Total pages in book: 141
Estimated words: 141428 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 707(@200wpm)___ 566(@250wpm)___ 471(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 141428 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 707(@200wpm)___ 566(@250wpm)___ 471(@300wpm)
“Okay, baby. Just breathe. I shouldn’t have asked. You gave control to me. I’m going to take care of you. I don’t take that lightly.”
“What about when I want to come back?”
“Well, then you say parsnip, huh?”
“All right,” she said.
“What I want you to do right now is just relax. I’m going to rub your head. Help you relax.”
“Why are you helping me?” she asked.
“Uh-uh, no serious questions right now. You’ve reached your limit. Now, close your eyes. I want you to think about something nice. What else do you like to do besides pottery?”
“Nothing. I don’t have anything else.”
“Well, we’ll have to remedy that. Hmm, what would you like to do?”
How could she do anything with a wrecked arm?
She tried to push the bitter thought out of her mind as he massaged her head.
God. Was it bad that she was so upset over her arm when her father could be dead? But she couldn’t seem to work up much horror or outrage.
You should tell someone. You can trust Hayes.
“Why are you doing this? Helping me? Is it because you’re my friend?”
A strange look passed through his face and he paused, no longer massaging her head.
Darn it. That had been the only thing keeping the headache at bay. She wanted to beg him not to stop, but she wasn’t going to force him to touch her.
“Let’s talk about that later, okay?” he finally said. “Right now, you should rest.”
Right. Probably because he didn’t want to upset her right now since she was in a hospital bed.
But she knew he didn’t really want more.
There was a knock on the door and Kent appeared.
Hayes got up and they started speaking quietly. She strained to hear them.
“Just tell them to wait,” Hayes said. “Devi’s not up to talking to the cops yet.”
No. She didn’t want to do that.
“They’re getting insistent,” Kent warned. “The trailer is being processed as a crime scene. Once we’re free to go in we’ll get anything we can that Devi might want and get someone to clean it for when she returns.”
Devi tensed. Return? She couldn’t go back there. Her breathing started growing faster.
Why did this keep happening? What was wrong with her?
“She won’t be returning,” Hayes said firmly.
Immediately, the panic dissipated.
No, she wouldn’t be returning. She couldn’t go back there.
And Hayes was in charge right now. So her only job was to do what he said.
God. What a relief that was.
“I thought you’d say that. We’ll get her stuff for you.”
“Thanks, man. Appreciate it.”
Where were they going to put her stuff?
It doesn’t matter. You don’t have to think right now.
“It’s okay, baby. You just relax,” he murmured as he returned to her. “I’ve got you. All you have to do is rest and Daddy has this. Daddy will take care of you.”
She closed her eyes, drifting off.
Daddy had this.
24
Why was that person speaking so loudly?
She frowned and tried to roll onto her side. Pain shot up her arm, stealing her breath. She whimpered.
“You just woke her up, you’re upsetting her,” Hayes said. “You need to leave.”
“We need to find out who attacked her,” another voice said. “Which means we need to speak to her.”
“She’s asleep. She just got out of surgery, you can wait.”
“Her doctor said she’s fine to be interviewed. Tell us when she wakes up.”
There was silence and then a low voice started swearing.
Hayes.
Opening her eyes, she stared up at him in worry.
Immediately, he wiped the anger off his face. “Baby, sorry we woke you.”
“That was the police?” she asked in a croaky voice.
“Yeah,” he replied as he picked up a glass of water from the bedside table. It had a straw in it which he held to her mouth. She latched on but it was an awkward angle.
Instead of raising the bed, he slipped his free hand under her head and gently lifted her.
Darn it.
She liked that. A lot. She liked him taking care of her like this.
Daddy will take care of you.
Had he really said that? Or had she dreamed it?
“I don’t want to talk to them,” she told him after he removed the straw from her mouth. He laid her back down just as carefully.
She wasn’t certain that anyone had ever touched her with such tenderness and if she wasn’t careful, it would make her cry.
He sat on the bed facing her and brushed her hair away. “Need to do something about your hair.”
Reaching up, she felt around. “Looks that bad, huh?”
Hayes grabbed hold of her hand, pulling it back down. “Stop that. It doesn’t look bad at all. It just keeps going in your face and annoying you.”
Devi froze. “You noticed that?”
“Yeah, baby. Of course I did.” He said that like it was a given. As though anyone would have noticed that.
She didn’t think that was the case, though.
“Unfortunately, I can try and keep the police away a bit longer but you will have to talk to them eventually.”