Page 23 of Safe
We found where he ditched Liam’s car. Junk lot. Searching their database now to see if a car is missing.
Well, that was something at least. I heard the water turn on in the bathroom.
“Damnit!” Danielle yelled from inside the bathroom.
I turned towards the door, “Are you okay? What happened?”
There was a long pause followed by a sigh. “I have a problem.”
“Are you hurt?” I panicked, but I almost didn’t want to know.
“Cody…I can’t shift all my weight to one leg long enough for me to actually get in the shower. I…I think I need you to help me.”
Nope.Not just no. Fuck no. Alex will kill me.
I couldn’t do it. No way.
“Cody? Hello?”
I had to say something.
“Alright, look,” I said, “I know neither of us is exactly happy about this, so just… turn away from the door or something. I swear, I won’t look at… anything.” How was I supposed to pull that off?
Just stay calm, Cody, and be professional.
I took a deep breath, turned the knob, and opened the door. A wave of steam rolled out and hit me in the face. I’d never understood how anyone could take showers that hot. I kept my eyes mostly closed, squinting just enough to see where I was stepping.
Danielle stood with her back to me, but looked over her shoulder as I came in. She had a towel wrapped around her, gripping the edges like her life depended on keeping that towel up. She looked nervous and more than a little embarrassed—not that I blamed her.
I stepped close, careful not to crowd her. “I’m going to pick you up and help you into the shower, okay?” I said in a low voice, trying to keep her calm. “I really am going to try not to look at anything, but I need to see at least a little bit to make sure you’re safe.”
She nodded, still clutching the towel, and I did my best to focus on what I was doing instead of the tension filling the small room.
“Okay. Just don’t drop me.” Her voice was shaky, but she took a deep breath and let go of the towel. It drifted down and landed with a delicate pat at my feet. Every ounce of self-control went into keeping my eyes fixed straight ahead, focused on the tiled wall instead of anywhere else.
My arms slid into place—one beneath her knees, the other cradling her back—and pulled her up against my chest, holding her close as I stood. She did her best to shield herself, arms crossed against her chest. I could feel her whole body shaking. My eyes stayed locked on hers. Even as the heat of her skin pressed into mine, I couldn’t look away, and for a moment, just seconds, though it felt much longer, I stood paralyzed by my own will, holding her close. I didn’t want to let her go. For a second, I thought I wanted to kiss her, but I wouldn’t let myself. We were damn near strangers, but holding her in this way, I felt a connection that I couldn’t understand.
Our eyes stayed locked as I eased her down, the warmth of her stare lingering even as her feet touched the shower floor. Once she was stable, I pulled the curtain closed, giving her as much privacy as possible. I sat on the floor just outside, focusing on steadying my breathing, trying to drop my heart rate. The next fifteen minutes crawled by as she showered.
When the water shut off, I handed her a towel over the curtain. Danielle wrapped it around herself and opened the curtain so I could help her out.
Neither of us said a word while we finished getting ready; the unwelcome tension lingered in the space between us. I wondered if she had felt that same spark I did, or if I’d imagined the whole thing. Why was I even feeling it? We barely knew each other, yet something about this felt different.
Then I suddenly remembered I hadn’t told her what Alex had said.
“I talked to Alex,” I said, pulling a clean shirt over my head. “He told me they found the car Landon had abandoned in a junkyard. The cops are checking the lot’s inventory to see if he stole a car from there. Hopefully, he did, and they can track it down fast.”
“That’s good news,” she replied, flat and distant. I couldn’t tell if she was still embarrassed or if it was something else. She sat on the bed, absent-mindedly brushing her hair. “At least they’re making progress. I’m ready when you are.”
We packed our few belongings, grabbed coffees and muffins from the hotel café, and checked out. Danielle stayed silent the whole way to the car. I kept glancing over, wondering what was running through her mind. Was it about me? That seemed unlikely. She’d barely escaped someone she loved and trusted. Now, she’d left her home behind while Alex scrambled to keep her safe. If I were in her place, I wouldn’t have room in my head for anything except fear and survival.
The silence in the car pressed in on both of us as we drove toward Colorado. I could only imagine everything she was processing. Her world had been turned upside down, and here I was trying to push the image of me holding her naked body out of my head. I searched for something, anything, to say that might comfort her, but every word that came to mind sounded empty and useless.
Then the phone rang in my pocket, thankfully killing the silence.
“Alex?”
“Hey, man. So, we found one car missing from the lot’s inventory that was there when they ran a company inventory on Monday.”
