The corners of his mouth started to curve upward. She might be small, but there was a fighter inside her. And he liked that a lot. It would serve her well. “No?” He asked, repeating whatseemed to be her favorite word. “Why? Vivian and her guys won’t hurt you anymore. They can’t get to you.”
The woman swallowed and pushed a strand of hair out of her face, tucking it behind her ear. It was Garrett’s first chance to get a good look at her, and he stifled a gasp as realization and recognition set in. “Oh my God, you’re - I’ve been looking for you. You’re Teresa Graham.”
The woman’s eyes widened in horror. “Please don’t tell him you found me. Please.”
Garrett glanced over at Tanner, then turned his attention back to the woman in front of him. He had no intention of pretending not to know who she was talking about. “Russell?”
She nodded. “I have no actual proof he was part of whatever is going on here, but he was the one who had me committed before these people found me. If he finds out where I am, he’ll come for me again. Maybe even put me back in that awful place.”
“Teresa,” Garrett started to say, but she raised her hand to stop him.
“Call me Reese. No one’s used my full name since I was a little girl. My mother would only use it when I was in trouble.” A hint of her sweet smile returned, only it was tinged with sadness, and Garrett wondered where her mother was now. As if reading his mind, Reese said, “she died in a car accident my first year in college.”
“I’m sorry,” Garrett said. “Okay, no hospitals. No ambulances. But tell me, did they hurt you? Any injuries? Sexual assault?”
Reese shook her head. “No. Nothing like that. They even fed me sometimes, and I got to use the toilet.” Her eyes traveled to the bucket, and Garrett felt another wave of nausea roll over him.
“That’s not a fucking toilet,” he bit out.
Reese shrugged. “They weren’t gentle, but I think whoever was screaming in the other room got it much worse than I did.”
Garrett visibly recoiled at the thought of Hallie’s screams. Caden had left in an ambulance with her a while ago. Garrett could only hope she was already getting the care she needed.
“Did you know her?” Reese asked softly.
The woman sure was perceptive. He nodded slowly, not bothering to correct Reese that Hallie was still alive. At least he hoped for Caden’s sake that she was. “Let’s get you out of here,” he said, then turned back to Tanner. “Go let Blake know what’s going on.”
Tanner nodded and left, leaving Garrett alone with Reese. He shrugged out of his jacket and draped it around her shoulders before helping her slip into it. “It’s not that cold outside, but this should keep you covered up.”
“Thanks.” She wore a pink tank top and denim shorts. Both were filthy, but they did nothing to hide her soft curves and long legs. Even in this condition, Garrett couldn’t deny that Reese Graham was a beautiful woman with a very sweet smile. He moved to lift her into his arms, but she held her hand out to block him.
“I was carried into this hellhole. I’ll be damned if I let anyone carry me out. I can walk.” The steel in her tone had a bite to it, but Garrett understood where she was coming from. Still, he stayed close as she started to stand. He offered his arm, but she refused to take it. He respected the strength behind her attitude and hoped it never faded. She would need it in the days and weeks to come.
He grabbed the camera with one hand, and guided her to the door, pleased that she seemed to lean into his touch at the small of her back rather than pull away from it.
Just before taking her first step out of the room, she’d been held prisoner in, she stopped and turned to Garrett. Her gazelanded somewhere on his mouth, but he doubted it was meant in a sexual way. He really wished she would look him in the eye. Because if this had anything to do with shame, Reese Graham had absolutely nothing to be ashamed of. She was probably one of the strongest women he’d ever met, and he hardly knew anything about her.
“Where are we going?” She demanded. The bravado in her voice just barely hid the quiver of uncertainty. Even vulnerability. “Because I’m not giving a statement.” Reese lifted her chin in defiance, almost daring him to make her.
That stopped Garrett in his tracks. He had no idea how he was going to explain her presence if she refused to give a statement. But if Vivian had her in front of a camera, it could only mean one thing - Reese Graham had an ability of some kind, or at least Vivian suspected she did. The thought had been there in the back of his mind this whole time, and he was itching to ask her about it. But given how guarded she was, Garrett didn’t think he’d be able to get her to admit to anything right now.
She sighed, probably perceiving his extended silence as some kind of reprimand. “Look, I don’t mean to cause problems, but if you put me in the system, Russell will find me. I’d be better off if you left me on the streets to fend for myself.” Her words came out harsh, with a tinge of bitterness. It seemed whatever Russell had done to her, started long before he put her in that hospital.
“I’d never do that.” He honestly wasn’t surewhathe was going to do with her. If she refused medical assistance, wouldn’t give a statement, and clearly had no family to reach out to, the only other option was - No, he wouldn’t do that. The last time he’d brought his work home with him, it had a disastrous ending. He wouldn’t go there again.
But what else could he do? Put her up in a hotel? No, that wasn’t an option either. She’d probably up and leave the second his back was turned, and he’d never find her again.
Reese Graham was their only real connection to her step brother, Russell Graham. If they wanted to nail him for everything he’d done to Orly, they needed Reese’s help. Which meant, they neededher.
Shit.
He was going to regret these next words, but he said them anyway. “How about this? I can take you back to my place. I have a guest house on my property where you can stay until we figure things out.”
Reese stiffened, her eyes going wide. “Why would you offer something so generous to a perfect stranger? I don’t have any money. I can’t pay you.”
Garrett sighed and rubbed a hand over his face. He’d been up all night after working a twelve-hour shift. “I wouldn’t take your money if you had bags of it. You need help, and I’m in a position to provide it.” Left unsaid was that he also neededherhelp, but he’d wait until she had a chance to get cleaned up, eaten something, and gotten plenty of rest before telling her that.
They stood in the doorway of the stinky hotel room for a long moment. The early morning breeze lifted the ends of her hair, and felt amazing against his hot skin. There was something about this woman that had Garrett thinking things he shouldn’t be - like what shade of brown her eyes were in the warm glow of a sunrise. How she took her coffee in the morning. What kind of books she liked to read.