Total pages in book: 78
Estimated words: 73774 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 369(@200wpm)___ 295(@250wpm)___ 246(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 73774 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 369(@200wpm)___ 295(@250wpm)___ 246(@300wpm)
She stares at me… No, stares through me, and I know, despite her body being here, she isn’t really here. I set her on the counter and, without looking, undress her and then turn the water on. In her back pocket, I feel something hard, so I pull it out and find her license and a credit card. Sadie Ruiz, born June 26th. Based on the year she was born, she’s twenty-eight years old.
I set the cards down on the counter, and with my clothes still on, I step into the shower with her and wash her from head to toe. I scrub her hair a couple of times since it’s been a while and soap as much of her body as I can without touching the parts I shouldn’t touch.
“Can you wash yourself?” I ask her.
With her eyes barely open, she takes the washcloth from me, spreads her thighs slightly and wipes between her legs, then hands it back to me, closing her eyes. Figuring that’s as good as it’s going to get, I turn the water off and get out so I can get out of my wet clothes and into dry ones. Then I grab a towel and wrap her up in it, carrying her to my bedroom, where I put one of my shirts on her, along with a pair of my boxers.
Since she’s barely awake, I lay her on my bed and cover her with the sheets so she can get a good night’s sleep. Once she wakes up, I’ll feed her, and then she can be on her way.
“No! No! Please, fix my baby! He can’t be gone!”
The screams of terror have me jumping up from my seat—where I was sitting on the balcony and smoking a joint—and sprinting into the bedroom.
Sadie’s eyes are closed, but her body flails from side to side. Fuck, she’s stuck in a nightmare. Knowing about them all too well, I pull her into my arms, holding her tightly so she won’t hurt me, and whisper for her to wake up.
She jolts awake, her eyes meeting mine. She’s only been asleep for a few hours, but she already looks better. The sadness is still there, but she looks a little less tired.
“Who are you?” she breathes, her brows pinching together. “Where am I?” She tries to scramble out of my hold, so I let her go.
“I’m Gage, and you’re in my apartment. The cops were going to arrest you for sleeping at the cemetery, so I brought you back here to shower and get some sleep.”
Her features fall at the mention of the cemetery, and her eyes glass over as she edges off the bed and stands. “Thank you,” she mutters, glancing down at my clothes. “I need to go back.”
“Not tonight. They’ll arrest you. You need to wait until at least tomorrow. It’s two in the morning.”
She sighs, tears filling her lids. “Maybe they won’t notice.”
“Or they’ll be waiting to bust you, and you’ll spend the night in jail and be charged with trespassing.”
Understanding flits across her features. “Yeah, okay.” She nods. “I’ll just, um, get going…” As she speaks, her stomach rumbles so loudly it fills the room.
“You’re not going anywhere.” Her eyes go wide, and I realize I said that a bit too harshly. “It’s late, and I’m not letting you leave in the middle of the night. Let me feed you, get a bit more sleep, and once it’s morning, you can go.” She contemplates this for a few beats before she nods in agreement.
The kitchen has food, but not much, so I make us both a bacon, egg, and cheese sandwich, which she devours in only a few bites. When I offer to make her another, she shakes her head.
“That’s okay. I’d like to get some sleep if that’s okay with you. Do you… have a guest room?”
“Nah, it’s a three-bedroom place, and I have two roommates, but I can sleep on the couch—”
“No,” she says, cutting me off. “I can. I don’t mind.”
“Not happening.” I walk us back to my bedroom and turn the blankets down. “Get in and get some sleep.”
She listens, climbing into the bed, but once she’s in, she doesn’t lie down. “Do you think you could lay with me? I know we don’t know each other, but…” Tears fill her eyes. “I just have a hard time sleeping.”
“No worries,” I tell her, getting in and sliding next to her. She doesn’t come closer, but she faces me, looking past me for several minutes until her eyes drift shut.
Once I know she’s asleep, I get out of bed and go out onto the balcony to smoke. I’m only out here for maybe a half an hour when a soft, feminine voice has me turning around.
“Hey,” she says, standing in the doorway, eyes filled with tears.