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“No. I remained in the sports bra I’d been wearing and my underwear. He used a hose that he’d dragged in and sprayed me, then made me wash with dish soap. After that, he threw a t-shirt and jeans at me, the same ones he’d stolen from my house, and told me to dry off and get dressed. So, I did. He told me that he’d been forced to move up his plans when I reported him to the police. Said that I didn’t appreciate his gifts, and now I had to suffer through his lack of preparedness.”

“What happened next?”

I rub the heel of my palm against my aching chest. “He would come in and scold me if I wasn’t kept the way he wanted me to be. He’d angrily brush the knots out of my hair, jerking my head back as he tugged on the knots. I learned it was easier to just use my fingers to brush it out before he got there.” I take a deep breath. “I played along, pretending until he finally unchained me the first time.”

“Is that when you escaped?”

I shake my head, the feel of his hot breath against my neck still so real. “I grabbed the chair he would sit in and hit him over the head, then I ran.

It was pitch black outside, but I made it to the living room before he caught me. That’s—uh—that’s when he beat me. I thought I was going to die; a part of me hoped I would.”

Anastasia crosses over toward me and reaches out to take my hand. The contact is warm, and having her here soothes the pain just enough to keep going.

“He told me that he would mark me so that, no matter where I was, he could find me.” I release Anastasia’s hand and stand, then pull my shirt up to reveal the ‘R’ carved into my skin.

Maverick looks away, his expression taut.

“Oh, Sadie,” Anastasia whispers.

Captain Leopold’s expression is no longer emotionless as he makes a note on his pad. His anger hangs in the air around us, and for the first time, I truly feel like I might be okay. Maybe this is what I needed, an officer not in that rich town where they don’t take anything but crimes against the wealthy seriously.

“How did you end up escaping?” he asks.

“After the beating, I was lying in the cellar, praying. I knew that God had a plan, He always does, and I know that our circumstances don’t diminish His love for us. No matter what, I clung to that truth. To the knowledge that God would use the worst of my life for good, even if I didn’t survive.” I look down. “As I was praying, I was twisting my wrists, and a link in the chain broke. They fell off.”

Captain Leopold’s gaze sharpens. “They just fell off?”

I look down at my wrists, still unable to believe it myself. “They did. They broke and fell to the ground. Since I didn’t know if he was upstairs, I shattered one of the dusty basement windows and climbed out. Then, I ran as far and as fast as I could.”

“What happened next?”

“I can’t really explain it,” I admit. “I was sitting at a bus stop, begging for money so I could buy a ticket, when a man came and sat on the bench.”

“Was it him?”

I shake my head. “No. He said that God told him to pack a backpack with food and water, a sweater, and a bus ticket to South Carolina, then bring it to where I was sitting. He said that God told him that he would recognize me when he saw me.”

Captain Leopold arches a brow. “He said that God gave him instructions to find you?”

“I know how it sounds, but I knew that God was leading me here. I felt it. The man told me his name was Samuel and that I needed to keep my faith because God has a plan for me.”

“Oh wow,” Anastasia breathes, her eyes wide.

“I got onto that bus and rode it from Georgia to South Carolina. Once I was here, I just started walking until I ended up in Maverick’s alley. I was so hungry and just wanted to sleep somewhere I wouldn’t be seen. So, I hid behind some boxes. That’s when he found me.”

“What happened then?”

“He gave me pizza and brought me inside.” I leave out the whole attack part because he thought I was there to mug him, since it’s not necessary to the story. The full truth is that God brought me here so Maverick could rescue me. I see that now. “Then he took me to the boutique and bought me clothes before we stopped at Anastasia’s coffee shop.”

Captain Leopold makes notes on his notepad. “And what about last night?”

“I woke up from a nightmare and didn’t want to be alone. I figured I’d come down and sit in the kitchen until the bar closed. But I realized too late it was a bad idea. The man that stepped into my path wouldn’t back off even when I told him no, and when he touched my hair⁠—”

“It put you right back into that nightmare,” Anastasia finishes as she wipes away tears. “Of course it did. It’s all still so fresh.”

I smile at her, appreciating her presence more than I can put into words. “I had a panic attack. Someone stopped him from touching me again and called for Maverick.”

“That would be Ryker Granger,” Captain Leopold tells me. “He was here working last night.”