Rescue Me! by Elda Minger

Author:Elda Minger
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Harlequin
Published: 2013-12-15T00:00:00+00:00

8

JENNIFER SLEPT THROUGH THE night, but before waking the following morning, the images started. She was back in the convenience store, on the floor, and the man with the long, greasy black hair had his shotgun pointed right at her. She was fumbling with the clasp of her bracelet and couldn’t seem to get it off. He was shouting, and she had the overwhelming sense that no one was going to help her. She was going to die—

Jen came awake with a start to find Shadow pressed up against her, a worried look on her furry face. One of her paws, the nails newly cut by the vet tech, was firmly on her chest; she could feel the pressure. The Lab puppy looked as if she were about to bark.

“Shhh,” Jen said and placed a comforting hand on the puppy’s soft head. “It’s all right.”

Shadow whined softly and removed her paw. Jen sighed. Her dog knew she wasn’t speaking the truth. Nothing was fine as long as she kept having these horrific images in her mind.

She glanced at the bedside clock’s illuminated face. A few minutes before six. Maria would already be at work; she opened her coffeehouse when the sun rose in order to catch early-bird customers who needed their caffeine fix before work.

She was alone in the house. Alone with those images, alone with that horrible sense of—

Fear.

She lay back down among the covers and held on to Shadow, wondering if she would ever feel totally safe again. And, glancing at the clock one more time, saw her cell on the nightstand.

She thought of Cody.

He was probably already on the set. Busy. He wouldn’t want to be bothered.

Yes, he would, a quiet little voice inside her said.

Damn it. She knew Cody would want to hear from her if she was scared. She was just afraid to call him. She didn’t need years of therapy to know that, from what had happened with her father, she didn’t have a whole lot of faith in men being there for her.

Do it, that little voice said. Call him. Let him know you need him.

Her hand shook as she reached for the phone.

CODY WAS EATING BREAKFAST with some of the crew when his cell rang. When he saw the number, he picked up after the first ring.

“Hey, Jen,” he said and waited.

Silence on her end. He didn’t push her.

“I’m sorry,” she said, and it sounded as if she were about to cry.

“Don’t be,” he said, then set his orange juice down and moved away from the group of people still eating. “Bad night?”

“I keep…seeing it. Over and over.”

“I’m so sorry, Jen. What can I do?”

WHAT CAN I DO?

To her, they were four of the most wonderful words in the English language.

“Nothing,” she said, leaning back in bed, pulling the covers up to her chin, Shadow burrowing closer. “Maybe I need therapy.”

“Maybe,” he said. “I’ve been thinking about some for myself.”

“Because of what happened?”

“For a lot of things. But let’s get back to you.

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