Chapter 12: Welcome home

CONTENT WARNING: MENTION OF SEXUAL ASSAULT

(Jaime)

I might seem calm on the surface, but I’m anything but. My mind is racing as I struggle to grasp at all the confusing information, all the sensory overload, all the exploding emotions whirling like a maelstrom within me.

Slowly, the reality of the situation is starting to kick in.

I was supposed to start a new life. I was supposed to get to know new colleagues, help patients. I started a new life, alright, and it is nothing like I imagined it would be.

I guess my mind wanted to hide the real horror of the trauma I went through these past few days. But the memories keep filtering through in small, sharp images, like sun filtering through the thick canopy of leaves that is waving around in a fierce wind.

I try to snatch at this image, then that one. Or this sound or smell or feeling. And it’s like trying to fill a bucket with water using nothing but a sieve. It was disorientating.

On top of that, I’m not safe. They will try to get to me again, and all I have going for me is a gut instinct that tells me to trust this complete stranger whose presence and touch and voice and scent seems to have this crazy effect on me.

I grab random items from the bag Sally had brought me and put it on. Plain cotton underwear, blue skinny jeans, a white t-shirt, a chunky pink sweater, wool socks, my running sneakers.

I don’t have a rubber band for my hair, so I just run my fingers through it, grimacing at the greasy feel. Actually, my skin feels grubby all over – I could do with a bath.

I don’t linger in the room when I’m done dressing.

I give myself a pep talk before I gather the courage to go out into the world. Suck it up, Jaime. You’re not the first girl in the world to get raped. You’ve been through lots before. You will get through this too.

I breathe in and out, deeply, then I open the door. Logan is right there – big and handsome and kind. Safe.

“Ready?” he asks and takes the bag from me. I nod, and he puts a hand on my shoulder to guide me down the hallway. There are tingles where he touches me, even through the clothes.

“We’re going to go through a back door,” he explains. “Doc Fairfield has called a staff meeting so that the hallway is clear. We’re trying to have as few people as possible see you.”

The thought he put into it, and the warm hand on my shoulder, makes my heart feel fuzzy. “Where are we going?” I ask.

“My place. It’s the safest spot I can think of. You’ll be well guarded, and I’ll be close all the time.”

We go through what looks like a service entry. A large black SUV is parked near the door, and he ushers me into the passenger seat, placing my bag in the back.

I look at the woods where the tree line starts real close to this service road at the back of the hospital. This time, it doesn’t seem peaceful at all. Now all I see is threat. I buckle up and look away from the massive trees to Logan’s side profile.

He had an almost regal look to him, especially in profile, with that mop of black hair threatening to curl but not quite achieving it, and his sharp jawline dotted with a five-o-clock shadow even though it must only be midday.

To confirm my speculation on the time of day, my tummy gave an embarrassing growl.

“Damn. I’m so sorry, I didn’t even think of getting you something to eat before we leave. You must be absolutely starving. I don’t think you’ve eaten in days, have you?”

He looks devastated at his oversight, but I place my hand on his forearm. “It’s okay. I’m not sure I will be able to eat anything anyway. Not yet, even thought my body obviously needs something.”

He seems to stare into the horizon before he looks back at me. “It’s not a very long drive, and there will be some warm chicken soup waiting for you at home. Promise me you’ll try eating some.” He asks gently.

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“Sure. I’ll try. Thank you.”

We’ve left the town, heading mostly South, and I pay attention to the road signs and the bits of information Logan shares along the way about points of interest.

We must have travelled for around 20 minutes on a tarred road when a sign for Houndstooth Lake Resort appears, and we turn off onto a well-maintained gravel road.

I realize then for the first time that I don’t have my phone with me. Or my wallet. That must have gotten lost in the attack. But what it means is that if my gut turns out to be a horrible liar, I’m going to be stuck far away from town with a man I don’t know from Adam.

I decide to broach the subject.

“Logan? I know that’s probably the last thing I should be worried about, but do you know if anyone has perhaps found my purse, or my phone?”

He looks at me, concerned. “No, but that’s a good point. Would you like to call your phone and see if someone maybe answers?” he asks and fishes his own phone from his pocket.

He uses his thumb print so that I can access the smart phone’s features and hands it to me. I take it gratefully and immediately dial my own number. But it goes directly to voicemail, meaning either the battery is flat, or the phone is switched off. I sigh and hand him back the phone.

“Voicemail,” I say, and he stares off into the distance again while negotiating the smooth track.

“I’ll have someone look for it. Did you have it on you the night you were attacked?”

“Yes. I don’t know when I lost it though – if they took it with us or not.”

“I’m sure we can trace it, even if it is switched off. We’ll organize everything when we get to my place.”

That calmed my nerves somewhat. He won’t be offering this kind of help if he was planning to do something to me, right?

“Is there someone else you’d like to call?” he asks and a shake my head. There’s honestly no one I can think of that would need to know what had happened to me, or where I’m headed now.

We leave the main gravel road and travel down a narrower track and through a high-tech security gate soon after. Around five minutes later the trees open to reveal a clearing and a beautiful, modern house appears almost as an extension of the woods surrounding it.

The house was clearly a marvel of architecture, with natural stone and wood and glass seamlessly blending with the woods. It was truly beautiful.

“Wow.” I say and feel rather than see Logan smile next to me. He pressed a button on the dashboard and the door leading to a large garage opened.

“Glad you like it,” he says. “It’s my sanctuary, and I’m happy to share it with you.”

Once parked inside the neat garage, he zips around the front of the car to open the passenger door and help me out. Then he weaves the fingers of one hand through mine and gently pulls me towards the door leading into the house.

“Welcome. I should probably have taken you through the front door like a proper guest, but given the circumstances this may be better,” he says as he leads me through a mud room and into a large, modern kitchen. A lady who looks to be in her forties turns from the stove as soon as we stepped in and beamed at us both.

“Alpha, Luna! Welcome home! I’ll grab the bags and bring them up shortly. The soup is ready, I can just serve it up whenever you are ready.” She says and I blink.

There’s that word again – Alpha. And was it me that she called Luna? Was she expecting another girl? But Logan just calmly introduces me to her, not mentioning anything odd.

“Thank you, Maggie. Jaime, this is my housekeeper, Maggie. If there’s anything you need and I’m maybe not around, just ask her. For now, I think we should get you settled in bed, you still need lot of rest. Maggie, can you bring some of that lovely soup up to the room, please?”

“Of course, Alpha, right away.” She nods eagerly and starts bustling around the kitchen.

Logan leads me into the rest of the house and up a flight of stairs that had no railing. We stop at a door that leads off from the open-plan living area at the top of the stairs.

“This is your room,” he says. “I’m just next door if you ever need me in the middle of the night.”

He said that last bit with a smile, and a sigh in relief about a stress I didn’t know I was harboring in the back of my mind from the moment he said he’ll take me to his home. That maybe he would expect me to share his room too.

The room was just as beautiful as the rest of the house that I’ve seen thus far. There was a queen-sized bed against a wall that seems to be made from natural, unfinished wooden planks. It would have been rustic if it wasn’t for the modern finishes that made up the rest of the room. A dark wooden, polished floor and muted creams, whites and tans for the bedding and decorations. One entire wall was made of glass and faced the tree line so close that it feels as if you can touch the leaves by just opening a window.

“If it gets too light in here, or if you feel it’s not private enough, just press here,” he says and presses a button next to the light switch. The glass wall immediately darkened so that the outside world completely disappeared.

He pressed the button again and the glass wall returned to its normal translucent self.

“It’s lovely, thank you.” I say and move towards the bed.

Maggie knocks discreetly on the door and comes in with a large tray of delicious-smelling food. My tummy growls again and she giggles.

“Just in time, I think. Enjoy, Luna.” She says and excuses herself.

“Why does she keep calling me Luna?” I ask Logan. He looks pensive, as if mulling over what to tell me.

“It’s a title of respect we use in these parts. Please don’t be offended by it,” he says.

“The same way they keep calling you Alpha?” I ask as I settle at the desk where Maggie had placed the tray.

He nods. “Yes, exactly like that. I promised to explain, remember. And I will. But first, eat a bit and if you need a rest, don’t hesitate to take a nap. You are safe here, Jaime.”

I smile a thank you at him and tuck into the soup and crusty bread on the tray. It was heavenly.