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My arms wrapped around her, and I cradled her close to me, sitting on the hardwood floor next to the bed, listening to her cry against me. My hand moved up her back, feeling the bumps through her shirt from the scars I’d given her. “I’ll always save you.”
Nine
One Problem, All Problems
After she wrapped her bottom half in a towel, I took her out of the communal cabin, walking past the men whose favor I had just earned a week ago, and back to her cabin across the camp.
Sniffles still sounded behind me because even though she’d calmed down, she still wasn’t herself, with her steely gaze, an unbreakable posture, a woman who believed in triumph in the face of defeat.
I knew the tormenting would never stop.
If Alix didn’t try again, it would just be someone else.
She was the woman who’d cost us the lives of men we used to know, and the torture had escalated from physical pain to something much more sinister. It would just keep happening until they completely crushed her spirit.
I unlocked the door, and we stepped inside.
She immediately took a seat on the edge of the bed, still wrapped in the towel from the bathroom. Her arms crossed over her body like she was still cold, and her gaze was downcast, her eyes open and still, as if she was reliving it all over again.
“Grab your things.”
She slowly lifted her chin to look at me. “What?”
“I said, get your things.” I kept my voice controlled and soft since she was sensitive right now. What I really wanted to do was snap my fingers and get her to move quickly, so no one would see what was about to happen.
“Why?” She got to her feet and looked at me, her face so puffy from her tears, she looked like she’d just taken a beating.
“Because you’re going to stay with me. Now, come on.”
She inhaled a deep breath when she heard what I said, like she couldn’t believe it.
“If I leave you here…” I didn’t need to finish the sentence to make my point. “Do as I ask.”
She nodded then dropped the towel, not caring that I could see her naked bottom half. She pulled on her underwear and her pants then gathered what few possessions she had. It was just a couple items that she stuffed into her pockets. Then she turned back to me, emotional all over again, but for a different reason.
“I can’t let you go, but I can keep you safe while you’re here.” I walked out.
She followed behind me a second later.
I locked the door even though there was no point. Just a habit.
We crossed the camp until we reached my cabin. I unlocked the door and let her go first.
She stepped inside and looked around, seeing the small desk against the wall with a laptop, the TV on the stand against the wall, the twin bed in the corner under the window, and the bathroom.
I didn’t want to share my space with her like this, but I had no other choice.
She moved to the chair in front of the desk and took a seat. She was in a dreamlike state, like she was still in shock. She glanced at her hands before she raised her chin and looked at me again.
I stared back.
The moonlight came through the window and made her eyes shine. “Now what?”
It was late, and I had a long day tomorrow. “We’ve got to sleep.” I pulled my shirt over my head and tossed it in the hamper in the corner. My jeans came next because I couldn’t sleep unless I was in my boxers. If it made her uncomfortable, that was too bad. “You can stay up and watch TV if you want. Just keep it on low.” I pulled back the sheets and lay on the small bed, which was already too small for just me. I missed my king-size in Paris, having all the space I could need. I lay on my back and stared at the ceiling.
She stayed in the chair, her eyes looking out the uncovered window.
I was tired, but I couldn’t sleep, not when she was sitting in that chair, looking out the window. Someone had just tried to rape her fifteen minutes ago. It would be impossible to wind down and drift off so quickly. “Do you want to talk about it?” I could see her face turn slightly in my peripheral to look at me.
She stared for a while. “No.”
“Touch my laptop or my phone, I’ll throw you back to the wolves. I may have helped you, but I won’t liberate you. I built this place to make it impossible to escape, so I suggest you don’t bother.”
She was quiet.
“Do you understand?”
Her voice came out quiet, afraid. “Yes…”
I turned my head to look directly at her.
