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"Oh. Can we go inside? I'd love a shower." Twisting the material of her dress between her fingers, she gave Ro a small smile. "If that's all right, of course."
Holding out a hand, Ro gave her a smile tinged with sadness. "You don't have to do that, you know."
"Do what?"
"Ask permission for every tiny thing."
"Oh." She was too tired to be embarrassed by it, so she simply shrugged. "Old habits."
"Then let's get you some new habits." Hand in hand, the sisters climbed down from the van, and Ro led the way inside the cabin, straight to one of the gorgeous, perfectly decorated bedrooms. The room Ro took her to was painted a lovely, pale purple. In the middle of the floor, stood a beautiful, giant, wrought iron bed.
But it wasn't the furniture that took her breath away. It wasn't even the glimpse of the soaring, majestic mountains she could see through the French doors. Carefully placed around the room were her things. Pictures of her and her parents, the carousel her mother had given Evelyn for her sixth birthday, and half a dozen other knick-knacks.
For weeks now, she'd been smuggling these things out of the house she'd shared with Branson, one or two at a time. They'd all been hidden away, as Branson didn't care to have anything in the house he hadn't personally chosen. But carrying out boxes of her things would have tipped her hand before they were ready, so she'd moved everything in small increments. She'd gone on shopping trips with the sisters Branson hadn't known about and left parts of her purchases with them so they could build a wardrobe for her. Opening a drawer in one of the dressers, she had to fight back another wave of tears at the sight of her carefully chosen clothes filling the space.
"We wanted you to be comfortable while you're here." Ro's gentle voice pulled Evelyn's attention back to the doorway where her sister stood, watching her with a satisfied smile.
"Thank you. This means everything to me." She wanted to elaborate, but she worried if she did, the tears would start and they wouldn't stop.
As if she understood, Ro nodded. "I'll let you get that shower. We'll be downstairs when you're ready."
When the door clicked shut behind her, Evelyn slipped the dress from her shoulders and down over her too narrow hips. The silk pooled at her feet, and she stepped aside. She bent to pick up the dress then stopped and straightened. Branson would have never allowed her to leave anything on the floor, especially not a three-thousand-dollar dress.
But Branson wasn't here. Nobody cared if she left her dress on the floor while she took a shower. Nobody would come bursting in during her shower to berate her or punish her. Leaving the dress where it lay, she kicked off her heels and stripped off her undergarments on the way to the bathroom. She ignored the fear that tried to tell her she wasn't safe here, that he would find her. Her sisters wouldn't let anything happen to her.
Jason wouldn't let anything happen to her.
Turning the handle for the shower, she let her mind drift as she waited for the water to heat up. She'd been trying to ignore her growing feelings for the deliciously nerdy former Navy SEAL. Now that their plan had been so perfectly executed, there was nothing keeping her from exploring those feelings. Especially since she knew they weren't one-sided. Stepping under the spray, she tilted her head back and smiled. Maybe everything really was going to be okay.
* * *
An hourafter she'd stepped into the shower, Evelyn nearly felt ready to face everyone. She'd scrubbed her skin until it turned pink and washed off her perfectly applied makeup. When she was satisfied she'd rid her body of every trace of her old life, she'd finally turned off the shower.
Now she was standing in front of the mirror, dressed in a simple floral tunic and black leggings, her hair up in a ponytail, her face completely unmade. Her eyes were still a little puffy from the crying jag she'd allowed herself in the shower. If she hadn't indulged then, she would have broken down later, possibly while the men were interrogating her. She was much more comfortable giving in to hysterics in private, so she'd curled up on the floor of the shower and wept until she'd finally felt cleansed.
Reaching into her makeup bag, she pulled out a stick of under-eye concealer. She just needed enough makeup to make her feel human and hopefully hide the evidence of her earlier weakness. A few dabs of concealer, some mascara and a hint of blush later, she decided it would have to do. As she took a deep, steadying breath, she left the bedroom and headed down the stairs.
Ro's laughter was the first sound to reach her. Evelyn paused on the stairs and let the simple, happy sound wash over her. That laugh had become one of her favorite sounds over the past few months. With a smile she didn't have to fake, Evelyn finished her trek down the stairs.
All sound stopped when she entered the living room, even Ro's laughter. Jason's eyes met hers, and she knew he was looking for any little sign she wasn't okay. The knowledge steadied her and gave her a boost of courage for what was coming.
"Rowena, Teagan. May I speak with you for a moment, please?"
Octavius and Luca straightened, immediately on alert. Trident, Luca's beautiful German Shepherd, lifted his head from his paws. "What's going on?" Luca asked, his voice hard as steel. The command in his tone was unmistakable, and she was sure many men had fallen in line just at the sound of it.
But she simply met his glare with her own calm stare. "I need to speak with my sisters for a moment. Please."
"Chill out, Luca. We'll be right in the kitchen." Leaning over, Teagan brushed a kiss across Luca's cheek before standing with Ro and heading for the kitchen.
"Anyone think it's creepy they all have the same hair now?" Octavius asked as they left.
Ro snorted. "I'll have to dye it something crazy soon to put him at ease. Maybe purple again, I loved the purple." She moved to the stove and lifted a teakettle from one of the burners so she could fill it with water. "What's on your mind, dear sister?"
"Hopefully not anything that's going to get us in deeper crap than we're already in," Teagan mumbled, leaning back against the island in the middle of the sprawling kitchen. Crossing her arms, she studied Evelyn with her unnervingly emotionless cop eyes. "What's up?"
Deep breaths. In through the nose, out through the mouth. "It shouldn't cause any trouble for either of you. I'll explain you had nothing to do with it."
"With what?" Ro asked, turning away from the stove. Trident, no doubt seeking the treats Ro often snuck him when the men weren't looking, padded up to her and nudged her hand with his nose. Sure enough, Ro pulled a treat from her pocket and slipped it to the dog.
