Immortal Ever After(10)

Valerie smiled faintly at her teasing, but asked, “Enforcer? You keep saying that. You mean police officer, don’t you? Or is he RCMP?”

Leigh hesitated, and then said, “They’re neither police nor Royal Canadian Mounted Police. They’re a special unit that handle unique cases such as yours.” Before Valerie could ask any more questions, she added, “While you were bathing I went down and asked him to fetch you some soup. You haven’t eaten since you got here and must be starved.”

Valerie nodded. Not only had she not eaten in the three days since getting here, she’d refused to eat for four days before that to avoid the drugs they were putting in the oatmeal. She wasn’t complaining. It had worked and she was free, but one of the aches and pains she was suffering was definitely gnawing of hunger.

“I’ll let him in. Come on out when you’re ready,” Leigh said, opening the bathroom door. “There’s a hairbrush in the drawer to the right of the sink.”

Valerie waited until the door closed behind the woman, then let her towel drop and quickly pulled the borrowed nightgown on over her head. She had a lot of questions, but most of them could wait until after she’d eaten. She had no idea what the special unit was that Anders and Leigh’s husband worked for, but apparently the 911 dispatcher had sent them in response to her call. Or perhaps the police had responded first and these Enforcers had taken over when it turned out to be a kidnapping. Kidnapping was a federal offense, wasn’t it? Or was that only in the States?

It didn’t matter. She was free and safe. The other women were free and safe. She was hungry and everything else could wait until she’d eaten.

Valerie moved to the sink and peered at her reflection. Her face was pale but clean. It was her neck though that drew her attention. A large, angry red scab covered the right side of her throat; a second almost healed wound was on the left side.

Mementos from the house of horrors, Valerie thought grimly and wished she had a scarf or something to cover them. She didn’t, however, and wishing wouldn’t make one appear, so it was best just not to worry about it, she told herself and tugged the towel from her head. Her hair fell around her shoulders wet and tangled and she searched in the drawer for the brush Leigh had mentioned. It was exactly where she’d promised it would be and Valerie quickly dragged it through her hair until all the tangles were gone and her hair lay in quickly drying waves around her face and neck. It wasn’t as good as a scarf, but hid the worst of her neck and the wounds with it.

Deciding she was ready, Valerie turned and opened the door to head back into the bedroom, but then paused in the doorway. Leigh was standing at the table by the window, taking bowls and spoons from a tray and setting them out in front of each of the two chairs. But it was the tall man dressed all in black that brought her to a halt. She watched silently as he carried the third chair from the other side of the bed to join the two at the table, noting that he was slim hipped and had a narrow waist, but that in comparison his arms and chest were rather large under his tight T-shirt. He had one of those gorgeous figures that sculptors loved to sculpt and companies hired to model their swimsuits and underwear. She could imagine him sprawled on a beach, skin glistening with suntan lotion, lips spread in a wide smile and those big beautiful eyes dancing with the joy of life.

Valerie didn’t know why that thought popped into her head. He was nowhere near smiling right now. In fact, his face was expressionless and kind of grim.

Leigh had talked about an Anders, and Valerie presumed this was him. She hadn’t expected him to still be here, though. She’d expected he’d bring up the soup and leave, but it looked as if he were going to join them.

“There you are,” Leigh said cheerfully, and when Valerie glanced her way, she gestured to the seat across from her and said, “Come, sit down while the soup is hot.”

Valerie moved to the chair and paused behind it, her attention on the bowl Leigh had set at that place setting. It appeared to hold a beef soup, hearty and thick with potatoes, carrots, turnip, and what appeared to be homemade noodles. It smelled amazing and the gnawing in Valerie’s stomach quadrupled in response.

Swallowing the saliva suddenly filling her mouth, she glanced toward the man as he set down the chair he’d fetched, placing it between hers and Leigh’s.

“This is Anders,” Leigh introduced as she took a glass of milk from the tray and set it beside Valerie’s bowl.

Valerie nodded at the man and he nodded back.

Leigh raised an eyebrow at the silent greetings, and then shook her head and said, “Sit down and eat, Valerie. You must be starved.”