Fractured Lives (Badge of Honor Book 3) by Karen Kelley

Author:Karen Kelley [Kelley, Karen]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: K and K
Published: 2020-07-16T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter Eighteen

She hesitated before she went inside the women's section of the showers. Natalie was just coming out of one of the stalls. She had a towel wrapped around her, with one end tucked between her breasts. She was tall. At least five feet, eight inches with a tanned, trim figure. Her hair was a thick, luxurious brown with golden highlights. Ellie felt pale and bland beside her.

“Just take your pick of stalls,” she told her, then smiled.

Ellie wished she could feel that comfortable around people. She supposed Natalie would have to make people feel comfortable because of her line of work. Instead of saying anything, she smiled back before stepping into the stall.

She pulled the flimsy curtain across the opening, then quickly removed her clothes. She released a sigh as she stepped under the warm spray. Her thoughts drifted back to when she first returned home from the hospital. She’d taken a shower first thing in the morning and then before bed. She just couldn’t seem to get clean. It wasn’t so bad now.

She quickly shampooed her hair, then rinsed before washing. Running on the track had been great. There was almost a bounce to the surface. Much better than the packed dirt around the farm.

She turned off the water and grabbed her towel.

"You'll be better off wrapping your towel around you and coming out here," Natalie called out. "All the steam makes it almost impossible to get dry. I'm about finished, and you'll have the room to yourself."

She hesitated. She never dressed or undressed in front of anyone. For a moment, she closed her eyes tight and clamped her lips together. Determination stole over her. Before she could change her mind, she quickly wrapped the towel around her and tucked one end between her breasts, then grabbed her bag and left the small cubicle. Natalie was right. The steam would make it impossible to get dry. As she stepped out of the stall, the cold air hit her skin, and she shivered.

Natalie chuckled. "I guess I should've warned you. The air is a lot cooler out here, but after a moment, it almost feels invigorating."

Ellie glanced toward her. Natalie was wearing her bra and panties and just pulling up her black slacks. When she turned a fraction, reaching for the white shirt that was on a hanger, Ellie drew in a sharp breath.

Natalie looked at her, then at the jagged scars that ran across her stomach at an angle. “Pretty ugly, isn’t it?”

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to stare.”

Natalie shrugged. “It’s okay. It doesn’t bother me anymore. I think of it as a souvenir.”

“A souvenir?”

Natalie smiled. "One of my stepfather’s gave it to me. He'd slapped my mother and was about to slap her again. I grabbed the iron skillet and hit him over the head, but I was only thirteen, so I didn't have a lot of strength. I think it made him madder that I had the nerve to stand up to him. He turned before I could move and grabbed the butcher knife, then slashed across my belly.

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