Page 110 of The Woman with the Target on her Back (Grassi Family)

And eat.

And see Lettie again.

Then rest some more.

She’d been through a fucking lot.

“I will,” Traveler said, standing, then walking a bit awkwardly over to her father, and wrapping her arms around him.

It was clear these two were not huggers.

Their bodies were stiff.

“Be careful,” Traveler begged. “I know you have stuff to do, but be careful. I almost lost you twice already.”

“Almost lost you three times,” James said as they parted. “But we will be safe,” he assured her.

Traveler moved over toward her Uncle Chuck, trying to hug him easily, but the man wrapped her up tight before releasing her.

“And I want updates on Uncle Don,” she added.

“Will do, kid,” Chuck assured her as she moved back toward me.

We said our goodbyes, then made our way back out to the car.

In the back, Traveler curled into my side.

“Thank you,” she said, resting her head on my shoulder.

“I’d say ‘anytime,’ but I’d appreciate you not getting into a life-or-death sort of situation for a while,” I said, getting a small chuckle out of her.

“I plan to soak in your tub and eat your cooking and sleep for a week straight,” she told me. Then, after a pause, in a much smaller voice, “Or longer.”

Oh, it was going to be longer.

I was a betting man.

And I was going to put my money on forever.

I was pretty fucking sure I wanted to spend my life fighting and making up with her.

CHAPTER TWENTY

Traveler - 1 day

I passed out cold sometime on the ride back to Navesink Bank.

Right up until it happened, I would have sworn my mind was racing too much to allow me to sleep.

But I guess the days of exhaustion, fear, and adrenaline had finally caught up with me.

That, paired with the fact that I knew I was safe with August, and I just knocked out. I even somehow slept through getting back to August’s apartment, and getting carried inside.

I didn’t wake up again until the sun was screaming in at me from his large bedroom windows the next day, looking high enough in the sky that I was pretty sure it was closer to noon than morning.

Even so, though, all I wanted to do was pull the blanket over my eyes, and pass back out.

It was my growling stomach and screaming headache that had me grudgingly climbing out of bed, going into the bathroom to find that August had not only set out a toothbrush for me, but that there was also a fresh outfit sitting there, panties and socks included, but no bra. As if that wasn’t enough, there were organic soap and shampoo bars, a hairbrush, ties, and some lotion.

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