Page 3 of Fighting Conviction
Hidden in plain sight.
And by turning the entrance to the clinic into a storefront, it prevented abusers from finding out their victims were getting help. Victims would call the survivor hotline, be given the address, and be instructed to say they were going to the store. Jason’s private security firm even installed strong safety measures to further protect survivors, helping them seek relief and escape without getting damned for being their own hero.
Ellie hopped her bike up the sidewalk and skidded to a halt in front of the looping bike rack. Her fine, sun-bleached blonde hair tickled her cheek in the wind and she tossed her ponytail back over her shoulder as she locked her bike up to the metal. She glanced around, not surprised to find the Corolla had disappeared.
Yep. Losing it.
Still, it was better to be safe than sorry. Ellie pulled her phone from her backpack side pocket and sent off a quick text to Jason. He was probably getting as sick of her anxiety as she was.
Jason: I’ll get Snake on it. Be safe. Stay near Devil. Text me if anything changes.
Ellie rolled her eyes. Jason was always trying to persuade her to agree to bodyguards again, but she was ready to move on. Sure, she might have to deal with her lingering PTSD, but she’d never shake her jitters until she started to live life like a normal college student.
After reading Jason’s text, Ellie turned back to the nondescript, pale building. She rolled her shoulders back to gear up for what she was about to walk into. How bad would it be this time? Would she be able to help save this one? Would this one even want to be saved?
Ellie closed her eyes and lifted her face to the sun. The heat from its rays warmed her skin and a cool breeze soothed her nerves. A slow, deep inhale of the fresh air calmed her, thanks to the faint scent of the lavender she’d planted in the store window boxes. She whispered into the wind, knowing without a doubt her best friend was listening somewhere up there.
“It’s all for you, Sash. All for you.”
Chapter Two
Ellie shouldered open the heavy-duty metal clinic door. Wails coming from the medical room immediately bombarded her senses. She fought the panicked instinct to flee and instead ran toward the screeching.
The sight of the handsome, brooding redhead in a black T-shirt and jeans made her knees wobbly with relief. Whatever she’d barged in on was under control if Dev was there.
Ellie pressed a hand to her heart and willed it to slow as Dev methodically dabbed a patient’s cheek with gauze.
The woman looked exhausted, slumped over crosswise on the examination table with an ice pack against the other cheek. She seemed half awake, despite having a little girl in a green dress clutching her legs and screaming her lungs out.
Dev glanced up from his ministrations before gathering supplies from the counter.Raising his voice over the girl’s bawling, he introduced his patient. “This is Naomi.” He paused and indicated the child with a slight wave of his hand. “And this is Thea. Can you get her? I think she’s upset.”
Ellie held back a snort and relaxed at Dev’s unemotional delivery. It always set her at ease despite the circumstances. If he was freaking out then she’d have broken down right along with the child.
“Hi, Naomi.” Ellie lifted her hand in greeting and gestured to Thea. “Can I?” Ellie waited for the frazzled woman to give permission before approaching.
This was always a sensitive situation. Women who’d just escaped an abusive situation were still on high alert and extremely protective of their children, more so than usual. Putting the children first, even as their own wounds were being tended to, was their main priority. It was likely what drove them to the clinic in the first place.
At Naomi’s nod, Ellie tossed her backpack to the side of the room. She returned and bent low to gently peel Thea away from her mother.
“Shh, shh, shh… Thea? That’s your name, right? Thea… Can you look at me?”
Thea screeched louder and clung to Naomi’s jeans until Ellie kneeled to the ground and rubbed the girl’s back in small circles.
“Thee-aahh… what a pretty name you’ve got there.” After a few more off-key notes, Thea’s cries lowered to whimpers. She stopped climbing the examination table and slid to the floor before sagging against her mother’s legs. “There ya go. Do you want to turn around and say ‘hi’ to me? My name’s Ellie.”
She finally turned and Ellie sucked in a breath at the girl’s round face and the dimple in one of her cheeks. Her heart flipped in her stomach, as if she was falling into the dark pools of the girl’s eyes.
“Found you, Sasha!” Ellie whispered as she climbed farther up the gnarled tree. “You always hide up here.”
High in the branches, Sasha giggled before slapping a hand over her mouth to silence herself. “That’s because no one but you ever finds me.”
To give Ellie room to join her hiding spot, Sasha scooted across the treehouse planks. They settled in to wait for the other seekers in their manhunt. She and Sasha always won the game. No one ever bothered to look up.
Ellie pressed her closed mouth against her knee, still wanting to be quiet. Just in case. Sasha did the same and grinned at her. Ellie smiled back. They were safe.
“Ellie!”
Something shook her out of her flashback and Ellie blinked back into the present. She’d fallen on her butt with her hands bracing her. Dev kneeled beside her with a ginger grip on her shoulder while his brow furrowed in concern.
