Page 25 of Escape

Deciding to give her a break for a minute, I prepared my coffee and took a sip. As she did the same with her tea, something else caught my eye.

It was the beginning of July, and Josie was wearing a long-sleeved shirt. That wasn’t necessarily a huge concern, considering the temperature was kept cool in the diner. The issue was that as she lifted her mug to her lips, the sleeve had crept up her arm and exposed a gnarly bruise on her forearm.

Given her reaction to my questions, the fact she’d confessed to injuring her shoulder and ribs, and the presence of such a large bruise on her arm, I had all the evidence I needed. Now, I just needed to figure out how I was going to get her to trust me.

We sat in uncomfortable silence for a few moments. I spent that time trying to come up with a plan I could execute in less than thirty minutes that would lead to me being able to ensure her safety. Josie spent that time avoiding my gaze.

Lori returned and asked, “Okay. Who’s getting which pie?”

“Which do you want?” I asked her.

“I’ll have whichever you don’t want,” she answered, the rasp still present in her voice.

Looking up at Lori, I instructed, “Surprise us. We can switch if we change our minds.”

Lori set the apple pie down in front of me, leaving Josie with the wildberry one. Unsure just how bad her situation might have been, I decided it was best to give her the opportunity to enjoy a treat.

After we both took a bite, I said, “You weren’t lying. This is delicious.”

The small smile had returned. “I’m glad you like it. Would you like to try the wildberry?”

I reached across the table with my fork and took off a piece of the pie with some vanilla ice cream. “Oh, that one is good, too,” I declared. “Here, try the apple pie.”

Josie reached her arm out to slice off a piece of the apple pie, and my eyes dropped to her forearm. More of it was on display, and the bruise was worse than I had originally thought. She quickly pulled her arm away and tugged on her sleeve.

When my eyes met hers, I had a feeling she realized she couldn’t hide it any longer. “Josie, honey, please tell me what happened to you.”

She pressed her lips together, tears filling her eyes, and she shook her head. “I can’t.”

“I will help you,” I promised. “Whatever it is.”

One tear escaped and rolled down her cheek. To see that tear, to know she was in pain, made me want to kill the person who did this to her.

“Do you live alone?” I asked.

She shook her head.

“With your boyfriend?” I pressed.

Her chin dipped slightly. “Fiancé.”

My jaw clenched several times as I fought to rein in my emotions. She was engaged. Fuck. To top it off, it was clear she wasn’t going to share information on her own, but it seemed she was willing to answer my questions. “Is he the reason you have that bruise?”

“Yes,” she whispered.

“And the ribs?”

“Yes.”

“Fuck,” I hissed.

How I didn’t lose my mind was beyond me. I sat there, staring at this beautiful woman, and felt nothing but regret. Could things have been different for her if I’d never left?

“How long have you been with him?”

“A couple of years.”

Years.