over to pull Phoebe into her arms.
She rubbed Phoebe’s back. “It wasn’t your fault. I made mistakes at your age, too.”
Phoebe mumbled in a watery voice, “But you didn’t get kidnapped.”
Sam didn’t say anything, but Phoebe did have a point. He lifted the bottom of his Hawaiian design shirt and ripped off a swatch of cloth he tossed to Hallene.
She sent him a smile of thanks.
When the emotional storm passed, Hallene gave Phoebe the cloth to clean her face.
“Thanks.” Phoebe wiped her eyes and nose, then folded up the cloth and shoved it into the front pocket of her jeans.
That simple action showed how she’d lost everything in this kidnapping and would not let go of even a rag.
Hallene had a thoughtful expression. “Maybe now you and I can communicate better to keep you safe in the future, Phoebe.”
“Keep you safe, too, yeh?” Phoebe’s gaze drifted to Sam and then to Hallene. “Who’s this bloke?”
“I told you,” Sam pointed out, annoyed at being called a bloke like the ones who kidnapped her.
“You gave me a name and ’ow you met Hallene, but notwhoyou are.”
