Page 46 of Zale's Little Girl
When he’d finished, her daddy settled Pippa on the couch with the soft blanket from her crib, a fresh sippy cup of juice, and Toothie. Wrapped in his arms, she watched the animated movie she’d always wanted to see but hadn’t found the time. He always made things better. Even when she got embarrassed by his intimate care.
CHAPTER 16
Glaring at the characters on the screen, Pippa hated that they were so happy. She’d wanted to go back to work today, but Zale had vetoed that. Who cared if she still had a fever? A couple of days on the antibiotics for her strep throat and she’d stopped coughing. That hadn’t been good enough for her daddy. He hadn’t been willing to negotiate at all. A fever meant no way.
Pippa looked around the empty room. Zale returned to work with his team after laying down the law that she stayed home. Lifting her alligator stuffie so they could talk face to tooth, she fussed, “This is totally unfair, Toothie. It’s not like I’m contagious. He said I have no energy. I’ll show him.”
Determined, she stood up and paused for a second when the world spun around her. That was just a fluke. She must have gotten up too fast.
Stomping into the bedroom, she grabbed one of Zale’s hoodies and tugged on her new sneakers. Pippa braced her forearms on her thighs as she sat on the bed. She must need to eat more. Her energy was gone.
Confident that she would feel better when she got in the fresh air, Pippa got up and forced herself to walk to the front door. Pulling it open, she inhaled deeply and then pressed a hand to her chest as she started coughing.
“Damn it!”
The last thing she wanted to do was admit that her daddy was right. Stubbornly, she headed down the stairs. She’d walk around the block a couple of times. At the end of the driveway, she changed that to one block. Three houses down, she amended the plan to forge on to the end of the street. In the middle of the next house’s driveway, Pippa turned around.
How had she ever thought she’d make it all day trying to keep up with kids?
Hoping the neighbors living in that house weren’t at home, she sat down on the pavement to regain her energy for the long walk back. Pippa turned back to consider how far away she was from Zale’s house. It suddenly seemed a marathon worth of steps away.
“Hey. Are you okay?”
Pippa looked up and nodded at the man who talked to her from the road. “I’m fine. Thanks for checking on me.” The hair on the back of her neck bristled when he shifted slightly, and she noticed he stood in front of a large white SUV.
“I think I should help you home. Come on. Let’s get you in my vehicle.” The man walked forward and extended his hand, seeming to want to tug her up to her feet.
“No, thank you. I’m fine.” Pippa fumbled for her phone and discovered her hoodie pocket was empty. She’d forgotten it at home.
Forcing herself to appear calm and collected, she told him firmly, “Just leave me alone. I don’t need any help.” She scanned the area, hoping to spot someone who could help her, but the street was deserted. Most of the neighbors worked on the base and would already be gone for the day.
“Now, that’s not a nice way to talk to someone who’s come to your rescue.” He reached down and grabbed her arm, squeezing it painfully.
Tears popped into her eyes as Pippa struggled against his hold. His superior strength overpowered her as he hauled her upward. Pippa screamed hoarsely, cursing her still-sore throat that croaked instead of blared. As he dragged her toward the SUV, she desperately tried to remember any self-preservation tips.
Don’t allow yourself to be taken to a secondary location.
Pippa lifted her feet from the ground and winced as she crashed to the concrete. She continued to yell and thrash to buy herself additional time to attract someone’s attention.
“Fucking bitch! You’re going to regret being such a problem when I pick the most deranged of our buyers to get you at a discounted rate.”
Scared beyond belief, Pippa heard her jeans rip as he dragged her across the concrete. Ignoring the pain, Pippa focused on surviving. She lunged forward to wrap her arms around the mailbox when he got her close to the curb. Holding on with the last of her strength, Pippa tried to duck her head down between her arms to protect it as he kicked her.
“No, no, no!” repeated in her brain as she clung to consciousness. Everything faded away.
A familiar scent filled her nostrils. Pippa didn’t want to open her eyes and leave this dream. She knew that whatever awaited her when she woke up fully would be the stuff of nightmares. The man’s threat to sell her to the most unhinged buyer ricocheted inside her aching skull.
She didn’t sense any movement. He must have gotten her into the SUV, and they’d reached some destination. She hadn’t even left a note for Zale. He would just come home to find her gone. A tear leaked from the corner of her eye.
“She’s in pain. Can you give her something?” a harsh voice demanded.
“Sir, she has a head injury. Until scans show it’s okay, we can’t give her anything. I need you to back up now so we can check her for injuries.”
“Daddy?” she whispered, stubbornly resisting opening her eyes in case this was a dream.
“I’m here, kitten. You’re okay. You’re safe.” A familiar hand stroked over her arm. She grabbed it and held on for dear life.
“Sir, I need you to step back.”
