by Marla Monroe
“I’m just worried about getting trapped somewhere,” Stanton said.
“I know, but it should offer us more supplies and, being off the beaten path, we shouldn’t run into anyone.” Wade rounded one more curve and they emerged into an open area with an old farm house situated in the middle. Off behind it looked to be a cleared overgrown garden area.
“Wow. It’s like stepping into the past,” Stanton told them. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen anything that old before,” he said.
“Keep your eyes open for any sign of someone. We’ll check out the house first then look at that old barn out back,” he told them.
“Okay. Lyssa needs to go with us. I don’t want to leave her out here alone,” Stanton said.
“I agree. Remember to watch for wolves and dogs, too,” Wade told them.
He backed them around until they were facing the road out before he cut the engine and turned to look at the other two. He saw the unease in both of their eyes, but they needed to stop for a while and stretch their legs, not to mention they had to check Lyssa for a tracking device.
“Stick close. No going off on your own. It’s too dangerous for us to get separated right now,” he said.
“Let’s go. We’re wasting time,” Stanton said.
Wade nodded, understanding that the man was fighting to remain calm around Lyssa. He was glad. They needed to make her feel as safe as possible. She’s been through too much already. He couldn’t imagine being imprisoned for seven years.
He opened his door to climb out before reaching behind the seat to grab the rifle. He saw Stanton grab the handgun out of the glove compartment and once he’d jumped down from the truck, shoved it in the back of his pants. Then the other man reached beneath the seat after helping Lyssa down and pulled out the other handgun and handed it to her. Wade wasn’t sure that was such a good idea, but then thought about the fact that she’d been the one who had shot her attacker.
“Let’s go,” he said.
The three of them walked toward the old house, keeping their eyes open and searching for any sign that someone might be living there. Nothing moved, even the wind no longer blew around them. When they reached the steps up to the porch, Wade checked a few of them to be sure they were strong enough before he let Lyssa step on them. He didn’t want her to step on a rotten board and fall through, injuring herself.
They slowly walked up the steps to the porch. There wasn’t anything on the porch at all. He’d have thought there would be empty planters or a rocking chair, but it was empty. Pulling open the screen door, Wade noted that it squeaked when he opened it. Either no one had been there to fix it or they left it like that to warn them when someone was there.
Stanton held the screen open for him so he had his hand free for the rifle if he needed it. Wade knocked on the door. He didn’t hear anything move inside, so he knocked again, using the side of his fist this time. Again, no sounds of life inside so he tried the doorknob. It didn’t turn. With nothing on the porch, there was no place to hide a key. He still checked over the door with no luck.
“I don’t want to risk walking around the side of the house in all those weeds and brush. I’m going to break in.” He handed the rifle to the other man. “Stanton, watch for me.”
“I’ve got it,” he said positioning himself in front of Lyssa and resting the rifle in the crook of his elbow.
Wade knelt in front of the door and set to work jimmying the lock with the small file and pick he had. It was one of the things he’d picked up over the years on his own. Being able to hotwire an older car and break in a house was a necessary skill in the world they now lived. It took him nearly five minutes, but he got the old lock to click and the door squeaked open on its own. Evidently the lock was all that kept the door closed.
“Okay guys, we need to clear the house before we start looking for supplies,” he said.
The three of them remained together as they checked each room, closet, and cupboard. Once he was satisfied that there was no one in the house, they walked out the back to the barn and checked it out. There wasn’t much in the barn to speak of. They might find a few tools they could use, but not much else. They returned to the house and Wade looked at Lyssa.
“We need to check you for that transmitter before we do anything else. Okay?” he asked.
“If it’s in me, I want it out–now.” She turned around and lifted her hair off her neck. He looked at Stanton.
“Maybe you should check since you know something about it,” Wade told the other man.
“I’ve never really seen the real thing, only pictures and reports about it. I’ll check her arms and legs while you check her back there.” Stanton knelt in front of her. “You’re going to need to take off your clothes, Lyssa. You can just take off your jeans now and after I’ve checked you can put them back on and remove your shirt.”
She didn’t say a word, just unfastened the jeans and let them slide down her legs before stepping out of them. They were so big she didn’t even have to remove her shoes. She jerked her T-shirt over her head and let it drop as well.
Stanton set to work on her legs as Wade ran his fingers up and down her neck and through her hair to check her scalp. If the situation wasn’t so serious, he would have enjoyed what he was doing. Despite needing a good wash, her hair felt wonderful in his hands. Soft and heavy, tempting him to wrap his fist around it and pull her back against his body.
This wasn’t the time or place for him to get a damn hard-on. He willed his dick back down and concentrated on what he was doing. With nothing odd turning up anywhere on her scalp or behind her ears, he shifted down and checked her neck, front and back before moving to her shoulders. As his fingers brushed across them and slowly moved closer to her cleavage, he felt his blood heat again, sending sparks straight to his cock and balls.
“Anything?” He asked Stanton.
“Not yet.”
“Lyssa, I’m going to let you handle feeling around your—um, breasts, and I’ll check your back next,” Wade said, fighting hard to keep his voice steady.
She jerked her arms up over her head so he could run his hands under her arms and down her sides. Nothing. He moved to concentrate on her back now. Her skin was smooth and soft despite the way she’d lived the last seven years. As soon as they were safe enough, he would make sure she got a nice hot shower or bath to enjoy. The all three needed one, but he was sure she hadn’t had the luxury of a long soak in years.
“Nothing around her feet, hands, arms, or legs,” Stanton said. “Lyssa, I’m going to check your belly, but I’m going to let you check everywhere else. If you feel anything, let us know. As soon as we finish with where we are checking, you can go into the other room and finish up.”
“Okay. I can do that,” she said.
Wade could hear the fear in her voice and feel it in the fine tremors of her body as he ran his hands up and down her back. This was so fucked up. She shouldn’t have to worry about being captured and used for sex or anything else for that matter. Lyssa didn’t deserve to have strange men touching her while they searched for something that might have been injected under her skin against her will.
He was nearly finished with her back when his fingers brushed over something different along the top of her hip on the right side. He ran his fingers lightly over the area again and felt the slight bump.
“I think I found something,” he said as he leaned closer to look.
“Get it out! Right now! Get it out of me!” Lyssa started trembling beneath his hands.
“Easy, honey. We’ll take care of it. Just try and relax.” Wade moved over so Stanton could check the area himself.
“I think this is it. It sure feels like a BB to me,” Stanton said. “Lyssa, do you remember ever having anything happen to you here? An injury as a child or something? Do you have a birth control implant?”
“No, nothing. I have a small scar on my ankle from a bike accident when I was young, but nothing else.” Her trembling voice bothere
d Wade. She was the strongest female he knew to have lived in a cage as long as she had and then be able to function well enough to help with their escape.
“Okay, here’s what we’re going to do,” Stanton began. “Wade, find a clean sheet and put it on the dining room table in there. There’s more natural light in there with all of those windows. Get a boiler and boil some water. If they don’t have a stove that works, then build a fire in the fireplace to do it. I’m going to get the first aid kit and see what we have to work with.” Stanton stood up and pulled Lyssa into his arms. Wade could tell that her fear was affecting him as well.
“You don’t have to do all that. It’s not deep, just use some alcohol and make a small slit. Use tweezers if you have them to get it out. If you don’t, just pinch it out. Clean it with the alcohol and put a bandage over it. That’s all it will take. Do we have Steri-Strips in the kit?” she asked.
“Lyssa. I’m afraid we’ll hurt you or do something wrong. I’d rather make it as sterile as possible,” Wade told her, turning her to face him.
“And I want it out. Now.”
Chapter Seven
Twenty minutes later, Lyssa lay face down on the dining room table with both a thick blanket and a clean sheet beneath her. They’d even found a thin pillow and replaced the case on it for her to lay her head on. Wade had drawn the line at doing it while she stood there in the living room. Instead, he’d insisted that she lay down so he didn’t make a mistake or cut too deep.
By default, Wade had been selected to do the honors since Stanton immediately confessed to getting sick at the sight of blood. Wade had grimaced and drawn in a deep breath before he agreed to remove the transmitter.
Now as she waited for him to finish cleaning her hip, she tried to focus on how much safer they would all be once it was out of her and they destroyed it. It wasn’t easy since they weren’t entirely sure that was what was beneath her skin. She’d tried to feel it, but the angle was awkward for her. Instead of lightly running the pad of her finger over it, she ended up pressing too hard to tell much about it. It could be a fatty nodule or even a knotted valve in a blood vessel. A lot could go wrong if it was the blood vessel scenario.
“I think you’re about to rub an extra layer of skin off my hip, Wade. Stop and let it dry then take the blade and make a small slit right next to the thing. Don’t make it on top of it in case it isn’t what we think it is,” she warned him.
“Why? What could it be? What will happen?” he asked. His hands had frozen where they were touching her.
“Relax. Nothing, but it’s just the correct way to do it so that you don’t cut into the object. We don’t know for sure what it is and if it has something inside of it, it might be dangerous to all of us.”
“Dammit, Stanton. Get your ass back in here. You can keep your eyes averted, but I need you to be ready in case I need something. Hold Lyssa’s hand.” It was obvious that Wade wasn’t thrilled with his task.
She felt a hand clasp hers and turned her head to meet Stanton’s wide-eyed gaze and pale face. She felt sorry for him. He obviously didn’t do well with this type of situation. How had he managed on his own for so long?
“I’m fine, Stanton. Just look at me and keep your back to what Wade is doing,” she told him, adding a smile to reassure him.
“I should be telling you everything is going to be okay. Not the other way around.” He swallowed. “I feel useless. I can’t seem to do a damn thing right.”
“Shut that crap up, Stanton. You’re doing everything fine. I’m not too thrilled right now either. None of us would be here at all if it wasn’t for you getting us out of that fucking town.”
Lyssa gritted her teeth when she felt Wade slice into her skin. She knew it wasn’t a big cut, but it didn’t feel good regardless of the size. She could tell that Stanton was aware of what Wade was doing since she was probably squeezing the hell out of his hand. She tried to loosen her grip, but he held on just as tightly as she did.
“Okay. I got it out. It’s definitely not a BB or anything else I’ve ever seen before.” A sharp pinging noise let her know he’d dropped it into the small glass bowl they’d procured for that purpose. “I’ve cleaned up the area and have a small Steri-Strip over it with a gaze pad over that. Stanton, I need you to hand me the tape I tore off so I can secure the dressing. There’s no blood visible, so you should be fine.”
Stanton’s face seemed to pale even more, but he gently pried his hand from her still-tight grip to turn toward Wade. The pain wasn’t too bad right then, but the initial second of the cut and Wade pressing on the area had nearly had her crying out. She was so glad she’d been able to hold it in. It probably would have freaked them both out and made her feel like a silly female.
“All done, Lyssa. Are you okay?” Wade asked.
“Yeah. I won’t lie and say I didn’t feel a thing because, well, that would be lying. Stanton’s hand is probably broken now so you might need to see about him next,” she quipped.
Wade bent down so she could see him and smiled. “You did really well. I wouldn’t have thought any less of you if you had screamed the roof down. I’m not really trained for surgery and especially surgery without anesthesia.”
Stanton bent down next and held out the hand she’d all but crushed and smiled. “I might not be able to use it for a few days, but no real harm done. See?”
She laughed despite the burning tears behind her eyes. “I don’t think I’m actually strong enough to do that much damage.”
“Wanna kiss and make it better?” he asked, winking at her with a huge grin across his face.
“Kiss him later. I need him to help me figure out how to disable this thing,” Wade said, the hint of amusement lightening his voice.
“I’m just going to lie here for a few minutes before I get up, guys,” she told them.
“We’ll be right back. Don’t move until we are here to help you down. I don’t want you to fall and hurt yourself,” Wade said.
“No worries. I’m staying right here.”
The pistol Wade had given her earlier appeared next to her hand where she could see it. Stanton’s concerned face dipped into her field of vision.
“Just in case you need it while we get rid of this thing. We won’t leave the house, but I don’t want to leave you unarmed.”
“Thanks, Stanton.”
He just winked again and shook his hand like it still hurt before disappearing from her sight. She could hear them talking in the kitchen area but then it grew quiet. After a few minutes she could hear a soft banging then nothing for several long minutes. Her nerves grew touchy so that every sound weighed on her, making her jerk up to look around despite the discomfort it caused her hip.
Finally, after what seemed like an hour or so, the two men returned. Wade helped her down while Stanton gave her support when her feet first hit the floor. They were careful not to jar her, but just putting pressure on that leg sent sharp pinpoints of pain into her upper buttock. She winced but managed to hold in her groan.
“Is it bad?” Stanton asked.
Well, maybe she hadn’t held it in as much as she had thought. Both men sported frowns with furrows between their brows. Lyssa managed a weak smile in an attempt to reassure them.
“I’m fine. It’s going to be tender for a day or two. What did you do with it? Where you able to destroy it?” she asked.
“We busted it into itty bitty pieces with a hammer then flushed it down the toilet,” Stanton told her.
“Stanton said that unless they are close by with the gadget that tracks it, they can’t pinpoint our exact location, only a general area, so we’re safe for now. We need to leave in the morning though,” Wade told her. “Are you going to be able to travel?”
She winced. Sitting on her ass for three and four hours straight wasn’t going to be easy. Then nothing in her present life was easy anymore. She nodded.
“I’ll be fine. If I need to, I can always lean over some and rest against whoever is driving to
give the place a break.”
She saw Wade wince. He felt really bad for being the one to cut into her. She wished she could take away some of the guilt, but she didn’t blame him at all, so it was his own guilt, and she couldn’t do anything about that.
“Lyssa. You go lay down on the couch for a little bit while Wade and I fix something to eat.” Stanton gently turned her toward the living room where a comfortable-looking sectional sofa sat across from a fireplace. “I’ll put the blanket and sheet over it. I imagine it’s pretty dusty.”
“We’ll all look over the maps we have to agree on exactly where to head after we eat,” Wade said as she and Stanton walked into the living room.
She waited until Stanton had the couch covered like he wanted then let him ease her to the soft cushiony piece of furniture until she could arrange herself in a position that offered the most comfort in her present condition.
He handed her the gun. “We’ll be in the other room if you need anything. Just call out and one of us will see about you.”
She nodded and watched him stroll away. As soon as he disappeared into the other room, Lyssa breathed out a sigh of relief. She let the tears fall and buried her mouth against her upper arm to quiet her soft sobs. She wasn’t normally this emotional, but between the pain and their predicament, Lyssa was on the edge of breaking down. Realizing that she was free and then finding herself out in the open once again had frightened her. When she wasn’t in the cell back in Barter Town, she had been vulnerable to the men who liked to pick on her, poke and prod her body despite Arnold’s assurances that no one would bother her. The only time she’d felt safe was behind those bars. There were no bars around her now.
* * * *
Wade felt like pounding his fists into something but didn’t want to upset Lyssa. Maybe he could go out to the barn and blow off some steam. Cutting her—causing her pain had nearly ripped his heart out. In the short time they’d known each other, Wade had come to care about her far more than he would have thought possible. There was even the possibility that he was falling in love with her. He could see his feelings reflected in Stanton’s eyes.
