"It's okay."
Mr. Everford hauls me into his arms as he says this, and I don’t understand why this makes me feel so strangely—
"You're safe now."
—safe.
"I'm sorry you had to go through this."
My safety is something I took for granted my whole life.
But now that it's really sinking in to me, how I was almostnotsafe—
"I'm sorry."
That's when my body starts trembling and my head starts feeling light.
I don't know if it's shock or delayed panic.
I don't know if it's PTSD or something else.
All I know is that all I can suddenly see is the wild, crazed look on Jerry's face. All I can remember is the crippling sense of helplessness that gripped my body when he shoved me against the wall. All I can hear is his grunt, his breath against my ear—
I'll make this a night you won't ever forget.
And after everything that's happened—
Sandy cheating on me.
Being kicked out of the house.
Being homeless.
Broke.
And almost being raped.
This time, it's real.
My world turning dark.
And I remember...just before the darkness swallowed me whole, I remember a part of me wishing that I would never wake up again.
Chapter Eleven
I CARRY HER OUT OFthe stockroom, and the manager makes the mistake of trying to follow.
My men handle it, and I don't look back. Whatever the manager wants to say isn't for me, and the only thing in this building that matters to me right now is in my arms, and the only direction I'm walking is out.
Montero has the limousine door open before we reach the curb.
"Where to, sir?"
"My home."
"Understood, sir."
I get in with her still cradled against me, and I keep her there, settled in my lap, because the alternative is putting her down on the seat across from me and I'm not putting her down. Not yet.