Page 102 of Tristano

Holstering my gun, I rush forward and pull myself up into the car.

“Hey, my friends and I are here to help,” I tell her as I slowly approach her. “Can I take that out of your mouth?”

She nods.

Bending down, I remove her gag as Conor gets to work on removing her bindings.

“Thank you,” the woman rasps.

Her eyes are bloodshot, all cried out.

“You’re welcome,” I say sincerely.

Her wrists come free, and I help rub feeling back into her arms as Conor calls it in.

“Bash is on his way. I’ll wait outside for them,” Conor tells me as I wrap the blanket Teddy gave me around the girl.

“What’s your name?” I ask her.

“Ellie.”

“How old are you?” I hold out my water to her.

She takes it, guzzling it down.

“Slow down. You’ll choke,” Teddy mutters.

She looks up at him with wide eyes but does as he asks. Once she’s finished with the bottle, she answers me.

“Eighteen.” She breathes.

“You were taken walking home, right?” I ask.

She nods. “I take some courses at the community college. This guy asked me for some help finding downtown. I gave him directions and then that’s the last thing I remember. How long have I been here?”

“A little over twenty-four hours,” I tell her.

She lets out a sigh of relief. “Thank God. I haven’t seen or heard anyone since I’ve been here. I was starting to think they left me here to die.”

“Not at all. I’m glad we found you.”

“Mia is here with Bash,” Conor says into the comms so the girl doesn’t hear.

“Hey, can I take you to meet my friend, Mia? She’s a doctor. She’s only going to make sure you’re okay.”

“Sure. Thank you.” She looks to Teddy. “Thank you too. Seriously, you’re my hero.”

Something soft passes over Teddy’s face. “You’re welcome.”

That’s the nicest I’ve heard his tone all day. All because of this young girl. I shake my head but help Ellie up. Teddy stays close, his eyes taking in our surroundings as I lead her to the SUV with Mia standing outside of it.

“Hello, I’m Mia. Would you mind riding with me back to my office? You will be safe.”

Ellie glances over at me then Teddy. I rub my mouth, hiding my smirk.

“Maybe Teddy can go with her? He’s the one who found her so she might feel a little better.”

She nods her head frantically.

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