Total pages in book: 47
Estimated words: 42863 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 214(@200wpm)___ 171(@250wpm)___ 143(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 42863 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 214(@200wpm)___ 171(@250wpm)___ 143(@300wpm)
We practiced that for a couple more minutes until I could breathe on my own. Slowly, I ran my eyes over the room, taking it all in. Everything was done in dark tones. Even the walls had been painted a darker tan color—not quite brown. And while some might find it dreary, I found it comforting. It was a stark contrast to the clinical white walls I’d been surrounded by for the past few months, and for the first time in just as long, I felt like I could breathe.
“Where’s Beck?” I croaked, my voice hoarse. I licked my lips, wincing at how chapped they were. They were so bad that just rubbing my tongue over my lower lip made it bleed, and I winced when the taste of copper lingered on my tastebuds.
I’d had enough of that copper taste to last me a lifetime.
The man stood to his feet, and I shrunk back from his towering height. Not only was he massive, but he was tall, too. My fingers clenched the blankets as I tracked every step he took toward the door.
“Do not worry about him,” the man told me, looking at me over his shoulder as he gripped the door handle. “Adelaide and Reina will be here in a minute. They’re here to help you, and they won’t hurt you.”
With that, he left the room before I could even ask him what his name was. I slowly moved off the bed, my legs a bit shaky. I hadn’t used them much lately, and that was evident in the way I walked. Opening the nightstand drawer closest to me, I frowned. It was empty. Sighing, I opened the drawer below it, but nope. Nothing there either.
Making my way around the bed, I opened that nightstand, flinching at the sight of the gun and bullets inside. The drawer beneath it had a locked safe, but there was no key. I huffed and closed that as well just as the door to the room opened again. I swung around, almost losing my balance and having to grip the bed for support so I wouldn’t topple over. Two women stepped into the room.
The first woman to walk in had long, dark hair and warm brown eyes, though there was a hardness to them I immediately understood. Like me, she’d gone through something rough, too.
The woman that followed her inside was a little shorter, curvier, and had blonde hair and blue eyes. They were practically polar opposites of each other, but the darkness in their eyes was the same.
Pain. Emotional pain and trauma. Soul deep scars.
“Snooping?” the dark-haired woman asked in a teasing tone. “Don’t worry. If I woke up in a strange place with a strange man that resembled The Hulk watching over me, I’d be worried and snooping, too.” A small smile tilted her lips. I relaxed a little. “I’m Adelaide, and this is Reina.” She gestured to the blonde woman. “How do you feel about taking a shower? Tank had me pick up some clothes and toiletries for you earlier. They’re in the bathroom.”
“I… that man—is he Tank?” I asked.
Reina nodded. “Yep. He looks terrifying, but he’s really just a big teddy bear. You don’t have to worry about him.” She walked over to a door and pushed it open before reaching in and flicking on a light. A bathroom done in the same dark tones as the room I was in greeted my eyes. “Come on. I’m sure a shower will feel nice. Emma is making you some food so you can eat once you’re done showering.”
I swallowed thickly. They were being nice. Really nice. And it made my chest ache. I hadn’t had this much attention in years—not from anyone other than Beck.
Beck.
My chest ached. Where was Beck? And why wouldn’t Tank tell me where he was? Why did Tank tell me not to worry about him? Were they hurting him? Was he dead?
My throat constricted, and I had to force myself to swallow to dislodge the lump there. “Where’s Beck?” I asked the two women in front of me, my hands trembling at my sides.
Adelaide shook her head at me. “Go get a shower, hun. What’s your name?”
Tears blurred my eyes, but I bit my tongue, forcing them back. I couldn’t cry over Beck. If he was in trouble, then I needed to be able to help him. Crying couldn’t save him. Tears did nothing for him.
“Clarke,” I whispered, answering her question. I twisted my fingers in front of me. “Is he at least safe?”
Reina nodded at me after exchanging a look with Adelaide I couldn’t read. “He’s safe. That’s all we’re willing to tell you.” She jerked her chin in the direction of the bathroom. “Now go ahead and get a shower, girly.”
I sighed and headed into the bathroom, shutting the door quietly behind me. I didn’t think they were lying to me about Beck, but if he was so safe, then why wouldn’t they tell me anything about him?