Page 46 of Protecting Talia

“Her name is Cheryl Mast. She was going to sell me to him.”

The other man relayed the information as she hugged Zip tighter. She relaxed against Zip, finally allowing herself to believe the impossible. She’d been found. She’d been saved.

“You came looking for me.”

“I found you.” Zip kissed her forehead and then the side of her head.

She couldn’t hold back the rush of tears. He’d wanted her enough to look for her. If no one else had been there, she might have been taken with her sister. She couldn’t form words, but Zip didn’t seem to need anything from her. She was here, in his arms, and her sister wasn’t going to get her again.

She heard sirens, and the old worry that she would be in trouble hit. But Zip assured her they were coming to help rescue Cheryl and get a statement from her, not arrest her.

Zip had been correct. She was free to leave about an hour later after the woman on the ambulance had checked her out, saying that she wasn’t suffering from anything other than just lack of food and exhaustion. She promised the woman she would go to the ER if she got to feeling bad.

The drive to Zip’s place would take almost an hour, so they stopped by a drive-through and bought her a burger and fries. She couldn’t eat most of it, but she held onto the bag of food as they drove, glad she could nibble as they went.

Once home at Zip’s house, she fell into his arms and cried again. He got her into the shower, and she was grateful for the chance to get clean. He held her as she drifted off, keeping her safe.

When she woke the next morning, he wasn’t in bed with her. For a second, she feared being rescued had been a dream. But this was his room, and she wasn’t being held any longer.

She stepped out of the bedroom, glad to see him at the stove cooking something.

“Hey, you’re up. I made pancakes.”

She moved to him, hugging his side. “Thank you. Not just for the pancakes, but for everything.”

“You’re welcome. We need to head over to Thario’s and thank him. Also, you need to meet him. He did so much to find you.”

Emotions rose. “I’m so thankful for everyone.” She picked up a pancake and shoved a bite into her mouth. She moaned as the flavor spread over her tongue. “So good.” Zip put three more on her plate and set it on the table. “So I was out of it last night. Who else was there?”

“Trip and Bud, and then Smiley and Hop were in the car with us.”

“I need to thank them.”

“Everyone on my team spent time looking for you, along with the guys on Kevlar’s team. They put in the hours and found you.”

“I want to do something for them and tell them thank you.”

“We were thinking about getting together next Saturday for a picnic. We could bring cookies. I’m sure they would be happy to see you.”

“Yes. I want to see them, and I want to bring them cookies I buy from a nice bakery. I really appreciate being found. I would be dead if you hadn’t been there. I think that guy would have taken both me and my sister.” She took a bite of pancake and chewed, shaking her head.

“Something wrong?”

“No. Just wondering what will happen to my sister.”

He shrugged. “I don’t know. We did all we could. If they find her, they find her. If not, she’s lost to whatever hell she planned on sending you to.” Zip came over and sat next to her. “I know she’s your sister, but I have no compassion for her. She was going to send you to a fate worse than death.”

She nodded. “I know. Still, I don’t want that for her, but I don’t have the energy to do more than what we have. I won’t go looking for her. If she’s found, good for her. If not, she did this to herself.”

He leaned in and kissed her forehead. “You’re living here with me, right?”

Laughter bubbled up. “Of course. I want to spend my life with you.”

“Good. I don’t want to ever lose you.”

“I don’t intend on getting lost again.” She took another bite and then held up her hand. Zip raised his eyebrows as he chewed. “That tracking thing. I need something. Earrings, a watch, maybe something else. I never want anything like that to happen again.”

“Sure, babe. I’ll make sure I know where you are all the time.”

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