Page 54 of The Finder

He walked over to the kitchen. “How about grilled cheese?” he asked.

“You cook?” she asked in surprise.

He smirked at her. “It’s just grilled cheese. I think I’ll manage,” he said dryly.

“Where is everybody?” she asked.

Garrett looked up at her from where he was working at the island. “This is my home. I live here by myself,” he said by way of explanation.

“Oh,” Emma said, surprised. This huge, beautiful home was all his. “Um, am I just staying here for lunch and then going back home?” She let the question drag out.

“Right now, you need to eat; we’ll deal with the rest later,” Garrett said. Emma was quiet while she waited for the grilled cheese. She put her head back against the couch cushions and looked around the incredibly beautiful home. If she had to design a dream house, this would be it. It just needed a few touches to make it a little warmer and welcoming, like some warm rugs on the floor, wall art, a vase or two of fresh flowers, a few candles... Garrett interrupted her revelry. He handed her a plate with a grilled cheese and a bottle of water.

Emma took the plate and water from him. “Thank you,” she said. She pulled a piece off and slowly chewed it. “Are you going to eat anything?”

“I’ll find something,” he said.

“You can have some of this,” she said, offering him half.

“You eat it,” he said, pushing it gently back towards her. “I’ll find something moresubstantial,”he said with a smirk. He walked back over to the kitchen area. Emma ate the rest of her sandwich.

“Thank you. That was really good,” she said. “Do you think it would be okay if I took a shower now?”

“Are you strong enough for one?” he asked.

Emma thought for a moment. “Maybe a bath?” she asked. He nodded and came over and picked her up. He carried her down the hallway back to the room she had slept in. He walked right into the bathroom and set her on the side of the bathtub. He started the water and poured in some soap. He stood up and came back with two bottles that he put on the side of the tub and a pink loofah. He also put down two fluffy white towels.

“I won’t be far. If you call, I’ll hear you.” He stood up. “Will you be okay?” he asked.

Emma looked up at him and smiled. “I’ll be fine. Thank you.”

After Garrett left the bathroom, she began the slow process of taking off her clothes. Finally, she slipped into the tub and sighed as the warm water surrounded her. She was tempted to stay in there forever, but she didn't want to risk falling asleep or getting too weak to get out. She grabbed the shampoo, noticing it was the brand she had at the other house. After washing her hair, she opened the body wash. She took a whiff of it. Vanilla, her favorite.

A few minutes later, she was done and ready to get out of the bathtub. She tried to get out, but no matter how she tried, she couldn’t get any leverage to be able to get up without hurting her ribs. She was in pain now and stuck in the bathtub. She felt like crying when a knock sounded at the door. “Emma, it’s me.” Emma had never been so grateful to hear Madison’s voice. “Can I come in?” Emma glanced down and saw she was fully covered in bubbles.

“Yes,” she said weakly.

The door opened and Madison walked in. “Hey, Garrett called me. He thought you might need some help when you got done.”

“Yeah. I can’t get up,” she said miserably.

“Let me help,” she said. She put her hands behind Emma’s back and helped her into a standing position. She quickly looked away and held out a towel for Emma to wrap around herself. Emma did so quickly and walked out of the bathroom into the bedroom. Madison grabbed Emma’s clothes. She handed Emma a pair of underwear that Emma quickly put on. Then she gave her a clean cuddly sleeping shirt and pajama pants. Once Emma was dressed, she sat down on the side of the bed, exhausted.

“Can I brush your hair for you?” Madison asked.

“Sure,” Emma said. She sat quietly as memories flooded her mind. Her dad used to brush her hair. After Madison finished brushing her hair and putting it into a braid for her, Emma walked into the bathroom so she could brush her teeth. They sat and talked for a little while before Emma started getting tired again. Her ribs and stomach were aching; Madison said she would go find some painkillers for her.

A few minutes later, the door opened and Garrett came in. He helped prop her up so she could take the pills. Then he laid her back down gently and pulled the blankets over her. “Thank you,” Emma said softly before sleep claimed her.

“I’ll be in the room next to yours for the night. If you call out, I’ll hear you. Get some sleep,” he said. Emma didn’t respond. She closed her eyes and willed the memories of her attack to stay away. She wasn’t that lucky. Her nightmares found her during the night.

Emma ran. She could feel them closing in on her. Alec and his friends couldn’t catch her. If they did, horrible things would happen. Emma glanced behind her and panicked. They were closing in. She willed herself to run faster, but she couldn’t. She saw the coffee shop in front of her and ran in that direction. She opened the door and ran inside. She realized in horror that this wasn’t the coffee shop; it was her old house. She was in her old room. She tried to lock the door, but the lock wouldn’t work. Panicking, she pushed her dresser in front of the door.

She backed up against the wall as they tried to break into her room. They started shoving at the door, and the dresser started moving. She realized it wasn’t going to keep them out. She looked around frantically and found a window that she didn’t remember existing. She climbed out the window and began running, desperate to get away. She heard howls behind her. She wasn’t going to get away. She screamed when one of them launched itself at her. She fell to the ground and tried to wrestle it away, but she was too weak. The wolf locked its powerful teeth on her shoulder and bit down hard. Emma screamed as pain radiated through her body. “This is what you deserve, Emma,” Alec’s cruel voice said over her screams. He laughed at her. “Emma, Emma.”

Emma screamed again trying to get away from her attacker. “Emma, it’s me. Stop, you’re hurting yourself.” Garrett’s voice finally penetrated her fear, and she gasped loudly.

“Garrett?” she asked, her voice shaky.

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