جميع فصول : الفصل -الفصل 40

Chapter 32: Someone Had to PayVictor Sorkin's grey eyes narrowed as he listened to Slater's story for perhaps the fifth time since Slater and Wilcox had returned to the compound without his pet. To the man's credit, his story never wavered. He was entirely certain about the timeline of events from beginning to end.As Slater had known he would, Victor had made the phone call to the arms dealer in the hotel in San Francisco."Tell me, Mr. Smith," he'd purred, rolling his eyes at the ludicrous moniker, "how did you enjoy my pet?""She was fine," the man had replied. "But I could see why you needed a break from all the talking. The only time she shut up was when my cock was in her mouth."Victor had frowned. "She talked too much?""I now know more about reality television than I ever wanted to know. But she was sweet, and she gave great head, so…" The man had trailed off. "I was sorry your men had to pick her up early. I was looking forward to another go."Breathing in slowly to

Chapter 34: Shopping ListOver the next week, Jenny loved the time she spent in the ring with Dahlia. Cole proved a patient teacher, not that she was surprised. His gentle manner and easy smile chased away any anxiety she might have felt. He also invited her into his office off the den where he showed her how to use his computer to pull up the live feed from the barn any time she liked. She could even zoom in on the kittens to see how they were getting along, which pleased her beyond measure. She adored helping Cole with his work, too. Anything to help her feel less like a burden and more like she was pulling her own weight. In the back of her mind, she hoped that she'd be able to repay Cole for the things he'd bought for her.She abandoned the cot and returned to her own room, falling into bed at the end of each day with a satisfying weariness borne out of the physical activity required to keep a ranch operating smoothly. Her dreams were of the riding skills Cole was teachin

Chapter 36: Like the Easter Bunny Threw UpGazing down at the kitchen table strewn with Easter detritus, Cole laughed out loud. "It looks like the Easter Bunny threw up in here."At the kitchen counter, Jenny snickered. She opened the oven and peered in at the cupcakes baking inside. Shaking her head slightly, she closed the oven door and tapped in two more minutes on the timer before she returned to her seat across from Cole.Together, they'd been filling plastic eggs with green iridescent artificial grass and with candies of various kinds. At the store, Cole had avoided chocolate, knowing the eggs would undoubtedly sit out in the sun for some time before the kids gathered them. Besides, there were allergies to consider.Across the table, Jenny smiled at him as she added another filled plastic egg to the large basket they'd use to carry the treats out to the riding ring in the morning. But Cole couldn't shake the notion that something was a little off. Maybe it was in the way s

Chapter 38: HelpingEarly morning sunlight streamed through the windows of Cole's bedroom. On the cot, Jenny yawned and stretched, leaning up on an elbow to peek over the edge of Cole's bed. It was empty, his covers hastily pulled up.When she'd come tiptoeing into his room in the middle of the night, the cot was ready and waiting. She wondered if he always kept it that way, or if somehow, he'd known that the dreams would return that night. After her digital stroll down memory lane, she was grateful that it had only been bad dreams and not one of the nightmares that she had trouble waking up from. But she usually noticed those coming on, felt the walls closing in on her, saw the circle of black growing around her field of vision. There was usually some kind of trigger, a noise or a smell that brought on that kind of hell. Quickly she folded up the cot and made Cole's bed before hurrying to her own room to dress for the day. Downstairs, the farmhouse was quiet and a peek out t

Chapter 40: Jenny's Kind of QuietMouth open, Jenny stared at the girl. Her jet-black hair hung in pigtails just over her ears, and she had dark brown eyes that flashed with intelligence. Judging by the way her upper body and arms wavered constantly, Jenny guessed that Brithania had cerebral palsy. Her speech was a bit difficult to understand, but Jenny made out her name."Well, I see two of my favorite people in the world have just met."Jenny looked up to see Cole grinning at her."I wondered where you'd gone off to," he said to the little girl, tugging her hair playfully. "Your group is up next."Cole stepped toward Jenny. "Brithania, I'd like you to meet my friend Jenny. Jenny, this is Brithania."The little girl motored closer. "Hi, Jenny."Heart pounding, Jenny fluttered her fingers in a wave.Cole frowned slightly at Brithania. "Jenny's kind of quiet."Coming even closer, the little girl reached up and took Jenny's hand. "That's okay. You don't have to talk if you don'