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Chapter Six
Antonio
This feels like deja vu.
I rest my elbows on my knees and stare at Triss, unconscious just like when I first brought her into my home. This time, though, it’s because of a concussion. Like before, I’m waiting for her to wake up so she can answer my questions, though I already have my theories.
First, the facts. She left the house about an hour ago. I heard her go down the stairs. I thought she was just going to get something from the kitchen, so I waited for the sound of her coming back up. It never came. I went downstairs and she was gone. The money on the counter was gone, too.
I already knew she’d left Lara behind. There’s no way she could have slipped out a window – the only way she could have gone out, since both doors were still locked and I didn’t hear them open – with a bassinet in tow. Still, I went upstairs to check. As soon as I saw Lara in the bedroom, I immediately called Sally so she could come and watch her. When she arrived, I left to search for Triss. I called Ned to ask for his help as well.
As I drove, I tried to think of all the places Triss could be. I went to the bus stop first. When I didn’t see her on the way there or by the road, I drove in both directions for a few minutes. I still didn’t see her so I turned back.
What if Triss was on her way to the bus stop but she heard the truck coming and hid? I decided to park the truck and go on foot. I kept an eye out for tracks. Ned taught me how to track someone before, when there was a missing child in town, who as it turned out had just fallen asleep in his ‘secret hideout’. It didn’t take me long to find the small pieces of evidence I was looking for, and they pointed to the river. When I got there, I found Triss unconscious and with a swollen ankle.
Her ankle is still swollen. My diagnosis is a sprain. At least it’s not a fracture. Now that I’ve applied the necessary cold compress, elevated it and taped it, it should get better in a few days. Of course, Triss still has to avoid putting weight on it, but I’ll make sure she does that. I’ll be keeping an eye on her from now on.
I’m not going to let Triss escape again.
If I’m right, she did it out of fear. Most likely, she remembered what she was running away from in the first place, whatever it was that drove her to Summerset, and she was afraid it would catch up with her and find her.
No, not it. Him. Or is it them?
Just then, Triss’s eyelids flutter. I sit up straight. After a few moments, she opens her eyes. She stares at the ceiling at first. Then she turns her head and our gazes meet.
“Hello, Triss,” I greet her. “You in bed. Me the first person you see after waking up. Sounds familiar, doesn’t it?”
I’m just hoping she doesn’t try to bolt like she did before. In vain.
Triss gets out of bed. “I have to go. I…”
She tries to stand but winces as she puts weight on her sprained foot. She falls back on the edge of the bed. I sit beside her.
“You shouldn’t have done that,” I scold Triss as I examine her ankle.
“Is it broken?”
“Just sprained. But you still need to let it rest for it to heal, which means you can’t put weight on it. You’ll have to use crutches if you want to walk around.”
“Which means I can’t leave,” Triss concludes.
I nod. “Not that I was going to let you.”
She looks at me with eyes narrowed beneath creased brows. “Were you planning on locking me up?”
“No. I was going to ask you to stay,” I answer. “I am asking you to stay.”
Triss looks away. “I can’t.”
“Because you don’t feel safe here?”
This time, she turns to me with wide eyes.
“I told you when you first came here that I know you ran away, remember? I’ve seen your scars and your bruises. I know you ran away from someone. I know you’re afraid that someone will find you and take you back to the darkness you managed to escape from, but I’m telling you I won’t let that happen.”
Triss wraps her arms around herself and shakes her head. “You don’t know him. You can’t protect me from him.”
“I can if you help me. The cops here will help, too.”
“They can’t help me.”
I frown. She’s even more stubborn now, which probably means she truly believes she is in danger. I have to convince her otherwise.
“Summerset is a small town and it isn’t famous for anything. No one will find you here.”
