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“We’re all set,” he exclaimed.
She jumped when she felt the hand go to her shoulder and someone press behind her.
“Come on, Shawna, I’ll show you to your seat.”
She looked back and saw Tex. He held her gaze and she felt embarrassed for acting so skittish. But truth was, she felt intimated with all these muscular men around. They were capable of things even her wildest imagination couldn’t conjure up. She also thought about the men in uniform that held her captive. Their military positions, their authoritative attitude and abusiv
e ways made her subconsciously attach a stigma to any man in uniform. Even though deep down she knew these men were not like that, she still knew they were capable of hurting and killing as part of their positions as soldiers. It all made her so damn nervous.
She slowly climbed off the stool. Tex placed his hand on her hip and guided her around the room to the dining area. She pressed his hand away from her and turned to look at him.
“I got it,” she said, with more attitude than she meant to.
He held her gaze firmly, and the others were quiet as they watched them.
Tex took her hand and spoke to her as he brought it up to his lips.
“It’s my pleasure to care for you, Shawna.” He kissed her hand and she felt her entire body warm in response. Quickly she sat in her seat. He let her hand go and helped push the chair closer to the table. The scent of his cologne, the feel of his masculinity behind her made her close her eyes and try with all her might not to inhale before he walked away.
She opened her eyes and placed the napkin on her lap before looking around at the others.
The table was huge. The wood thick and solid. Another simile to the men who began to take seats around it. Mercury took the head of the table on one side and Lee took the other. She sat between Mercury and Stitch, while Tex and Tiek took the two seats across from her.
The smell of the food was enticing despite her nervous state. She had barely eaten at the hospital. The food was bland and she was still so afraid. She thought about tonight, and sleeping in this new place with the fears of her dreams causing restless sleep. She wondered if the doctor forgot to place the prescription sleeping pills in the bag with the painkillers. Stitch didn’t mention it. If she asked him, then she would have to explain why she needed them. She could lie, and say the doctor said it would relax her, but the thought of lying to them bothered her. She didn’t know why. It wasn’t like she knew them that well. She didn’t really trust them completely, just enough at a moment of desperation and with the help of knowing the password Keith had given them. From here on out she wanted independence again and to feel safe and secure.
“Is your steak okay?” Mercury asked her.
When she looked up, all eyes were upon her. “Yes. Thank you.” She began to cut into it, seeing steak as a delicacy she never could afford on her own. The entire spread before her looked so appetizing. Did these men eat like this every night? From the fresh-colored vegetable medley to the hot baked bread in the basket, it was a meal she only read about or saw pictures of in magazines. She was poor. There was no other way to describe her way of life.
Of course, she wasn’t homeless, but she did spend a stint of time renting a small bedroom advertised by the college for a few months her first year. Then it became unsafe. The young woman she rented from was a party girl and when strange men hung out all the time, it got scary. She swallowed hard, recalling the one guy who decided to walk into her bedroom and wait for her when she finished showering. She swallowed hard. She was always on a budget, always sacrificing to make ends meet. Her daily salads, canned tuna, or chicken constituted most of her main meals.
“Do you like steak?” Lee asked her. She softly gasped, caught so deep in her bad thoughts she hadn’t expected the male tone. She held his gaze.
“Who wouldn’t like steak?”
“Do you like it rare?” he asked.
“I like it, Lee. I rarely have steak.”
“Shoot, are you a vegetarian?” Tiek asked and then took a huge chunk of meat and pulled it off the fork and into his mouth.
“No, nothing like that,” she replied softly.
“Then what?” Stitch asked her, pushing for a better answer.
She stared at her plate. “I never could afford to have steak. It’s something special. And this is a filet, right?” she asked, noticing how they all had extra-large steaks like porterhouses and she had the filet. There were more steaks on the platter in the center of the table.
“Sure is. We love steak. And now that you’re here, you can have steak whenever you like,” Tiek told her. She felt a bit ashamed, or maybe foolish, for revealing that info about herself to make them feel obligated to provide for her. She didn’t want that. She wanted to be alone. She did alone perfectly.
“That’s very kind of you. But I don’t expect I’ll need taking care of for much longer. In fact, I can’t accept all these things you’re doing for me. I could never pay you back.”
“You don’t have to pay us back. We’re doing it because we want to. Can’t you see that?” Lee asked her.
She held his gaze. “I know it’s what Keith asked of you. To take care of me no matter what happened in Mexico. But, I’ve taken care of myself for this long.”
“You’re more than that to us,” Lee started to say, but Tex grabbed his arm to stop him from continuing.
“Darlin’, let’s not talk about any of that right now. It’s your first night here. We want you to feel safe and comfortable. We’ll talk about what may or may not happen another time,” Tex said.
