Page 97 of Dark Endures

Nowhere. I don’t want anyone to see me like this. “I don’t know.”

How did this happen?

How did I not see that Adonis could do something like this?

Mom taught me how to protect myself. All I did was hang there and let him hit me.

Leonie would have beaten him up, and then arrested him.

Why didn’t I do anything?

“Don’t cry. I know where to take you. You’ll be safe there. They take care of women just like you every day. Don’t cry. I’ll take you there. You’ll be just fine in a few minutes. You just sit back and I’ll get you there safe and sound.”

“Where?” The word sounds odd coming out of me, but I can’t think about that right now.

“The Nest. It’s a shelter of sorts for women and children. They’ll take care of you.”

The Nest

Mindy

A muscled man with a gun sitting on his hip opens the door as the cab comes to a stop.

“Um. Are you sure this is the place?” My voice is barely a whisper.

“Yeah. That guy is there to keep you safe.”

Please be telling me the truth. This place just looks like a massive office building surrounded by trees.

And an impressive fence.

I fight to open the door. My body just doesn’t have much more left in it.

The guard steps forward as he says, “We need medical out here. Why didn’t you take her to the hospital?”

The cabbie shrugs.

“No hospital,” I struggle to say. There’s no way I can afford to pay the bills. “I’m okay.”

“Uh-huh. I’m going to lift you out of the cab. It’s going to hurt. I’m sorry about that.” The guard steps forward.

“Everything hurts. You can’t make it worse.”

He leans in and whispers. “Keep up that bravado for a few more minutes. Then you can fall apart.”

“I don’t fall apart.” Often.

“Good to know.” He winks, then lifts me up.

THAT HURTS! I bite my lip to hold in the scream as several women run out with a gurney between them.

“Pretty sure she’s got a cracked rib or two.” He tells the women as he sets me down.

Pain shoots through my body, and waves of nausea roll through me.

“Stop.” One of the women feels like she shouts, but never raises her voice. “Lift her up again.”

The man does what she says.

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