I sighed softly. "No, they wouldn't want ruined merchandise." If only for that reason, they would have stopped me from tumbling over. That wasn't much consolation, if I’m being honest.
"I appreciate you," she said. "And I appreciate your guys. They could have left me there."
"No, they couldn't. I wouldn't have let them," I said. "Iwould have bitten their cocks off." That would take some doing, given how big they all were, but it would cause them a lot of pain in the process. Either way, they'd regret not helping her.
She laughed. "I believe you would." She looked back towards the window, blinking away tears she didn't want me to see. I saw them.
"Give yourself some grace," I said. "It's okay to feel what you're feeling right now. What you went through was terrifying. You wouldn't be human if you didn't let it get to you."
"I know," she whispered. "My therapist is going to have a field day. As if we didn't have enough to talk about already."
I wished I could have spared her from all of this, but I could and would do my best to help her through it, the way she'd done with me. Between us, we'd put all of this behind us and move on with our lives.
I hoped.
"I appreciate you too," I said. "You must be exhausted. I'll show you to the spare room."
I uncurled my legs and stood. My feet protested wearing heels for so long. Sneakers and a dress that covered them might be a better option next time, assuming there was a next time.
My therapist would also have fun with the whole situation if I explained it to them, which I wouldn't. Not because they wouldn't understand, but because they might go to the police. If whoever was behind the auction got wind of us coming after them, they'd come after us first.
No, this was something I'd have to keep to myself for now.
CHAPTER 19
LEIF
I caught a couple of hours sleep after Forrest, then Woody, went to work. Forrest, without having slept. Woody said he'd get a couple of hours in, then come back for some rest.
Once again, I was reminded of the joys of working for myself. I was able to keep watch over Sable and Savannah while they slept. Not literally. Okay, not literally in regards to Savannah.
I admit to spending some time leaning against the doorframe watching Sable. Only a little while though. An hour or two. I'm not some crazy stalker. I didn't touch her either. I just watched. Listened when she'd murmured something in her sleep. I couldn't make out what it was. She didn't seem to be scared or angry. She had something to say, so she'd said it. I would have given almost anything to find out what it was. Chances were she wouldn't know herself.
At least she didn't wake up screaming. I half-expected that to happen after what she'd been through. I probably would have. She was stronger than she thought she was. Stronger than any of us guys. Cuter too, I had to admit.
Not wanting to disturb her, I'd left her to it and went to make myself a snack.
She appeared as I was finished putting peanut butter and jelly on a slice of bread. Dressed in one of Forrest's old t-shirts, it fell almost to her knees, all but swallowing her. Her hair hung around her face, wild and messy. Her eyes were sleepy, like she'd only just woken up.
She was so stinking cute, I could have gobbled her up on the spot. If I was into eating other people, which I wasn't. Not in the culinary sense, anyway.
"Hey, do you want some?" I sliced the piece of bread into two and handed her half.
"Thanks," she said, barely glancing at it before taking a bite.
"How are you feeling?" I asked. "How are youreallyfeeling?" I added before she could tell me she was fine and brush the whole thing off.
"You need to talk about what happened." I wasn't asking. She needed to get it off her chest. I needed to hear it, to understand what they did to her.
"I don't know what to say," she said between bites.
"I heard a rumor that if you start from the beginning, that can make it easier," I said. "Personally, I'm a fan of starting in the middle."
Sometimes our brains don't work in a straight line. Why try to force them? I was a big believer in working with our strengths and accepting that we were hardwired to be the way we were.
"I think the middle is right when you walked in the door," she said, offering me a smile that made my heart pound a little faster.
"Before that, then." Watching for her reaction, I placed a hand on her elbow and encouraged her to walk over to the couch with me before sitting down.