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“Hello, Bexli. My name is Kima,” she said after stepping aside so we could enter and I set Bex on her feet. “Like Cayman, I am here to help in any way you need.”
“A shower?”
“Of course, if you’ll come with me—”
“No!” Bexli’s jagged fingernails dug into the skin on my forearm when I released it from her shoulders. “I need you with me,” she whispered.
“I’ll take it from here,” I said to Delfino. “Where is the clothing you mentioned?”
“With your things.”
I nodded and thanked her. I knew from her dossier that Delfino had extensive training in victim advocacy and trauma counseling. I should’ve considered that and asked her to return to the compound in the SUV with us. However, I was grateful she’d somehow managed to arrive before we did.
I led Bexli up the staircase and down the hallway. The room I’d been assigned was one of the larger ones and had a rather luxurious en suite bath. As promised, several articles of clothing were laid out on the bed. Bex was so distressingly thin that I had no doubt even the smallest sizes would hang on her. However, not likely as much as the flannels she had on now.
She held onto me as I walked to the shower area. When I reached in to turn it on and adjust the water’s temperature, I noticed her gaze longingly at the oversized tub.
“Would you prefer a bath?” I asked.
“May I?”
I shut the water off in the shower. “As Kima said, we’ll do everything in our power to give you whatever you need or want, Bex.”
“I need you with me, Cay.”
“Of course.”
Even when I moved to run water in the tub, Bexli kept her hands on me. It was a perplexing contrast to how she’d behaved at the restaurant. There, she’d seemed more confident, more self-assured. Was it because of the man who’d kept her from immediately coming to me? Was he holding her in his arms more than captive? And in the kitchen, she’d immediately raced over to the old woman and embraced her. I stopped myself from asking her about either of them or how she came to shelter with the family of someone Mithras employed. There would be ample time for questions later. I’d not allow myself or anyone else to make Bexli feel as though she was being interrogated.
“How can I assist?” I asked after adjusting the water’s temperature as I had with the shower.
“Stay with me.”
I turned her in my arms and guided her to the tub’s edge. When she sat, I knelt before her and removed each of her socks. Bandages, which I gently peeled off, covered the soles of both her feet. While the water may sting the cuts initially, it was necessary to keep the wounds clean.
She sat with her arms at her sides like I imagined a child might with a parent who was helping them disrobe. “Do you need help with the rest?” I asked.
When she nodded, I lifted the shirt slowly, waiting for her to take over. When she made no move to do so, I raised it over her head and tossed it to the floor. “Stand for me, my darling.” I lowered the flannel pants, biting my tongue to keep myself from gasping at how emaciated she was.
I looked up as I felt her body shudder and wrapped my arms around her when I saw tears streaming down her cheeks.
“I’m…” Her voice cracked, and her quiet cry turned into sobbing.
I used the pad of my thumb to wipe her cheeks. “You’re safe, Bexli, and I’ll not allow anyone to hurt you ever again.”
“Promise?” she whispered.
“With every fiber of my being.” While careful to keep my hands on her, I stood and helped her do the same. I felt the water with my fingertips to make sure it wasn’t too hot or cold. “Climb in, darling.”
She looked over her shoulder, then back at me. “I need you with me.”
“I’m not going anywhere.”
“Withme, Cay.”
I realized she meant in the bath. “I won’t go. I’ll sit right here.”
The tears that had subsided flowed again, making me feel like the biggest arse. Worse, I feared that if I were to remove my clothes and feel her bare skin next to mine, my body’s instinctual response would horrify her. Yes, she was starved, physically and emotionally fragile, and while I should seethatabove anything else, I’d never been able to look at her the way I knew she saw me—as a friend or, worse, a sibling.
