AllFreeNovel
Share Us
I think I need one of you.
“I hope it was okay to come check on you?”
“Of course. You’re the reason I’m here.”
His eyes widen, and I grimace. That came out wrong.
“I mean the reason I’m alive. Not that you…” I stop talking as my cheeks flush, and I focus back on the dog. The buzzing of anxiety in my chest calms. I let out a deep exhale and relax for the first time today. I gesture toward the TV. “Did you know it’s on the news?”
He lets out an irritated sigh. “Yeah. The news has been calling me all day for a statement or interview.” He sits down on the blue cushioned armchair beside the bed, his hands clasped in his lap. Tall, slim, athletic build, dark-brown hair that looks soft to the touch, and a neatly trimmed beard. Wait, I remember his light-brown eyes now. How intense they were when they stared at me. Like they’re trying to reach into my soul. I feel them right now.
“The nurse said you haven’t had any visitors.”
That’s embarrassing. I don’t want to admit I’m alone in this world. As if it defines the person I am. Unlovable. “I don’t have any family,” I whisper.
Is that why it was me? How much did my kidnapper know about me? Was that the plan all along? Choose someone no one would miss?
Ugh, Kali! Stop with the questions you don’t have answers to.
“I hear you’re breaking free in a couple days.” He winces at his choice of words and drops his head. “Sorry, I usually don’t have a problem thinking before I speak.”
“It’s okay. But that’s what I’m told.”
“I’d be surprised if they didn’t assign you police protection, but do you need a ride to your house?”
It didn’t occur to me how embarrassing this sounds until now. “I don’t have one.”
“Kali, are you homeless? I didn’t see it in the report, but if you are, it’s an important detail to tell the Rangers because the suspect might be targeting homeless women. It’s nothing to be embarrassed about.”
“No and yes.”
His thick brows furrow, confused with my answer.
“Saturday…” I tilt my head, and it takes me a moment to remember what day it is. The past few days have been a blur. “Or yesterday was supposed to be my last day in Blackburn. I was moving to Austin this weekend.”
“Oh,” he says, surprised. “Do you have a place in Austin?”
“No,” I reply, sliding my bandages against the edge of the blanket. This made sense on Friday. For the first time in my life, I was being spontaneous. “I was going to stay in a hotel until I found an apartment.”
He nods in response but doesn’t say anything for a minute. I can see more questions swirling in his eyes, but without telling him about the money—and that won’t happen—it doesn’t make much sense, anyway.
Riggs barks once, and the man holds his hands up in the air. “Okay. I’m done. I didn’t mean to sound like a detective.”
Riggs settles back, laying his head down.
“You have a new fan.”
“It’s the other way around. You have a great dog. Smart.”
“More like a smart-ass,” he retorts, narrowing his eyes at him.
I shimmy the blankets up higher on my chest. “I’m sorry I have to ask this, but can you tell me your name again?”
“Shit,” he murmurs, running his hand through his hair again, swooshing the loose piece back. It’s definitely soft. “Sorry. I should’ve re-introduced us as we came in. This is Riggs, and I’m Paxton.”
That’s it. I remember him saying it when he found me. “Well, Paxton, thank you. Thank you for finding me.”
His intense expression softens. “Listen, you don’t know me, but…” He stands up and pulls his wallet out of his front pocket, grabbing a white business card. He slides it onto my bedside table and taps it a few times before removing his finger. “If you need anything, call me. I live in Austin, so if there’s anything I can do to help you…” His voice trails off, and I offer a ghost of a smile. He’s done more than enough to help me.
