Page 9 of Einar (The Brigands of Ruk #2)
Chapter Nine
ROWAN
Fully dressed in clothes I found in discreet cubbies in the bathroom, I exit the room. Ruby jerks at the sound the door makes and peers at me from where she’s sitting. The drone of the television fills the room, eliminating the oppressive silence. Concern is clearly visible on her face. I know my face is swollen from Robert’s last session and the extended crying jag did me no favors. I’m sure I look like hammered dog shit. Not that there is really anything I can do about it right now.
I hear the TV click off as I turn down the covers on my bed. I’ve no more than settled myself when the overhead light cuts off and the comforting warmth of Ruby’s body slides in next to me. She pulls me into the curve of her body as she starts humming the song mom used to sing to us before bed.
Even with the comfort of my sister’s body and the bolstering sound of her humming, I still can’t relax. My anxiety keeps my entire form taut with tension and it’s a long, long time before I fall asleep. The last thing I remember before nodding off is the quiet hitch of Ruby’s chest as she cries into my hair.
Knocking wakes me.
Terror shoots through my body as I jerk awake.
He’s found me!
My heart feels like it’s going to pound out of my chest, it’s beating so hard and fast.
“ Girls , it’s just me, Edith . I have your breakfast.”
The sound of the older woman’s voice is a balm across my fractured mind. I can feel the rigid tension slowly easing from my body as I hear Ruby whisper and talking to herself as usual. “ Damn , I must have overslept. Hell , I don’t even remember the alarm going off …”
She calls out to Edith , “ Sorry , Edith ! Give me a second, and I’ll get the door.”
I notice her sideways glance at me, but I’m still too dazed to fully acknowledge it. The dread of Robert finding me hasn’t had time to leave my body. It must look worse than it feels because her next words are nothing but reassuring.
“ Hey , look at me. It’s ok. I’ll check the door before I let her in.”
Ruby hops out of bed and immediately stumbles when her feet hit the ground before making her way over to the door. Peering over the edge of the bed, I see the culprit. Ruby kicked some of the covers off the bed just like she used to do when we were little.
I watch as she checks the peephole in the door prior to opening it. Edith’s next words drift through the door. “ Ruby , I can leave this here if it’s a bad time.”
Ruby flips all the locks on the door and eases it open slightly. Just enough that the door could be considered cracked, not actually open. Squinting through the sliver of light beaming in, I can barely make out the figure standing on the other side. Thankfully , it is the older woman Ruby talked to last night in the lobby. She’s standing there patiently, as if she’s got all the time in the world to wait on us to answer the door.
Assured there isn’t an active threat at the door, I ease out of bed and make my way over to the bathroom, leaving the door open so I can hear what’s going on out in the main room. The sounds of their voices float across the room as I’m tending to my morning ablutions.
“ It’s fine girls. There’s no one here right now, and the few that were here last night have already checked out. I have some instructions from Janet that I need to give you two before you take off.”
Something strikes me as a bit odd in her demeanor, and then it hits me. She isn’t looking around furtively at all; she’s basically talking to a mostly shut door.
That isn’t suspicious at all.
“ Please , forgive my manners, Edith . I promise I was raised better than this. It’s my first time being on the run, so I’m still trying to figure out how to think like a criminal. I should have watched a few more documentaries.”
Leave it to Ruby , of all people, to apologize to the older lady for any perceived rudeness. No matter the extenuating circumstances.
“ You do need to be cautious, dear. You should know that I’ve been watching all the local news channels, and they haven’t reported either of you missing yet. That’s a good thing because it gives us more time to get you to safety. Let’s settle in the kitchen and talk for a bit. Ruby , we’ll wait until your sister joins us, that way I’m not telling you guys this twice”
At Edith’s words, I turn the sink off and dry my hands, making sure my sweatshirt is completely covering me before I walk back into the main room. It’s bad enough that I have to look at my injuries, I sure as heck don’t need anyone else seeing that shit.
I see Edith shoot me a poignant look before looking back at Ruby and note the almost imperceptible shake of my sister’s head.
Great .
Avoiding further eye contact, I walk over to the table and sit down. Shortly after my butt hits the seat, I hear someone approach before softly spoken words register and I realize Edith is talking to me.
“ May I have a look, dear?”
Indecision fills me and I shoot a somewhat desperate look over at my sister before meeting Edith’s knowing gaze. Her next words are even more gentle than her earlier question. “ I won’t touch anything but your face. We need to see if anything is broken, honey.”
Taking a deep breath, I pull my hood down and close my eyes, tilting my head up so Edith can take a closer look. The first whisper of contact along my jaw makes me flinch, no matter that it’s light as a feather. Her fingers glide from my jaw up to my cheek and across my nose to the other cheek. I can feel a hint of a touch at the cut in my eyebrow, then down at my busted lips.
I hold back even more tears.
This is the first time in longer than I care to admit that someone, or anyone excluding my sister in the last day or so, has touched me with such care.
“ Honey , your nose is broken, but that can be fixed. I think the rest is just muscle and flesh damage, but some places are still too swollen for me to tell.”
Her words cause my eyelids to flicker before I open them. Looking up into her tender face, I can see the compassion in her eyes as she pats me on the shoulder before turning to the food filled tray, talking as she starts handing us plates. “ Go ahead girls, eat up before your eggs get cold. Your ears still work while your fingers feed the body. Janet wanted me to give you the directions to where she’s going to meet up with you. I’ve already spoken to her on the phone, so she knows what you’re driving, and is preparing a room for both of you now.
“ The truck stop is on a main road, so it’s not hard to find, but I’ve written detailed instructions down on this piece of paper for you to make it easier. I understand more than you realize what you’ve been through and what you’ll be facing in the future.”
I absently note the piece of paper she references as I slowly ease food into my mouth. Eating hurts, but I’m starving so I don’t have a choice. Chewing slowly and methodically takes up all of my concentration, so I don’t react when Edith reaches over, gently patting my arm as I poke the bacon I want to devour with my fork.
Edith’s next words catch me by surprise.
“ Dear , right now you feel like a failure, worthless, and not important enough to put your sister in danger, or anyone else for that matter. Let me tell you, all of that is in your mind. You are worth something too! Every time you doubt yourself, say those words over and over in your head. It takes a huge amount of faith, trust, and strength to escape the world you’re running from, but one day, that single step will have been worth all of this. You see, it’s the hardest, that first step of anything in life is always the most trying. You’re already over the worst of it, doll. Now it’s time to heal and find your new path forward.”
I don’t know how she knew the exact right words to use, but she did. My hunched posture straightens as her words bolster some part of myself I didn’t know was still left. If I look up, I’ll start crying, and I’m sick and tired of it … but those words…they give me enough strength to finish the eggs and the bacon on my plate.
Ruby speaks for me. She’s such a good sister.
“ Edith , you have been so kind to us, and we’ll be forever grateful for all your help. What do we owe you for the room and this wonderful breakfast?”
“ Nothing . All I ask is that one day you pay it forward to another. Whether it be a kind word or picking someone up out of a ditch. Maybe it will be as simple as saving a stray animal. You’ll learn that nothing is more fulfilling than kindness to another.”
Abruptly , Edith gets up. “ Leave your dishes in the sink. I have a girl who works here part time to clean the rooms, and it will give her something to do. You two need to get on the road sooner rather than later. Men are dangerous when their toys are taken away, so get as much distance as you can from those who seek to hurt you. One last piece of advice for you both is never stop looking over your shoulder. You might be able to run, even separate yourself from your past, but nevertheless, it is still yours to follow along behind you. I wish you both God’s speed.”