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Me, either.Just watching the happy glow on her cheeks had been worth riding a second plodder that would stay on pace with hers.
“No pain from riding?” I questioned.
“None,” she reassured me. “My ribs and shoulder have only been a dull ache once in a while for days now.”
“Physical injuries are usually the first to heal,” I told her. “What about some of the other issues?”
“I still only remember little pieces of what happened after the first day or so,” she confided. “My therapist said I may never remember more than that because I was so heavily drugged. Little pieces of my memory fall back in occasionally. I think they started pumping me with more and more drugs over time so they didn’t have to deal with me. I also don’t recall much of what was said between my kidnappers after I was drugged. I understand Spanish fairly well, but I wouldn’t say I’m fluent enough to a have a long conversation on complicated topics.”
“More fluent than me,” I replied. “We grew up speaking French with Dad, but my Spanish is pretty limited. There’s no hard and fast rule about what you should and shouldn’t remember, sweetheart. You just have to be able to deal with what you do recall. You were drugged pretty heavily. It’s not surprising that you don’t remember a whole lot.”
“I think I’m slowly making peace with that,” she said thoughtfully. “At first, it really bothered me that I had no idea what happened to most of that week, but I’m starting to think I’m better off without those memories. My therapist is probably right. One of the few conversations I remember was when my kidnappers were trying to decide whether to kill me or keep me alive after they realized that it was going to be hard to traffic me like a normal female. I don’t think I’ll ever forget how damn helpless I felt, Chase. My fate was in the hands of four criminals and there was nothing I could do to save myself.”
I buried my hand into her silky locks and stroked her scalp. “Fuck! Why didn’t you tell me you remembered that, Vanna?”
“The conversation just came back to me a few days ago, and I haven’t had a chance. Besides, I’ve had better things to focus on. Like finding myjoie de vivre.”
Shit!I knew I’d definitely found mine, I just wasn’t sure I could keep it.
I cradled her head against my chest as I asked gruffly, “Have you found it yet?”
I tightened my arm around her, trying not to crush her.
Jesus!I felt the need to protect this woman suddenly roar through every cell in my body.
The instinct was so elemental and primordial that I closed my eyes, reminding myself that she was already safe.
No one was ever going to hurt her again.
Ever.
My fucking chest was aching when she finally murmured, “You know, I’m pretty sure that I have.”
Savannah
Panic filled my entire being as I opened my eyes and saw nothing but darkness.
Lights? Where are the lights?
I sat up, trying to clear my head so I could think.
I’m fine. I’m in Big Bear with Chase. I’m perfectly safe.
I nearly jumped out of my skin as I heard something rattle outside.
It’s just the wind, Vanna. Calm the hell down.
I took a few deep breaths, wondering what had happened to the lights I’d left on in the bathroom.
Since the kidnapping, I never slept in the dark.
I couldn’t.
Reaching toward the side table, I fumbled to open the small drawer and pulled out a very tiny flashlight I’d seen there before I’d gone to bed.
I frowned once I turned it on.
“Better than nothing,” I said to myself as I scrambled from the bed.
