Page 36 of Burning Escape

“That’s awful.”

Tori swallowed at the softness in his voice. “The worst of it was after my dad died. People at his funeral, Christians and good church-going folk, whispered about how he deserved it since he was always drunk. That it was God’s grace he died that way and didn’t take anyone else, since he died in a one-car accident.” Tears spilled down her cheeks. “I know he wasn’t the greatest father and all…but he was still my dad.”

And if that was God’s grace, she didn’t want anything to do with it.

Orion didn’t say anything. He simply opened his arms to her, and she fell into his embrace. It was safe there, a safe place to release the hurt, the pain inflicted so long ago.

He whispered close to her ear. “What those people said about your father was wrong. That’s not God’s grace, Tori. God is called the Good Shepherd for a reason. He heals the sick and seeks after the lost. He loves us enough to die for us, because He came to save us. Not condemn us.”

Something in her quickened at Orion’s words. But she was well acquainted with people looking and sounding good on the outside and being filled with evil and corruption on the inside.

She slowly sat up and sniffed. “I don’t think those people got that message. They were really good at condemning.” She reached for a tissue. “But enough of that. I just wanted you to know where I stand when it comes to all this God stuff.”

“Okay.”

She waited for him to say more, but it didn’t come.

“That’s it? You’re not going to try to change me? Convince me your God is the right God?”

“That’s not my job. If you do want to talk about it, I’m here.”

Somehow, his answer cooled her ire. And maybe the whole faith thing did deserve some of her attention. Orion was different in a good way because of his faith. And then there were the people at the Refuge. Except for Jeremiah, they worked together for the good of the group and really seemed to live out what they preached—even if Amos was a little grumpy and Hannah had been skeptical at first. Mara was sweet and had gone out of her way to help them. Joann and Abraham trusted them, and Hiram’s family had given up their bedroom, wanting Tori and Orion to have the best place to rest.

She needed some space to think.

And a shower.

She stood and pulled her hair out of its ponytail. “I’m going to take that shower now. But here—” She walked over to her purse on the desk and pulled out her debit card. “Take this. Could you grab us some food from Starlight Pizza down at the end of the block? They should let you call the sheriff from there too.”

Orion hesitated. “I’m not sure I should leave you here alone. What if that guy comes back?”

“I’ll lock the door behind you. But I need to clean up and get back to the clinic. I don’t want to leave Joann alone for much longer.”

He seemed reluctant, but Orion finally left, promising to find some food for them and be back to walk to the clinic together.

Tori tried to shake off the creep factor of Razor and his “gift,” but even with the steaming hot water of the shower, she couldn’t push back the chill that had settled in since seeing the knife.

She hated to admit it, but Orion’s presence did give her a sense of calm protection. Not that she could give in to it and rely on him. She’d thought guys were safe before and found out the hard way that her instincts when it came to men were so skewed she couldn’t tell light from dark. It felt good to get clean though—wash away the grime of two days in the wilderness, wrap herself in a fluffy towel, and slip on clean clothes. She grabbed her comfiest sweatshirt and joggers and made a cup of coffee.

Wrapped up in her fuzzy throw, she jumped at a knock on the door. She stood there a moment. Should she open it?

“Just me.”

Orion.

Tori blew out the breath she’d been holding and opened the door.

He held up two bags of food. “Deputy Mills said not to touch anything else and to meet him at the clinic. He’s going to send someone to collect the knife and the box. They’ll check it for prints.”

They walked back to the clinic and spotted the same deputy that had been talking to Kitri earlier leaning against the front desk in the lobby, clearly waiting for them. He got up and walked over. “Ready for your statement?”

Tori nodded. She moved to the far side of the lobby with the deputy, while Orion chatted with the nurse who’d come in.

Twenty minutes later, Tori finished explaining about her delivery and walked over to Orion.

“The nurse said they want to send Kitri to Anchorage for further testing and tox screens,” he said.

“Is she going to be okay?”

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