the door for at least five minutes. The woman slept on her stomach by the fire, never moving or acknowledging the loud thuds.
“Well, damn. Jack said to come and check on her and give her a haircut. The least she could do is answer the door.” She pounded on the wood again. Nothing.
“That’s it. I’m calling Jack.”
She dug out her cell phone and dialed her brother. “Jack, I’m at the cabin. I see the woman, but she won’t wake up and answer the door.”
“What do you mean she won’t wake up?”
“Like I said, she’s asleep by the fire. She’s got a towel on her hair, and she’s wearing a really pretty white robe with red roses on the back. I’ve been knocking for five minutes. She won’t wake up and the place is locked up tight. Sally is curled up next to her watching me out here like I’m crazy.”
“I’m on my way over. I have the spare key. Keep an eye on her.”
“Like she’s going anywhere. She’s not even moving.”
Jack hung up and hauled ass out of the barn to his truck. He sped down the driveway, hoping Jenna was all right and knowing in his gut something was terribly wrong. He shouldn’t have left her. He should have taken her to the damn hospital, even if he had to drag her by that hair she was so concerned about getting cut.
The trip took only a couple minutes, but Jack worked himself into a panic. He flashed back to days in the field, soldiers bloody and dying as he tried to help. Stomping down the military memories and trying to stay focused in the here and now, he launched himself up the stairs toward his waiting sister. Smart, she stood back as he barreled for the entrance. He unlocked the door and crossed to Jenna in a few long strides. They weren’t red roses on the robe like his sister described, but blood. Fresh blood. His sister came in and kneeled by Jenna’s head and unwrapped the towel from her hair. It spilled over the pillow, flashing red in the firelight. Summer ran her fingers through the wet strands and pushed them away from Jenna’s bruised face.
“Jack, what the hell is this? She’s bleeding and it looks like someone took hedge clippers to her hair. No wonder she wanted a haircut. Who did this to her?”
“I don’t know. She showed up today. Ben rented the place for her a few months back. Never said when she was coming, just paid for a year and asked me to keep the place ready for her.”
“She needs an ambulance. She’s so pale. Her skin is hot and slick. It’s not because of the fire, either. She’s sick.”
Something inside him warned not to do the obvious thing, but protect Jenna. “I’m calling Ben.” He stood to dial his phone and spotted the digital camera on the table. He picked it up, hit the power button, and swore vividly. He’d known her clothes hid something, but never expected anything as bad as what the photos revealed.
“Ben, what the hell is going on? It’s Jack. Jenna showed up today out of the blue. She’s unconscious on the floor, bleeding.”
“What? She told me she’d be okay. She said . . .” Ben’s voice trailed off.
“She took pictures of herself. She’s got slash marks across her entire backside and a cut about a foot long on her thigh. Nearly every inch of her is covered in bruises. Now, tell me who she is and what happened to her.”
Jack vibrated with anger and concern for this poor woman. Summer pulled the blanket off Jenna’s legs. She accidentally bumped the cut and Jenna moaned with pain. Jack’s stomach turned. Summer stroked Jenna’s hair and whispered, “You’re okay. We won’t hurt you. We’ll take care of you.” Jack’s throat closed up with emotion.
“She took the photos for me. I’ll put them in the book with the others.”
Jack interrupted and spoke very slowly and deliberately. “What do you mean the others? How many times has this happened?”
Ben’s heavy sigh whooshed into the phone. Jack felt his frustration. Jenna moaned again, and he died a little inside.
“Once is too many,” Ben expressed, a weary sigh to his voice.
Jack agreed with the sentiment.
“Never this bad, according to what you and Jenna have told me about what happened. But still . . . I don’t know how she survives.
“I don’t even know what she really looks like. I’ve never seen her in person. I’ve