by Vicki Green
We end up goin’ to the grocery store, figurin’ we should stock up while we’re here. Another snow storm’s supposed to be comin’ in the next couple of days. We’ve got the back of the truck almost loaded with all the groceries when I hear her gasp, loudly. I turn around, seein’ her lookin’ in the store window. In the reflection I see her eyes are wide, her hands coverin’ her mouth. I drop the bag in my hand and run over to her. “Shiloh. What is it?” She turns her head, her mouth open, and her skin is so pale.
“He’s in there. In the store.” I turn and start to take off, but she grabs my arm tight. “Colby. He’s got a girl with him. He’s got a hold on her.” Her eyes are searchin’ mine, and I see the fear in them. “He could hurt her, Colby.” I nod, sharply. She starts to walk to the door, but I stop her, grabbin’ both of her arms.
“Shiloh. What are you doin’?”
“I want to end this. I want to kill him. I want….” She throws herself at me, her face buryin’ into my chest. I wrap my arms around her, holdin’ her tight.
“I know, darlin’, but I want you safe. You’re more important.” I reach down and cover her stomach with my hand. “You’re both so much more important. We’ll take care of him.” I take her hand and lead her to the truck.
“Dayton.” Dayton sets down the two bags in his hand and looks at me. “He’s in the store. He has a hostage.” I watch as his hands go behind his back and see the sun glisten on the gun in his hand as he moves it in front of him and into his coat pocket.
“You all stay here.” He looks at Shiloh then me. “You stay with her, get in the truck and lock the doors.”
I nod and open the truck door, pullin’ on her hand, to get in. She stops and looks at Dayton, placin’ her hand on his arm. “Be careful, please?” He nods at her and looks at me. She turns and gets in the truck then I pat his shoulder.
“Yes, watch your back. But don’t let him get away.” He nods at me and then I watch as he walks around me then I take off runnin’ around the back of the truck, get in and lock the doors, pullin’ her to me and pushin’ her head down onto my lap. “Stay down, baby. I don’t want to take any chances.”
Her eyes look up at me, her body shakin’. “You stay down low too, please,” she whispers. I scrunch down but I’m able to see over the dash a little. It’s quiet, too quiet. Then we both jump when shots are fired. I put my hand over her head, leanin’ down further. I see a few people runnin’ out the front door, screamin’. Suddenly, there’s sirens and sounds of cars pullin’ up behind and around us. I look out my side window and see Steve, arms out, holdin’ a gun aimed in front of him. He mouths at me to stay put, and I nod, watchin’ him walk towards the store. Several armed officers go into the store, including Henry, and a few are left outside. It seems like forever until the front door opens and a few of them walk back out, their guns still out but lowered. Henry walks out and straight over to my window, his hand moving for me to roll it down. I put the key in the ignition, turnin’ it just enough to hit the window button. Shiloh looks up, leanin’ on her elbow, but I keep my hand on her head.
“Colby. He got away.” I look down, the disappointment fills her eyes. She sits up and looks out the front. I hit the steering wheel, makin’ her jump. “What the fuck happened?” Henry looks at the store and I follow his eyes. Dayton walks out. A young girl’s face is buried in his side, his arm around her. Looks like he’s talkin’ to her.
“He had a gun to her head and held her in front of him until he got out the back door, shovin’ her outta the way.” I look back at them and lower my brows as I try to think who she is.
“Who is she?” I finally ask.
“Dunno,” he responds. I look back at him and frown. “She’s really shaken up. Not sure if she’s hurt or where she even came from. Not from around here. Gonna take her in and see what I can get outta her, not sure it’ll be much though. She’s not talkin.”
“Let her come home with us.” We both turn to look at Shiloh who’s still lookin’ out the front window at the girl. She turns her eyes to us then out front again. “I’ve been there. I can try talking to her.” I look at Henry, and he shrugs. I look back at Shiloh. Her eyes look wet and her chin quivers slightly. “I know how she feels,” she whispers.
Henry clears his throat. “I dunno. I really should take her in and I think she should be looked at by Doc too.” We both look at Shiloh, still staring at the girl.
“Henry. Tell Doc to come out to my house. The girl is obviously scared.” I continue to look at Shiloh. “She’s been through this. Maybe she can help.”
I turn my head and look at him. “Well, I guess that’d be okay. Kinda irregular but then so is everythin’ else about this.” He looks at me, his face showin’ concern. “You sure about this?”
I look at Shiloh and put my hand on her neck, her body still shakin’. “I’m sure.” I look back at him and smile. “If anyone can get through to her, it’ll be Shiloh.” He nods and walks over to Dayton. The girl takes a step back, but Dayton tightens his hold around her. They talk for a few minutes then Henry walks off, passin’ by the truck. Dayton brings the girl along Shiloh’s side, opens the back door and helps her in. Shiloh gets back in her seat and buckles up then turns her head to the back then around to the front quickly. I look in the rearview mirror and see the girl’s got her face buried deep in his side. He nods, tellin’ me they’re buckled in so I do the same and look around. I have to wait for a police car to move behind me then I back out.
It’s quiet on the way home. Shiloh seems to be lost in thought. Our mysterious girl has a death grip on Dayton’s coat, and I still haven’t seen her face. I finally pull into the drive and park in the garage. It’s freezin’ out, and I need to get all the groceries in and put away. I watch Dayton help the girl outta the truck and into the house then grab a few bags of groceries. Shiloh walks back and starts to take a bag. “Go on in. I think she needs you now. I’ll get Trevor to come help.” She looks up at me, her eyes sparklin’ then turns and walks into the house. By the time I get all the bags into the house, Trevor walks in the back door. “Where ya been?” I start puttin’ away groceries as he walks over and starts siftin’ through the bags.
“I was out with Sable and Doc Winn.” My brows lift and I look at him. “She’s okay. He just stopped by to check on her. Seems her pregnancy is going good so nothin’ to worry about.” I nod and start unpackin’ again. “What took ya’ll so long? Figured you’d be back long before now. I was ‘bout ready to come look for ya.”
I stopped and turned to him, the groceries forgotten. “Madman was in town, at the grocery store.” I watch him freeze, his hands ball into fists at his side. “He had a girl hostage, young thang. She won’t talk to anyone. Hell, she won’t let go of Dayton since they stepped outta the store. Shiloh thinks maybe she can get through to her.” He nods slowly, chewin’ on the inside of his cheek, somethin’ Shiloh does when she’s thinkin’ or nervous. I lean against the counter and cross my arms over my chest. “Trev. He got away again but now we know he’s not dead and is close by.”
He leans back against the breakfast bar and looks at me. “I’ll go see how Shiloh’s makin’ out with the girl. I was there for Shiloh. Maybe I can help too. Young, huh?”
I nod. “Yeah, can’t get a good look at her to try to figure out how old though. She’s pretty shaken up and God knows what she’s been through with that lunatic.” He nods again and pushes away from the counter. He starts walkin’ to the doorway and looks over his shoulder at me.
“I’ll see what I can do. You might call Doc and get her out here.” Shit! I forgot about that.
“On it.” He leaves and I take out my phone. I sure hope this girl will be okay. Makes me wonder how many others he’s gotten his hands on, how many lives he’s made live in his nightmare. Anger swells in me as I call Doc and thoughts of what in the hell we can do to end this, for everyone.
Shiloh
The fear of knowing he was so close almost took my heart, but then I wante
d to go in there and put an end to this and him. Then realization hit when Colby placed his hand on my stomach reminding me of our baby growing in there. I have another life to think about now, one more important than my own. By the time they got the girl out of the store and then hearing that he escaped once again, my heart deflated. Not only because he fled again, but for this poor young girl who he had gotten his hands on. I’m glad they listened to me and let us bring her home with us. I couldn’t see her face but her body shook in fear, her hand in a death grip on Dayton’s coat. I knew how she felt. Even though I don’t know what all he put her through, I’ve lived my own nightmare because of him. I hope I can help her.
Dayton took her right into the living room, sitting down with her on the couch. She hasn’t moved from his side, and he looks a little lost on what to do. I sit down in the chair closest to her, leaning my arms on my knees. “My name’s Shiloh. What’s yours?” I ask quietly. No response, her body still shaking, but I notice her fist clenches his coat tighter. “No one’s going to hurt you, honey. We’re here to help.” I look up at Dayton, concern covering his face. My eyes snap to the doorway as Trevor walks in. I can tell he’s angry but also worried. I’m sure Colby filled him in. I look back at the girl. She’s peeking through her long blonde hair, seeing Trevor and then buries her face back into Dayton’s coat and tries to get even closer to him. I look at Trevor and shake my head then stand and walk over to him. “I think maybe you should leave us, Trev.” His mouth pierces as his brows lower. “I know you want to help but I think having another man around is frightening her. You understand, right?” He looks over at her and then back at me.
“Okay, but I’m not far away if you need me. You know I’ve been through this with you. Thought maybe I could help.”
He’s right. He has a gentle nature about him. He helped me more than anyone knows. I place my hand on his chest and smile, sadly. “I know, sweetheart. I’ll let you know, okay?” He looks into my eyes and nods. I watch him leave and then take my seat again. I look at her for a long time, wondering what I can do to help her, make her see I’m only trying to help, and that I understand her fears. I start off slowly, in a hushed tone, like I’m talking to a scared animal, something I learned from Colby.
“He took me when I was almost eighteen, over five years ago. I’ve been living in his nightmare ever since, trying to fight for my survival.” I see her head turn, slightly, and can see an emerald colored eye peek out from beneath her long hair. “I fought. Fought hard to get away from him. I managed to run away several times but each time he’d find me.” Her eyebrow raises, fear evident in her eye. “I was lucky, had a couple of friends who tried to help me. The man who just came in here is one of them. He’s caring, supportive, and would do anything in the world to help people.” I wait a couple of minutes hoping to let that sink in. Her body seems to relax a bit, her firm grip on his coat loosening. “You can’t do this alone, honey. You need people around you that can help. They are out looking for him, wanting to help end this.” She turns her head a little more, exposing her other eye. Her hair still covers half her face, but I can see how beautiful she is. Her skin is light, her complexion unblemished.
Ditto comes running in. I look up and see Trevor peering around the corner of the doorway, a smile on his handsome face. Ditto runs over to me and I start petting him, his eagerness to see me making me smile. I look up and see she’s moved even more, not as buried into Dayton as she was. I cup Ditto’s face, scratching behind his big long ears. “Hey, Ditto. How’s my boy?” He licks my arm, his tail beating against the coffee table as it wags frantically. I look back up at her and smile. “Would you like to pet him?” She blinks rapidly then her hand releases Dayton’s coat and she stretches out her arm slowly, her hand moving towards Ditto. “Hey, boy. Go meet a new friend of mine.” I turn his head toward her and he turns around quickly, moving his head underneath her hand. The corner of her mouth lifts slightly as she pets his head. “Good boy.” Her eyes move to mine, a little more life in them. “Friends come in all shapes and sizes. Animals are sometimes the best of friends as their love is unconditional. They don’t care what your past is and are always there for us, loving and giving themselves to us freely.” She moves again, sitting up and then leans down as Ditto gets closer to get some loving from her. We sit there for a few minutes letting her get a little more comfortable.
“Are you hungry?” Trevor asks quietly. I hadn’t noticed he’d moved into the room and was standing close to the couch. She looks up quickly, her body tensing. “Thirsty?” I watch her nod slightly, my heart filling with love for Trev. “I’ll go make you somethin’ to eat and get you a drink. Coke okay or would you rather have water?” Her brows lower. His mouth turns into a smile, showing his white teeth. “Tell ya what. I’ll bring ya both.” Her lips pierce, and she relaxes a bit. He turns and leaves the room, and I’m feeling like maybe, just maybe, we can get through to her, help her.
Ditto takes that moment to move closer and nudges her leg, wagging his tail faster. She looks down and a bigger smile appears. She really is lovely. I look at Dayton when he speaks. “I really hate to do this but I need to use the bathroom.” He looks down at her and she turns her head to him. “I promise I’ll come back.” He smiles. She nods, slightly, allowing him to stand. I finally get a better look at her. She’s slim, almost too lean, like she hasn’t been eating much or wasn’t given enough food. That makes my heart hurt even more for her, knowing what that’s like. I sit back and watch her pet Ditto. He’s eating up the attention, but I notice how much she’s liking him too. Animals have a way about them, making people relax and fill them with their love.
We both look up when Trevor brings in a plate, holding a bottled water and a can of Coke underneath his arm. He sets them down on the coffee table and then gives her a smile. He walks over and sits in the other chair, placing his boot up over the other leg. She looks at him, timidly, then down at the food, her eyes lighting up. She reaches over and picks up the Coke, letting go of Ditto long enough to pop the tab, then she starts petting him again as she starts gulping down the drink. I look over at Trevor and see he’s watching her every move. When I look back at her, she let’s go of Ditto, both hands on the sandwich Trev made her, and eating like she hasn’t eaten in months. Just then, her eyes snap to Colby walking in with another plate of food. Her eyes move with him, her mouth over the sandwich as he brings it to me.
“Thank you.” I smile. He leans down and kisses my cheek then leaves the room, glancing down at her on the way out. I look back at her and smile, setting the plate on my lap. “That’s Colby. This is his house, his farm. He’s my….” I stop short, not knowing what to call him. Boyfriend seems so small after what we’ve been through together. My love? My baby’s daddy? I smile as my hand covers my stomach and look down at it. “I came here on my last escape, hoping to find solace, a place to hide.” My eyes move up to hers. “It became so much more. I fell in love. Something I never imagined could happen to me after what I’ve been through.” She chews her bite of food then swallows, listening intently. “I didn’t think I could ever really live again, still living in my nightmare, still haunted. But the beauty of the land here and the new friends I’ve acquired has shown me I can still be strong, fight to get a happy life. They’ve helped me more than I can say and I’m so thankful for them.” She seems to relax even more. Maybe my words are sinking in. I hope they are. I look down again, rubbing my stomach. “Now, we’re gonna bring a life in this crazy world but I’ll do anything to protect our baby.” I look back up and see the surprise look at her face then it softens.
Her face turns to sadness as she sets down the sandwich on the plate. She looks over at Trevor and then at me. “My name’s Caprice,” she whispers. She swallows hard. “He took me three years ago. I had just turned sixteen.” Her hands clench into fists on her lap. “I hate him.”
Trevor leans down, placing his arms on his legs, clasping his hands together. “There’s support in numbers,” he spe
aks softly. His eyes shift to mine then back at her. She’s looking at him, listening. “I’ve been through this since almost day one with Shiloh. I know what he’s like, even though I haven’t been through what you both have.” He looks over at me, sadness spreads across his face. “But I’ve been there to help pick up the pieces, tell her and show her that she deserves to be happy.” I smile, wetness forming in my eyes. He looks back at her. “Everyone deserves happiness, a chance to live again”
“I want that,” she whispers.
That gorgeous, caring smiles lights up his face. “Well, darlin’, that’s the first step. The rest are baby steps, one at a time.” The corner of her mouth lifts slightly. “Now, eat up. There’s plenty more where that came from.”
“May I have another?” She asks timidly.
He stands, still smiling. “You can have as many as you want.”
Her mouth lifts a little bit more. “Thank you.” He looks at her then at me, winks and walks out of the room. She looks at me and picks up the sandwich taking another huge bite.
“I know it’s hard being in a strange place and somewhere you don’t know anyone.” She looks at me and nods. I smile. “I’ve been there, not that long ago. It would probably be a good idea for you to let a doctor take a look at you.” She stiffens and sets down her sandwich. “Look. I know it’s not easy to trust. I really do. Probably better than most but at some point you have to let some people in. You don’t have to tell them your secrets. We just want to make sure you’re okay, honey.”
A tear falls from her eye as she presses her mouth together. She looks up at me, her chin quivering. “I’m ashamed.” She tries to hold back the sob I can tell is wanting to release.
