Page 34 of The Space Between
I’m at her side in an instant.
“Blakelyn,” I breathe, kneeling down, hands on her face, her shoulders,anywhere I can touch to prove she’s still here.
She’s trembling, silent. But her eyes are locked on mine.
There’s fear, hints of panic, but also clarity, and what looks like relief.
“I’ve got you,” I whisper, cupping her face.
She nods, and I hold her. Right here, with everyone watching.
I don’t care.
She’ssafe.
I swear to God, that’s all I’ll ever care about again.
Reece says he’s got the business, and we can go back to the cabins to await the sheriff. We don’t.
I take her to the shack. It’s quiet, shaded, and private. She sits on the bench in the corner and curls her knees to her chest as I pace and we wait.
“He hurt you?” I ask eventually.
She nods. “Yeah. He did. But it wasn’talwaysphysical.”
My hands curl into fists. “But he did, he hurt you physically.” I ask though I already know the answer and she’s already said it. I just saw it. In his stance, the way he stalked toward her, and in the way she tried to shield herself.
She nods. “Yeah… he hit me… plus, more.”
I sit beside her, but don’t touch… not yet.
She leans into me anyway and my hand finds the back of her head like itbelongsthere, just cradling it.
“I don’t know how he found me,” she whispers.
“You cover your tracks?”
“Everything. No paper trail. Different name. A prepaid phone with a new number. I made sure.”
I nod. “He found you, so there was a trail somewhere.”
Her whole body goes rigid as she whispers, “I thought I covered my tracks.”
I don’t answer but I’m going to find out how he found her.
The sheriff shows up,takes the report, gets the video feed from the shop, and tells Blakelyn to call if she even thinks she sees him somewhere.
When he leaves, we sit in silence for a long time. The buzz of the cicadas outside mixes with the low hum of the fridge in the corner, and her breathing against my side.
“I don’t want to be scared anymore,” she eventually says.
“Then don’t be.” I reply.
“You think it’s that easy?” She whispers.
I sigh. “No. It’s not. But I’ll stand in front of you until you remember how to breathe without looking over your shoulder.”
She exhales and it sounds like the first clean breath she’s taken since the truck pulled up.
