“Yes, I hope so. Please,” I reply quickly, pretending to be out of breath as I look over my shoulder. “My-My boyfriend, he tried to hurt me. I ran out of his car, and he drove off, leaving me here like this.” I gesture down at my bare legs. “Please, I’m cold, and-and?—”
“It’s alright.” Christopher places his hands on my shoulders and eases me inside.
He checks no one’s watching before closing the door behind us. When I see him about to lock it, I make a show of pretending to faint. Abandoning the lock, he catches me before I hit the wooden floor. I try not to cringe away from him as he holds me close to his chest and carries me through to a couch in the living room.
“You’re in shock,” he tells me as he lays me down. “God, you’re freezing.” His hand settles on my bare thigh and starts rubbing me.
“That feels nice.”
He stops and wets his lips. “You said your boyfriend left you alone?”
Sitting up, I nod and force some tears out. “He wanted to go all the way, but I said I wasn’t ready. I’ve never doneitbefore. He got mad at me and tried to hit me.” I hiccup.
“Did he do this to you?” He runs his fingeralongside the cut Zack left on my leg. My skin breaks out in uncomfortable goosebumps.Crap. I forgot about that.
“I think I caught it on something getting out of the car.” That doesn’t explain why there’s no fresh blood, but Christopher doesn’t seem too interested.
A shadow passes by in the hall, and I sob louder. “Oh gosh, you didn’t need to know all that. I’m sorry I woke you up with all this mess.” I gesture to his striped pajama bottoms and plain white t-shirt.
“Don’t worry about that. I’m glad I can help you. I’m actually a veterinarian. It’s not that far off being a doctor so if you do need patching up at all, I can see to it. I’m not letting you go until you’ve been properly cared for.” He smiles triumphantly at me, his prize catch, and I make myself smile back.
“Do you live here by yourself?” I spot some photo frames on the mantelpiece. He’s with a woman and a young girl in some of them, most likely his wife and daughter. My stomach turns when I see one of him laughing with two other men on a fishing trip. Walter and Jackson. Did they spend those trips laughing about everything they’d done?
“Yes, it’s just me. I have a daughter about your age, but she lives with her husband out of town. The other woman is my sister. There’s nothing to worry about. You’re safe now.” He’s a smooth liar.
Wringing his hands together, he subtly slips off his wedding band. Then he brushes some of my hair behind my ear while he pockets it. I tense my muscles so I don’t end up smacking his hand away.
As I scan the room, I do a double take of a photo on the wall. Christopher is stood by a barbecue, talking to a man I don’t recognize. It’s the other man in the background of the photo who has me feeling like I’ve seen a ghost. Wearingordinary clothes and smiling as he chats to someone off-camera is Father Daniels.That can’t be possible.
My mask slips, and I’m left staring numbly at him. The drugs must be messing with my mind because I swear he looks straight at me from within the photo. The image of his caved-in skull flashes in my mind.
“Are you sure you’re feeling alright?” Christopher presses the back of his hand to my forehead. I want to push it away, but I can’t move.
“You—You said you’re a vet,” I say nervously, trying to figure out what I’ve just seen.
“I am.”
“Then why are you with a Father?”
He frowns then looks to where I’m staring. “Oh, that’s a friend of the family. Tristan Daniels. You know him?”
I manage to nod my head and swallow down the thick lump of fear threatening to choke me. “I recognize his face from church. My mother was a religious woman, and we used to attend worship every Sunday.” He seems to accept my story.
“Do you need to get in touch with her?”
“No. She passed away a few years ago. My boyfriend, well, I guess ex-boyfriend now, he was all I had.” Pulling myself together, I smile at Christopher. “Thank you for letting me in. You seem like a good man. I don’t want to think about what could have happened to me if I knocked on anyone else’s door.”
“It’s my pleasure, you’re in safe hands with me. Wait here for a moment, I’ll get you some tea to make you feel better.”
I keep my eye on the hall after he leaves. The dark shadow is still out there, and I smile at it.
When Christopher returns, he’s carrying a large mug ofsteaming hot tea. “Here, it’s a little hot, but it’ll warm your hands. We can get to know each other a little better while it cools enough to drink.” His sweetness turns my stomach sour. Glancing down, I see the start of an erection in his pants. He clears his throat bashfully, and I take the mug, pretending I didn’t see anything.
Watching me eagerly, he sits in front of me on the edge of the coffee table, his legs crossed awkwardly.
“How rude of me, I realize I never asked you your name.”
“It’s Chloe.”
