Chapter 4

Something was wrong. It felt different. It smelled different. I'd learned long ago not to divulge when I was awake, so I lay there, eyes closed, ears tuned to every sound around me.

Air flowed through vents nearby, spilling cool air over me. Farther off, I heard the soft hum of some sort of appliance. Insects and birds called to one another outside, their chirps muffled by the glass of the window.

Ever so slowly I cracked my eyes open and immediately winced. The soft blue walls were a stark contrast to the dingy gray of the cement block room I'd come to recognize. I started to lift a hand, but it was constricted by something. I shifted, and the silky material of a white down comforter slid over my skin.

My brows drew together as I carefully extracted one arm, holding it up in front of me and examining it. The smaller cuts appeared to have been cleaned, the deeper lacerations covered with gauze and tape. Someone had patched me up. Not that I didn't appreciate it, but I was wary enough to believe it was a trap. Wouldn't be the first time those assholes had tried to lure me in with a false sense of security before turning on me once more.

I glanced around the small bedroom again. It was relatively clean, and a few generic flower prints hung on the walls. There was nothing to indicate the owner's identity—no pictures, no diplomas or certificates. Where was I?

I remembered running for what felt like an entire day, coming across the small house and seeing the woman inside. Then… nothing.

I tossed a look to my left at the bed, then down to the mattress where I lay. If it were the woman who'd cared for me, it made sense that she'd pulled it onto the ground. No way could she get me up there all by herself. I was vaguely surprised she'd done this much. She could have left me on the floor. Or dragged me outside.

Speaking of the woman…

There was still no sign of life outside the small bedroom, so I decided to investigate my surroundings. Muscles screaming, I levered myself to an elbow. It took me two tries to shift into a sitting position, and I winced as I stood.

Though they were bandaged, my feet ached. I shoved the pain away as I took one step, then another. The closet door stood wide open, and I headed first in that direction.

Womens clothing filled the racks and the small bathroom showed more evidence of a woman's presence with feminine, flowery soaps. I slipped down the hallway until I entered a kitchen. A bowl of large tomatoes sat in the middle of the table, and I snatched one up, taking a huge bite. It was the most delicious thing I could remember eating.

As I chewed I scanned the counter. There was a requisite coffee pot, microwave, and toaster, but no knives. I yanked open the drawer closest to me and found a mishmash of items. Moving on, I checked each one until I came across a nice long kitchen knife. The blade wasn't as sharp as I'd prefer, but it would do in a pinch.

Polishing off the tomato, I immediately reached for another. I quickly finished that too, then turned on the faucet and stuck my head underneath, drinking directly from the tap. Stomach full and relatively sated for the moment, I explored the house.

It was small and cozy, with more flower pictures hanging in the living room. Several knit blankets lay draped over a lone couch in the living room, and I fingered the soft material. I thought of the young woman who'd opened the door, her eyes wide with shock and fear.

Did she live here all by herself? There was no evidence of a man anywhere, so I assumed she was alone. But how had she gotten me to the bedroom and taken care of my injuries? Had a doctor come to help? I didn't have a shred of clothing on, so they weren't likely to make an identification. Unless they were involved.

I glanced at the clock. I wasn't entirely sure what time I'd arrived, but darkness had long since fallen by the time I knocked on her door. It was now almost five in the afternoon. The woman wasn't home, which was more than a little suspicious. She'd probably gone for help, not wanting to be alone with a stranger—and a naked one at that.

I grimaced. I couldn't exactly just trot down the street like this, bare as the day I was born. The woman didn't have anything I could wear, so I would have to wait until nightfall when I could sneak in unnoticed somewhere and get clothes. That would go a long way to concealing my identity and throwing the men off my trail.

As I moved through the house, I checked the windows and doors for a security system. There was nothing. That was both good and bad. It meant I could slip out unnoticed, but it would also make it that much easier for Ara?a's men to get in if they'd tracked me.

Opening the back door that bordered the woods, I scanned the perimeter of the yard again. Towering trees of the dense forest surrounded the house, making it feel later than it was. I ventured forward, checking for any tracks in the immediate area. Aside from the smaller prints from various wildlife, there was nothing. Relief washed over me. Hopefully the men hadn't been able to follow me.

There was no movement from the forest, nothing aside from the soft buzz of insects and chirping of birds. It seemed I was completely alone for the moment. I turned, and something caught my eye.

A glass building was attached to the back of the house, and I drifted toward it. A wave of humid heat hit me when I pulled the door open, and surprise rooted me to the ground when I saw it was full of plants. The greenhouse was filled to the brim with ferns, brightly colored flowers, and other foliage I didn't recognize.

Closing the door, I made my way back to the house. I paused in the doorway, tossing one last look at the back yard. I was finally free. Free of my captors, free to leave any time I wanted. The only problem was, I had no place to go. I couldn't return to Chicago, and my body was far too weak from yesterday to keep moving. I needed to regain my strength and come up with a plan. I wasn't sure how far we were from a city, but this seemed like as good a place as any to spend my time healing.

I returned to the bedroom and riffled through the nightstand next to the bed. If I was hoping to find something to reveal my savior's identity, I was bound to be disappointed. Inside, I found a worn paperback book, various hair ties, chapsticks, and other random paraphernalia. No photos, nothing that offered any sort of insight as to the type of woman who'd taken me in.

My lips pressed into a line at the sight of the mattress on the floor. The wounds on my torso pulled tight as I lifted it and returned it to its place on the bed, then threw the comforter over top. The woman had displaced her entire bed for me. Why? It didn't make sense.

Suddenly, the crunch of tires on gravel from the front of the house met my ears, and every cell of my body went hyper alert.

Years of training kicked in as I grabbed up the knife and crept into the hallway, eyes and ears alert. The front door opened then closed, and the soft scuffle of footsteps filled the air as the person drew closer.

Back to the wall, I got into position, mentally tracking their path until they were just a few feet away. Then I made my move.