as we weaved our way through the county toward Mark’s house.
Dammit, I really didn’t want to go to his place. Dread mixed with the relief of escaping the closet.
I didn’t want to see where he lived, whether he had a bachelor pad or his place felt like a home. I didn’t want to know what kind of life he lived. I knew he kept in touch with people back home because I’d heard his name mentioned in passing more than once, but I never, ever stayed around long enough to hear more than that. I couldn’t. I’d survived and thrived to that point because I didn’t know those things, because I’d completely distanced myself from him.
The whole night had been one horrendous horror show, and I knew the full weight of it hadn’t hit me yet. I was still running on pure adrenalin. I recognized the feeling—the racing heartbeat and hyper-vigilance. While logically I understood that we were no longer in danger, nothing felt safe yet. We were still, for all intents and purposes, on the run. As I stared out the window, I wondered if I’d ever feel settled again.
“Home sweet home,” the driver said as he pulled into the driveway of an older, ranch style house. “I’ll grab the gear out of the back.”
“Thank fuck we didn’t have to use any of it,” the woman said as she threw open her door. “Easiest night we’ve had in a while.”
I grit my teeth and refused to reply to her comment. It was an easy night for her? Congratu-fucking-lations. So glad that one of the worst nights of my life had been a piece of cake for her.
I clenched my jaw and grabbed my purse off the seat. Climbing out of the SUV to stand awkwardly beside it, I stared at Mark’s house like it was going to bite me. God, I didn’t want to go in there. I was so grateful for everything they’d done, so relieved that we were okay and they’d come to save us, but what I wanted more than anything was to get as far away from Mark Eastwood as I could, before the weight of the past was thrown on top of the weight of the present and I suffocated.
“Come on,” Mark ordered. I drug my feet as he led me to a door between the detached garage and the house.
The door opened into a kitchen, and I catalogued it without conscious thought. While it wasn’t a complete bachelor pad, it wasn’t exactly homey, either. The dining room table was covered in newspaper, and on top of that was some sort of rusty car part, but the kitchen counters were clean and there was even a half-burned candle sitting between the burners on the stove. I couldn’t imagine Mark actually buying a candle at the store. Did he sniff a bunch of them before he decided which one he wanted? Did his girlfriend buy it for him? Did he have a girlfriend? Dammit, why was I even thinking about that?
“I’ve got a guest room,” he said, catching me checking out his place. “You can stay in there tonight.”
“Thanks,” I mumbled as I followed him down a short hallway.
He stopped in the doorway of the furthest room down the hall and flipped on the light, gesturing me inside. The room wasn’t decorated, but the furniture he had was definitely not of the discount variety. Another surprise. I would have guessed I’d be sleeping on a futon.
“I’ll grab the bedding,” Mark said, nodding toward the bed. “It gets dusty if I leave it made, so it’s just easier to keep it in the closet.”
He left the room and I took a minute to just breathe. We were safe. We were unhurt. We had a place to stay until my parents got there. Everything was going to be okay.
I glanced down at the baby as she started to stir, making little noises and rolling her head around. Maybe okay was an overstatement. We were going to get through it. She chose that moment to make a sucking noise that sounded a whole lot like she was trying to blow me a kiss.
Fuck it. I’d make things okay.
“It’s you and me kid,” I whispered, kissing the top of her head. “And we should probably figure out the name situation.”
“Got ’em,” Mark announced as he strode back into the room. “I don’t think this mattress has ever even been slept on, so I have no idea if it’s comfortable