Page 56 of Harry

“Just down this street,” Harry said.

Wild pulled into the lot, and he got out, heading to the area they’d jogged. Before he got too far down the path, he turned and ran the other way, hoping he would run into her. When he got to the area where they’d seen the couple fighting, he stopped and glanced around.

He thought for sure he had struck out. Maybe she had gone to one of the bases. Where was she? He was about to take off running when he glanced down one of the side paths and saw something under a tree.

“Is that a person?” he asked Wild.

“I don’t…maybe.”

They headed down the path, his heart in his throat as he approached the person. The shadows made it difficult to see at first, but then he started to make out a shape. They were close enough now he could see that it was a person, and he thought maybe a woman.

“Rory?” Harry called out.

The person turned over, squinting against the sun. His heart may have stalled out. It was her. He wanted to race over and pull her to him, but he didn’t want to frighten her more.

“Hey, it’s me, Harry.”

She sat up, blinking against the brightness. His heart squeezed at the confusion on her face. Something bad had happened. She wasn’t ready to interview, not yet. She would be powerful, but it would take time.

“We need to get you home.”

“Home?” Rory said.

“Yeah. Come on. Wild will drive us home. It’s time to go.”

Rory shook her head and then closed her eyes. “I thought I was back there. That man…Toovey.”

Anger made it difficult to breathe. He didn’t want to scare Rory, but he wanted to know what had happened.

“What did the man do?” Wild asked.

Rory’s eyes flashed open, and she met Wild’s gaze. “He put his arm around me.” A shiver raced through her, and it was all Harry could do not to explode. She didn’t need him to be mad. He could take care of the jerk later. “I heard her talking. She had to give him blowjobs. Then he touched me. I had to get out of there.”

“You did the right thing,” Harry said. “Let’s go home and get cleaned up.”

Rory stood on shaky legs, and he moved to her, noticing her feet were a little torn up. She had cuts on her legs, too. He didn’t know what she’d gotten into, but it wasn’t good.

“I’m going to carry you because your feet seem damaged.”

Rory nodded as he scooped her up into his arms. He held her as they made their way back to Wild’s vehicle. They settled into the back seat, and he sat beside her, holding her against him as they drove home.

Wild had texted everyone, telling them they’d found Rory and were headed back to Harry’s place. Jessica and Ingrid suggested they let Rory get adjusted before everyone showed up there.

He sent a thank you to the pair, agreeing that Rory needed time. He also sent a note to her therapist, telling her what had gone down. She agreed to do a video call with Rory in an hour.

He hoped Rory could find some peace. She needed to move forward, but obviously some people would be triggers. Rory just needed something to help her once her mind started going down the path of desperation.

It may take a few years, but he had faith Rory could learn to come home and be safe when things got bad. He just had to make sure she knew that his place would always be safe. He could do that for Rory because she meant the world to him.

Chapter 45

Rory was embarrassed that she’d run away from everything and hidden under a tree on a running path. The guy who’d accosted her had brought back so many bad memories, and the running trail had seemed like the safest place to go.

Harry held her all night, and she felt safe in his arms. Harry and his buddies were working up a plan to keep her safe from Toovey. She agreed that staying home would be best until they figured out where Toovey was since no one had seen him since his escape.

Luckily, it was Saturday, and Harry didn’t have to get up and head to the base. After finishing in the bathroom, she stepped out into the kitchen and hesitated. Worry hit hard. Was she too messed up for him? Her life had gone off the rails when she’d been abducted. Before being taken, she’d thought she had it all together. She wanted the confidence back, but it seemed an impossible ask.

“Hey, Ava, Jessica, and Ingrid want to come over,” Harry called out.

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