Page 6 of Journey To Sunrise (Protectors of Jasper Creek #6)

Chapter Three

Zarek

Getting rid of Zoe had taken twenty precious minutes when I could have been making food for Chloe.

I took one look at the contents of her fridge and realized I should have packed a bio-hazard suit. Good God, what had she been eating? I kicked myself for not getting the take-out from Zoe’s car. What a dumbass.

I looked around and found that half of the Solo cups had oatmeal residue and plastic spoons. Before I started any kind of food preparation, I went to check on her.

“Chloe, I’m coming in,” I warned her as I pushed open the door.

I saw her dark head, with her eyes at half-mast above a mound of bubbles. She’d taken me at my word. She looked up.

“I’m not hungry.”

“Good. I don’t have food yet, and I can’t find anything but ketchup and oatmeal. I did bring a glass of ice water.”

“I’m not thirsty.” Her hoarse voice belied the statement.

I crouched down beside the tub and handed her the cold glass of water. “Drink it all, then I’m bringing in another glass.”

I watched as she considered arguing, but then she must have realized she was thirsty. As soon as she took the first sip she started gulping.

“Easy,” I cautioned.

She finished the glass and then handed it back to me. I grinned.

“Want more?” She nodded, her chin covered in bubbles.

“Food’s going to take a bit longer to rustle up.”

“Ketchup-flavored oatmeal doesn’t sound good, Zarek.”

I laughed. How in the hell did depressed Chloe manage to make me laugh?

“It’ll be something better than that, I promise. This is your fifteen-minute warning. If you take longer than that to come out, I’m coming in,” I teased.

“You don’t need to do this,” she said softly.

“For God’s sake, you’re my best friend. If I was hurting this badly, what would you do?”

Her head jerked, her eyes stared up at me.

Bullseye.

“Good. You think about that, Cupcake. I’ll be back with another glass of water.”

* * *

Chloe

I waited until Zarek left the second time before trying to get out of the bathtub. If I had more brains than pride, maybe I would have asked for help, but that wasn’t my M.O. Instead, I told him I was fine getting out of the tub.

Trying to push up on my weak arms and failing, it finally occurred to me to get up on my knees and get out of the tub that way. I needed to get out and covered before Zarek barged in. I needed to prove to him that I was fine. I bit my lip as my legs trembled.

Before grabbing a towel, I closed the bathroom door. I started to dry myself off when I realized how much my foot hurt. It took a moment for me to realize I was avoiding looking in the mirror, even though it was fogged up. What, was I afraid I would bash in this one too?

“Can I come in?”

“Hold on.” I wrapped the towel around myself. “Now you can come in.”

“I come bearing gifts.” He held out another glass. I took it from him and sniffed. It smelled of pineapple.

“I found protein powder and canned fruit. It was the best I could do. I tasted it, it shouldn’t kill you.” He grinned.

I took a sip. It was cold, and the sweet and tart flavor exploded in my mouth. I swallowed greedily.

“Take it easy,” he warned. I ignored him. I hadn’t realized how good food could taste, or how hungry I was. He pulled the glass from me before I was halfway finished.

“I wasn’t done,” I protested.

“Yes, you were. I don’t think your tummy could handle much more. When was the last time you ate?”

I gave him a blank stare.

“Exactly. I really don’t need you throwing up in my truck.”

I continued to stare at him.

“Come on, let’s get you dressed.”

“For what?” I yawned, shivered, and pulled the towel closer. “I want to go back to bed.”

“You’re coming with me. There’s nothing in the house to eat, and it’s a pit in here. Not to be too frank, but your room needs freshening up. I’ve booked us in a hotel, and not the LeeHy.”

I winced at his words. My house smelled? “I didn’t ask you to come,” I said softly.

I jerked away when he tried to touch my face. I didn’t need gentle touches from him. I didn’t want his kindness. I knew I wasn’t worthy. I was too weak. His eyes darkened.

“Move your ass into your bedroom and get dressed. I’ve already packed an overnight bag. We’re leaving.”

My eyes widened. “You can’t make me.”

“In the shape you’re in, I can do a lot of things. Don’t push me, Cupcake. Now march.”

This wasn’t Zarek. His eyes were hard. “You’re being mean.”

“You aren’t allowing me to be anything else,” he sighed.

* * *

Zarek

It was August in Tennessee—that meant that it was hot and humid. But even in her jeans jacket, Chloe was shivering so I turned on the heat in my truck. I was sweating. Hell, soon I was going to be smelling. I’d have to grab a shower as soon as we got to the lodge.

“Where are we going?” Chloe finally asked as I headed along Hwy 321 out of Jasper Creek.

“The Whispering Pines Inn.”

She didn’t ask any more questions. It was odd for Chloe to be silent. It wasn’t that she needed to fill the silence, but she usually had funny stories to relate, or questions to ask. This Chloe scared the shit out of me. She’d shut down. I turned on the radio.

When they got to the ski lodge, there weren’t many cars in the parking lot, but still they were doing a pretty good business for off season.

“Kind of expensive, isn’t it?” she finally said.

“I told you we weren’t staying at the LeeHy.” The LeeHy motel was built in the forties and was in the middle of Jasper Creek. I doubted that it had ever seen a good day.

“Isn’t this kind of fancy for a woman who smells?” she asked as she started to unbuckle her seat belt.

I put my hand over hers and got nose to nose with her. “You stop this shit now,” I bit out. “Seriously, Chloe. You stop it.”

Brown eyes with a bottomless pit of hurt stared up at me. “It’s true, isn’t it?”

“For fuck’s sake. If you put yourself down again, I’m going to turn you over my knee and spank your ass.”

Her eyes widened.

Had those words just come out of my mouth? I sucked in a deep breath. If it were physically possible, I’d kick my own ass.

“Fuck, I’m sorry, Chloe.” I wrapped my arms around her and tucked her head close to my heart. “I’m so sorry. The last thing you need is some man threatening violence.”

She shook in my hold.

“Oh God, Cupcake. Here I thought I was doing the right thing, and you managed to push my buttons. I’m so fucking sorry.”

I stroked her shiny brown curls, breathing in the citrus scent of her shampoo, wanting to kill the man who had hurt this beautiful woman.

“Let me call Zoe.Trenda.Drake.Evie.Maddie.Anyone.God, I’m so sorry.”

That’s when I heard it. It was quiet. But for just a quick moment, I heard Chloe Rose Avery’s laughter. My head shot up.

“Are you laughing?”

“No.”She laughed.

“Are you laughing at me ?”

She stilled. I pushed back so I could look at her. For just a fleeting moment, I saw a little bit of the old Chloe.

“You were. You were laughing at me.”

She sighed. “This is a bad idea, Zarek. You really should have just left me at my house.” The smile turned upside down.

“Fuck no. You were wallowing. When was the last time you laughed at something? Even if it had to be my dumbassedness, I’m all for it. Tell me, did I scare you?”

She looked at me in confusion. “When?”

“When I threatened to hit you.” I raked my hand through my hair.

“When did you do that?”

“I said I was going to spank you,” I said in exasperation.

“That isn’t hitting me. You were always threatening to spank me.

” Her hand fluttered above my chest, then fell back into her lap.

“I told you this was a bad idea. Now you’re going to walk on eggshells, when actually this is how you always talked to me.

” She sounded tired. The sparkle that had been in her eye just a moment ago was gone. She was shivering despite the heat.

“Let’s get you inside. I want to get you some food.”

“I just want to sleep. I want to block everything out.”

“No!” It was a visceral response on my part. I wanted her laughter. I didn’t want her going back to zombie Chloe.

“Please, Zarek, you don’t understand. Feeling anything will ultimately result in…” she drifted off and started staring out the window. I recognized that stare. It was the hundred-yard stare that Luke sometimes had.

“Talk to me.”

She didn’t say anything. Just stared.

“All right, don’t say anything. You don’t have to talk.

But let’s get you something to eat.” I unbuckled her belt.

“Wait in the truck, I’m coming around to help you out.

” It said a lot that she just sat there until I came around to her side.

She damn near fell into my arms. I held her close to my side as we made our way up the steps to the lodge lobby.

“Chloe or Zoe?” The older woman behind the reception desk asked. Then her gaze narrowed. “Oh, it’s you, Chloe. You’re looking pretty run down.” The woman came around from behind the desk and made a move to embrace Chloe. I got between the two and the woman scowled.

“Who are you?” I demanded to know.

“Chloe and I go way back. She needs a hug from an old friend, now don’t you, dear?”

“Hi, Judy,” Chloe mumbled as she kept the tips of her fingers on my arm, standing behind me.

“We all heard about what happened. Is it true that man put a gun in your mouth?”

I heard Chloe’s low whimper.

“Lady, I don’t know who the fuck you are, but you need to back the fuck off now!” I thought the vein in my forehead might burst.

“Judy, it’s time for your break,” a man said as he came out a door near the back of the lobby. The woman gave the man a guilty look as she turned around.

“I was just saying hi to Chloe.”

“Judy, I’m going to check her and her friend in.”

The older woman eyed me warily, then nodded at her boss and scurried towards the back door.

“I’m sorry about that, Mr. Post. It’s good to see you again, Chloe.”

“You too, Mr. Altman,” Chloe stammered.

“Call me Doug.” Then he turned to his computer.

I appreciated how the older man didn’t ask any intrusive questions.

He just got us checked in and provided key cards.

“Our kitchen is limited to soup, salads and hot and cold sandwiches during the day. Do you want to put in your order now so that it can be ready sooner?” he asked.

Chloe was staring at the empty hearth in the lobby, so I placed an order for both of us.

“The food should be in your room in a half hour or less,” Jim said.

When I handed over my credit card, Jim leaned in. “If there is anything I can do to help, you just holler. Judy’s a bitch, but a lot of us care deeply about those girls, and I’m one of them. You say the word, and I’ll jump.”

I looked into his blue eyes and saw a man who was sincere.

“Thanks, I will. Trenda and Zoe will be here later to load up my truck. Here are the keys. Can you just coordinate with them?”

“I’ll call Trenda as soon as you leave and tell her I have them. I take it you don’t want Chloe to know?”

I nodded. I’d worked out a plan with the girls. They were going to pack up a few weeks of Chloe’s belongings so that I could take her to Dallas with me. It was up to me to convince her to go.

She wandered up to the reception desk. “We’re all set,” I said.

“Food will be in your room soon. I hope you like club sandwiches.” Doug smiled.

Chloe stared at him, and his smile faltered. I understood. She had that faraway look in her eyes again. The look that said she might be physically with us, but her mind and her heart were somewhere completely different.

I wrapped an arm around her shoulder. “Let’s get you into the room.

” I ushered her outside and down the steps.

Jim had explained where our guest room was.

Apparently, it was more like a condo. It had two bedrooms and two bathrooms, and I was being charged a rate that was comparable to the LeeHy motel.

I was definitely getting the friend rate, and Chloe pretty much confirmed it with her next words.

“Evie used to work here sometimes, but that was before Doug’s time,” Chloe said absently.

“She must have left an impression.” I looked around. “It’s nice,” I said as I ushered her over the threshold.

“I really don’t need you playing mother hen,” she said as she moved towards the living room.

“I thought we settled that in the truck. You would be doing the same for me.” She was limping. I needed to check her foot. “Take off your shoes.”

She sat down on the couch and slipped off her sneakers. Despite the small protests she made, she was still more of a depressed robot, just doing what she was told. It scared the hell out of me. I knelt at her feet and pulled off her sock. Blood oozed through her bandage.

“Rest on the couch. I brought the first aid kit. I’m going to get a washcloth to clean this up.”

“Whatever.”