Page 17 of Refuge for Cherilyn

The girl looked around. “This is nice. It’s so big.”

This is big? It’s tiny! What the hell were those apartments like?“Well, thanks.”

“You’re welcome. We had to share a bed at home. Are we going to do that here?”

“No. You and your sister can, but your mom can have her own room.”

“Oh! Nice! Thanks. Do you really have a washer and dryer?”

Shaw’s heart hurt for the girl. He was pretty sure they went to the laundromat. “Yeah. They’re not new, but I’ve got a pair.”

“Can you teach me how to use them? I’ve never used any regular ones before.”

“Sure. But I don’t mind doing the laundry.”

“If you’re letting us stay here, we should do the work. We should. It’s only right.”

“I get it. And yeah, I’ll let you help.” He glanced over at Lara, who seemed to be fading fast. “Hey, getting sleepy?”

“Uh-huh.” It was the quietest he’d seen the child.

“Let’s go over here and you can lie down on the sofa, okay? Then once you get your shower, you can take a nap on the bed.”

“No nap. I na baby.”

“I know, but everybody needs a nap now and then. Do you need a drink?”

The child looked at her older sister. “PEE!”

“Okay. I doubt Mom locked the door. Come on.” He watched as Maya took Lara’s hand and led her down the hallway. She rapped on the door and he heard Cherilyn call out, “Yeah?” The girls disappeared into the bathroom, and he grabbed his phone.

“You got ’em?”

“Yeah. They’re here. Hey, your wife, do you think she’d help out?”

“Whaddya need?”

“They need some clothes and shoes.”

He heard Aaron laugh. “No problem! That woman loves to shop! You got sizes?”

“No, but I’ll get them.”

“Hey, tell you what, why don’t I have her come by your house and see what they need, okay?”

“Okay. Sounds good. Thanks, Aaron.”

“Anytime, bud.”

They’d have clean clothes and some shoes. Underwear. Socks. Maybe Aaron’s wife could get them toothbrushes, toothpaste, and hairbrushes. He remembered one of the young women at the lodge saying the older girl needed personal hygiene products. They could get those too. And he needed to get some things to keep the girls occupied. Books, movies, some toys for the younger one. He didn’t know what they liked, but he could come up with something, he was sure.

An hour later, they were all squeaky clean. He’d found some rubber bands, and Cherilyn had gathered up the excess fabric at the waistbands of the boxers and tied it off with the bands. She held Lara on her lap, wrapped in a poly fleece throw, until the child was warm and drowsy, then carried her to the bedroom Shaw had gotten ready and tucked her in.

By morning, they’d have some clothes to wear, and they would have had at least two decent meals. Then the real work would begin. He and Aaron were going to find RodneyFrymire. That son of a bitch would pay.

CHAPTER3

Cherilyn tooka look at herself in the mirror. She looked horrible. There were dark circles under her eyes, and her hair was lifeless. Her ribs were visible, and so were her hip bones.What must that man think of me?she asked herself.

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