When they got to his apartment building, a four-floor multicolored brick building on what seemed like a surprisingly quiet street, Landon parked in the underground garage. He grabbed a big black bag from the backseat, then led them to the elevator and up to the fourth floor.
Having never seen an apartment outside of Tajikistan, Minka was surprised to see how huge his was. She walked through the kitchen and into the living room, holding Boris in her arms and wondering what one person could possibly do with so much space. In her home village, a full family of six or seven people would live in a place like this, but in Washington, DC, Landon lived here alone. He must work a lot though, because while his scent was present, it wasn't very strong. If she had to guess, she would say he hadn't been there in a week or two.
Landon handed Angelo a big, black bag with a shoulder strap and zipper along the top. "These are some clothes Layla had in her locker at the DCO. It's mostly workout stuff, but it's clean. She said they should fit Minka."
Minka hugged Boris close, her fingers curling into his soft fur. These people were giving her clothes to wear? She'd been wearing the same ripped and tattered blouse and skirt since being captured all those months ago. The thought that she might be able to finally throw them away and wear something else brought tears to her eyes.
"As for you, dude," Landon continued, "there's a closet and a dresser full of stuff in the bedroom." He grinned. "Have to have two of everything, so I can make it look like I still live here. Oh, and there's some food in the kitchen that should still be edible along with a whole stack of take-out menus in the drawer by the landline. Are you good on money, or do you need something to hold you over?"
Angelo shook his head. "I'm good. Get out of here. We're just going to call for a pizza or something, then head to bed. It's been a really long day."
Minka's spirits leaped at the mention of bed. She hadn't slept in one in so long that she barely remembered what it felt like.
She was still dreaming about how wonderful sleeping in a real bed again would feel as Landon left, telling Angelo he'd be back in the morning. Angelo locked the door's three locks, then joined her in the kitchen.
"You want to take a shower and change while I order pizza?" he asked as he started digging through a drawer full of papers.
A shower? She'd been strapped or chained to an endless succession of dirty floors and laboratory tables for months. Then, after escaping, she'd slept in the dirt for weeks. She was beyond filthy and probably looked a fright.
She nodded enthusiastically to both parts of his question. "I'd love a shower-and pizza."
She'd eaten pizza before when she was younger and lived in Dushanbe, and it had been delicious. She eagerly grabbed the bag of clothes and started for the door Landon had pointed out that led to the bathroom when they had first come in.
She was halfway there when panic struck, stopping her cold. If she took one more step away from Angelo, the beast would be out. She could already feel it slipping out from between her mental fingers as she tried to hold it in. She squeezed Boris more tightly, but it didn't help.
She was about to spin around and go back into the kitchen. She would just wash up in the sink.
But just then, she felt Angelo's hand on her back, gently guiding her toward the bathroom as he ordered pizza on the phone. When they reached the bathroom, he pushed open the door, then covered the phone with his hand.
"I'll be right out here the whole time," he said. "I promise."
Sighing in relief, Minka nodded her thanks and walked into the large bathroom. Angelo closed the door behind her, but she immediately turned around and opened it halfway. She knew it was horribly improper for an unmarried woman to leave a bathroom door open while she was naked within, but she didn't care. She'd already lived with the embarrassment of sleeping in his lap throughout the entire trip here, so she could live with this, too.
Setting Boris on the counter, she took off the overshirt Angelo had given her to wear and carefully hung it on the hook on the back of the door, then stripped off her skirt and underwear, dropping them on the floor. They were much too dirty to put on the nice clean counter.
It took her a while to get the water temperature right, but when she finally got it the way she wanted, the gentle spray felt delightful on her naked skin. She didn't even hide the little growl of appreciation the beast let out as the warm water soaked her long hair and rinsed months of filth from her body.
"You okay in there?" Angelo asked from just outside the door, concern in his voice.
She laughed-God, she hadn't done that in a long time. "Yes, I'm very okay in here. This feels very wonderful. Don't worry. I'll wash fast, so there will be enough hot water for you."
He chuckled. "Take your time. You won't use up all the hot water, I promise."
She blinked water from her eyes. "Really?"
"Really. And feel free to use Landon's bodywash. I'm sure he has some in there."
She looked up at the wire cradle hanging from the shower nozzle and saw several bottles of liquid soap. She recognized some of the words, but her reading skills weren't as good as her speaking abilities. She sniffed each of the bottles until she found one she liked. That was when she recognized a familiar scent on the bottle, and it wasn't Landon's. It was the woman who'd been with him outside Zarina's office-the one she'd smelled in his truck. The one who smelled so much like Minka herself.
As Minka lathered the scented soap into her hair, she thought about why the woman had reacted like she had when she'd first seen Minka. It was like the other woman hated her. She hoped that wasn't the case, but if the woman did, there was nothing she could do about it. She would just worry about herself-and Angelo-and try to find a way to deal with what had happened to her.
Minka rinsed off, then stepped out of the shower. She hadn't felt so clean in a very long time.
As she reached for one of the fluffy towels on the wall rack, she caught a glimpse of Angelo sitting on the floor just outside the open bathroom door. Minka blushed a little at the thought that he could easily see her naked if he turned his head and looked at her.
But he didn't do that. He simply sat there and waited patiently as she dried off, then slipped into the clothes Landon had given her. While she'd never met Layla, one sniff of her clothes made Minka realize she also smelled familiar-not quite as familiar as the dark-haired woman with Landon, but very close.
Layla was apparently a little smaller than Minka because the bra, exercise pants, and tank top would have definitely been too tight if Minka hadn't lost so much weight while in captivity. She turned and looked at herself in the bathroom mirror, almost blushing again at how the fabric of the top and pants fit snugly to her breasts and bottom. She'd never worn anything like this. But it was all she had, so it would have to do. At least she had clothes to wear; that was the most important part. She'd have to remember to thank Layla as soon as she could.
She looked at her old bra and skirt still sitting in a pile on the floor. She was good with a needle and thread. Maybe she should try to repair them. No. There was more ripped fabric than whole fabric. Besides, no amount of washing would ever get out all the blood and dirt. Plus they'd only remind her of a time she'd much rather forget. So she rolled up the tattered pieces of clothing and shoved them in the small trash can beside the sink.
Angelo stood as she stepped out of the bathroom, and she didn't miss the way his eyes traveled up her body before locking with hers. His gaze probably should have offended her, especially since she wasn't used to men looking at her that way at home. But for reasons she didn't understand, she did not mind. If anything, she enjoyed it. Even stranger, the beast seemed to enjoy it as well. She could almost hear the animal purring.
Angelo recovered before she did, looking away to pick up a pile of clothes on the floor beside him. "Um, I didn't know what you liked on your pizza, so I ordered plain cheese. I hope that's okay?"
She nodded, aware that Angelo was trying very hard not to stare at anything below her neck. She would have found it charming if it wasn't for the amazing way his heated gaze made her feel.
"There's a twenty-dollar bill sitting on the table by the door for the pizza, but I should be done in the shower before the delivery person gets here."
Still not looking at her, he ducked into the bathroom.