she’d be able to argue with Truck she was being safe. Not that he’d need to know about this little encounter. She grinned, knowing the thought was a lie. She reveled in sharing her adventures with her husband, and if she was honest with herself, it was always kind of fun to wallow in the knowledge he loved her so much he’d promise to do over-the-top things to keep her safe. That man. “Are you awake?”
The figure stirred, and Vanna quieted, waiting. Pale, delicate fingers appeared and curled around the articles of clothing covering their face, tugged them down, and Vanna found herself staring into the elfin features of a girl who couldn’t be more than seventeen or eighteen. Deep purple bruising circled both eyes, the raccoon effect typically the product of a terrible blow to the head. Green and yellow dotted her throat, mapping where a hand had brutally gripped. She blinked, and Vanna noted the red streaks in the sclera of her eyes, more evidence of trauma.
“I’m not gonna cause any trouble.” The girl’s bottom lip was split and swollen, but her words were understandable. Her voice trembled as she restated, “I don’t want to cause trouble.”
“You’re not, honey. It’s okay. Needed a safe place to catch a nap. I get it.” Vanna hunkered down where she stood on the gravel of the parking lot, putting one knee to the ground. Making herself smaller would lessen the girl’s fear, something she knew from having a hand in far too many rescues. Ones that felt just like this one—desperately needed. “Are you hungry? Have you eaten recently?”
“Uh, a couple of days ago.” The girl angled into an awkward sitting position, one hip cocked up as if it hurt to touch the ground. She was close to the tree but not leaning against it, supporting her weight on an arm propped behind her. Both of those things spoke volumes to Vanna. “I’m okay, ma’am. Thank you.”
“A couple of days ago isn’t okay, honey. I’ve got some provisions in the car. Would you be all right with it if I got you a few things?” She took in more of the girl’s condition. Her lips were dry, the skin on her fingers pinched and wrinkled. Dehydrated, too. “I’ve got a couple of bottles of water you might be interested in, too.”
“I’m…” The girl bowed her head, breaking eye contact as she focused on the ground between them. “I’m awful thirsty.”
“I’ll get you fixed right up.” Vanna stepped backwards as she stood, creating distance as she rose to what could be interpreted as a more threatening posture. She dropped her daypack to the ground, making a marker for how close she’d originally approached. “Give me half a minute. You here alone, honey?”
“Yes, ma’am. It’s just me.”
Vanna’s gaze swept the lot as she made her way to the back of the little SUV she drove. Her tire tracks were the only ones in the dirt of the entryway. It had rained about a week ago. That meant either the girl had been dropped off before then or she’d walked in. This particular trailhead adjoining a tiny sliver of national parkland wasn’t adjacent to any main roads. It was a long trek from anywhere with a population, one of the draws of the location for Vanna.
She spoke loudly enough for the girl to hear, aiming at reassuring her. “And it’s only me. So now it’s just the two of us.” Hatch lifted, she rummaged around in the two crates of food items she kept in the car. She ignored the hiker-food goods for now and focused on what could be termed comfort food. Toaster pastries and water bottles, beef and turkey jerky, and a package of gum. Shoving the haul of goodies into a small bag, she grabbed another bottle of water and a protein bar for herself, picked up a folded blanket from the other pile of supplies, and walked back towards the girl, clicking the car fob to close the hatch. A couple of strides from where she’d left the daypack, she asked, “Is it okay if I sit with you for a while? The sun sure is hot.” It wasn’t, but she wanted to give the girl the right of refusal. Vanna bent slightly and grabbed one strap of her pack. “I bet it’s cooler up under those trees.”
“Yes, ma’am. Feel free to sit anywhere you want.”
The girl had attempted to straighten her sleeping pile while Vanna was by the car,