“Jake would have a good idea where to bring this woman. Besides, as sheriff, he should be aware of this situation.”
“Yeah, but no one else, Rye.”
“I understand. I’m here if you need some help.”
Nate nodded, and they continued to put the rest of their supplies into the truck.
His mind was heavy on thinking of a place they could put this woman, and then his cell phone rang again.
He looked at Rye, who seemed on edge. He couldn’t blame him. His brother knew how serious Nate’s job had been for the government. He didn’t ask questions.
“Hello?”
“Hey, Nate, it’s Lew. I’ve got a freaking ceiling fan in the bathroom of this rental by our house that isn’t working. I can’t rent this place if there’s mold on the walls caused by the fan not working. But I went into the attic, and I can’t figure this shit out. Any way you could help me?”
Nate thought about it a moment, along with the facts that Lew and his brothers were retired Navy SEALs and their rental place was right next door to their own personal house. They also had the two townhouses they were renting, but they were blocks away.
“Not a problem. And besides fixing that fan, I may have a renter for you, if it’s still available.”
“That’s great. Who is it?”
“I’ll explain when I get there. Your team going to be around too?” Nate asked.
“Oh shit. Yeah, they will be. I’ll make sure,” Lew said, totally understanding Nate’s tone.
Nate had known these men for years, they were good at their jobs, and they were trustworthy. The only thing was that they were hardcore, and they might not be interested in being part of this situation considering they were retired and Lew had been shot and nearly killed. But what choice did Nate have? He needed people he trusted and a safe location. Things could just fall into place.
“Lew, the fewer people that know, the better it is. I’ll want to come by and look over the place, the surrounding homes and landscape to ensure safety.”
“A safe house, huh? I get what you’re saying. We’re right next door, Nate. Even with the guys’ schedules with the marine patrol, I’ll mainly be around.”
“Not sure if babysitting is necessary, just security and peace of mind. That could change, Lew. Like I said, I don’t have much info. Yet. I hate throwing this into your lap.”
“No you don’t. You know as well as I do that transitioning into civilian life sucks, and this is what my team and I are good at. We’ll do our best.”
“I know you will. Rye and I will be there in about twenty minutes to fix that fan situation at the house. Then we’ll all head to the house you’re renting in the cul-de-sac by your place.”
“I’ll wait for you guys here. Thanks.”
Chapter 2
Sophia looked into the mirror, turning sideways to see how the branding looked. Surprisingly it wasn’t as raised and sore looking as it had been the weeks before. With each week that passed, it healed, but it was there forever, as a constant reminder of Mateo and his hurtful, sick control. Jeremy had suggested she get a tattoo to cover it, and that there were really great tattoo artists that could disguise the branding so no one would even notice. As soon as she felt comfortable around the town and confident in the tattoo artist he recommended, she would do just that and get it taken care of. In the interim, she wasn’t going to wear anything that could show it. Jeremy felt responsible in some ways, but he shouldn’t. He’d been there when the branding happened, but he couldn’t blow his cover yet.
Then she thought about where Jeremy was taking her now. He feared that all the other places that were supposed to be safe wouldn’t be. Or maybe they were, but she and Jeremy were so paranoid that they left those places and moved on. But she knew it was a burden to have her with him. He couldn’t conduct an investigation worrying about her every five minutes. Mateo and Deavan had disappeared, and there was no sign of them anywhere. The feds were still collecting evidence and putting associates of Mateo behind bars. Some politicians got caught up in the arrests, as well as lawyers and other people that had a lot of pull. It was a major mess, and Jeremy was working to resolve it all.
The medication the doctors prescribed to help her sleep wasn’t really working. She was scared, and feeling safe enough to relax and catch up on needed sleep just wasn’t happening.
She exhaled as she looked in the mirror.
The bruises were long gone, but the feeling in her gut was strong as ever. It made her feel sick to think that Mateo had let Deavan have his way with her body. She really didn’t know if he had or he hadn’t. She prayed that he hadn’t, and she knew she might never know the truth. It made her have such a deep fear she avoided being touched, even when Jeremy tried to take her hand or hold her close when she would fall asleep next to him on a long drive. He had saved her, and she owed him so much.
He’d blown his cover as an agent. The raid he’d organized failed because Mateo and Deavan were a few steps ahead and there was someone dirty working in the federal agency. Another reason they moved on from the known safe houses and were now headed to personal friends of Jeremy’s.
She put on her bra, adjusting her extra large mounds into the small cups of the bra. She had always been well endowed. Voluptuous was an understatement with boobs like hers. They’d gotten her plenty of attention as a teen and even more in her twenties. It was a part of her body that made her feel self-conscious. She never flaunted her assets. She always tried hiding them. Except for in front of Mateo. If she wore a blouse, he would unbutton another button to reveal more. If she asked him what dress to wear to an event he wanted her to attend, he picked it out, and it was always sexier than her own taste. She had a traditional full figure, and she worked out very hard to make sure she didn’t get loose and flabby.
She swallowed hard as she pulled on the T-shirt and then stepped into the shorts. She had never been weak-minded, yet so easily she allowed Mateo to mold her into the woman he wanted and expected. She had been so weak and stupid. If she ever got out of this mess and could have a normal life, she would be sure to hold onto her true identity and not allow the influence of others overpower her.
Her natural olive complexion made her stand out as well. But all she wanted to do was hide. She didn’t want to leave the hotel. She didn’t want to look at people and to feel inferior, ashamed, weak, and stand out as a victim. She wanted to be strong. She wanted to get through this and have a life. But with Mateo and Deavan still out there somewhere free, it just didn’t seem like a real possibility.
She gasped when she heard the knock at the door and grabbed the vanity.
“Sophia, it’s time to go. Are you okay?” Jeremy asked her.
“Yes. I’m coming now.”
She gave one last look in the mirror, grabbed her brush and the other items that were already packed up. This was it. Another place, another hideout, but she wished it were the last. Sophia just wasn’t sure how long she could keep going on like this.
* * * *
“Where are the others?” Nate asked Lew as they met outside of the small beach house.
“I figured from what you told me about the young woman, we shouldn’t meet her all at once. Might intimidate her.”
Nate smirked. “Yeah, that’s a smart idea, but somehow I get the feeling she’ll still be intimidated by four giants like you and your team,” Nate said just as they heard the vehicle approaching. A black sedan with tinted windows pulled slowly up the long driveway.
They both stood there as the vehicle approached, parked, and then one guy in casual pants and a dress shirt got out. Lew didn’t like the way he looked around the place or at them. He was glad that Nate took care of the greetings.
Then another guy got out. It had to be Jeremy. He spoke to someone in the vehicle while Nate introduced Lew to the first agent.
“This is Lew Masters. He and his team will be providing security and care for Miss Brown throughout her stay,” Nate said.
The guy gave Lew the once-over.
“Read your file. Impressive. Here’s a file on Miss Brown and her medical conditions.”
“Medical conditions?” Lew asked, taking the file the agent handed to him.
“She’s been through a traumatic experience and needs some sleep aids to cope. It’s all in the file. We have contact numbers in there, all secure lines, in case medical assistance is necessary beyond what we’ve provided thus far.”
He glanced at Jeremy, who reached in and helped someone out of the car.
The moment the young woman, Sophia Brown, stepped out of the car, Lew’s eyes were glued to her. She was gorgeous and had a hell of a figure on her. Even the other agents watched her closely as she made her way toward them.
Jeremy and Nate embraced.
“Good to see you. Sorry it had to be on these terms,” Jeremy said to Nate.
“Me too, Jay. Next time,” Nate said.
“You’ve got it,” Jeremy replied, and then Nate introduced Jeremy to Lew.
Lew gave him the once-over. The man kept eye contact with Lew, and Lew thought that was a good sign. The man didn’t seem to be hiding anything, but he did keep a hand at Sophia’s lower back. She looked nervous as her eyes darted to Lew and Nate then around the area and back to Jeremy.