Virginia Vaughan - No Safe Haven

He glanced back at Sarah through the rearview mirror and his heart kicked. She looked so pitiful. It had been only three days since he’d last seen her but she had fresh injuries—a black bruise forming around her left eye and a gash on her swollen lip. And he was sure more bruises were hidden by the baggy clothes she wore. He bit back his anger. “Are you okay?”

She looked ready to fall apart at any moment, but she hugged herself tightly and nodded. “I’m all right.”

He couldn’t forget the terror that had ripped through him when he’d finally gotten her messages. He’d been locked down working on a case and hadn’t charged his phone all night. When he’d finally checked it, he’d found six voice mails from Sarah, each one more hysterical than the previous. She’d been alone with Robert, terrified, with no one to help her.

Help me, Andrew.

I need you.

I’m scared.

Her last call had been from the hospital early this morning to let him know she was okay and that Robert had been arrested, but by the time he’d arrived at the hospital, Sarah had already left, choosing to return home. He’d promised to be there for her, but when it mattered, he’d dropped the ball.

But how had she ended up with Jessica Taylor?

He’d long suspected Jessica had friends on the police force who alerted her when they spotted a woman in trouble. He turned to look at her. She was known to be quick to respond, to offer help. He couldn’t deny her passion for her cause. Nothing deterred her from helping those in her care. She was always ready and willing to stick her neck out to help another woman in need. Usually that sort of behavior would strike him as irrational and impulsive, but with his sister’s safety on the line, he was glad for Jessica’s gutsy determination and passionate devotion to her cause.

She gingerly touched a place on the side of her head. Her hand came back with blood.

Alarm flooded him. “You need to go to the hospital.”

“No, I’m fine.”

“You’re not fine. You’re bleeding.” He pulled to the side of the road. “Sarah, hand me my gym bag.” He dug through it and found a clean towel then pressed it against Jessica’s wound, his hand cradling her face. Her skin was soft, softer than he would have ever imagined, softer than he’d expected it to be, given her tough exterior. His fingers brushed her lips accidentally and she trembled but refused to look at him. In fact, she did all she could to avoid looking at him despite how close their faces were.

His gaze perused her heart-shaped face and the slender, regal line of her neck. Strands of long blond hair framed lovely brown eyes and full, pink lips that had never cracked a smile, at least not while he was around.

Everything about her was alluring.

She finally locked eyes with him. “I said I’m fine.” She pushed his hand away.

Everything but her holier-than-thou attitude.

He sat back in his seat but held the towel out to her. “Use this to stop the bleeding until we get to the hospital.”

“I said no hospital. We need to get your sister to the shelter.”

“You need stitches.”

“Sarah is my priority. Head downtown,” Jessica instructed him.

“Fine.” He didn’t bother arguing with her. They’d butted heads enough times for him to know that once Jessica Taylor made up her mind there was little chance of changing it, especially when it concerned the safety of someone she’d vowed to protect.

She directed him toward an area off State Street. Tucked between a printing company and a storage facility was a brick office building with the painted title “Dean’s Den” on the front. He parked and Jessica jumped out of the car, obviously intent on proving she wasn’t hurt. She wobbled a bit but waved off any offer of help. He opened the back door and helped Sarah out. He put his arm around her, noting as he did her small frame. She’d always been petite, but today he could feel her bones. When was the last time she’d eaten?

At the front door, Jessica rang the bell. “Because this is an emergency shelter, we have a lot of different safety measures. This is one of them. No one comes in or out without signing the log.”

The door opened and a dark-eyed girl who looked to be no more than twenty let them inside.

“This is my assistant, Mia. If I’m not available she can handle anything you need,” Jessica said. “Mia, this is Sarah and her brother. Sarah is going to be staying with us.” Jessica continued to spout information as they walked down the hall. “We also have a state-of-the-art alarm system, security monitors and safety glass for the windows.”

“Sounds like prison,” Sarah muttered beside him.

Jessica, obviously hearing that comment, led them to a window overlooking the common area where several women were gathered around the coffee table while a small child played with blocks on the floor nearby. Jessica’s face softened as she addressed Sarah’s concerns. “We have a large kitchen, a play area for kids, daily Bible study plus a weekly support group. We’re currently housing five other women and four children. You’re not a prisoner here, but it is safer for you to remain inside as much as possible.”

Sarah nodded her understanding then turned back to staring at the child. Having always wanted children, she had a soft spot for them.

“Would you like to see the rest of the facility?” Jessica asked.

Before Sarah could say yes, Andrew stepped in. “We don’t need the tour. I’m taking her home with me.”

Jessica’s eyes pierced him as she looked his way. “That’s a bad idea. We have the resources to protect her. Isn’t that what you want?”

He wasn’t in the mood to argue. He’d made up his mind. Sarah was not staying. But before he could voice his objection, Sarah spoke.

“She’s right. Robert doesn’t know about this place. He won’t know to look for me here.”

“Sarah, I can protect you.”

“Staying here sounds a lot safer than being locked up in your apartment. Besides, what about your job? What will I do when you have to go to work? I don’t want to be there alone. At least here I have other people to talk to.”

He took her hands and squeezed them reassuringly. “We’ll work all that out. I want you to come home with me.”

She looked to Jessica then slipped her hands from his. “I think this is the best choice for me right now. What if Robert returns and you’re not there...like you weren’t last night.”

All the air left his lungs at her statement. He’d promised to keep her safe and he’d already failed her.

Jessica motioned toward Mia. “Will you show Sarah to a room?”

Sarah turned to go with the girl then ran back to Andrew and hugged him tightly. “Thank you, big brother, for everything. I love you.”

The urge to pray for her safety flooded him, a leftover remnant of his old life. He shoved that urge back far down in the depths of his soul. Who would he be praying to, anyway? An absent God that didn’t hear his prayers? Or a God that heard but allowed bad things to happen anyway? Prayer had done nothing to save the woman he’d loved, and he wasn’t going to depend on it for his sister’s safety, either.

He turned to face Jessica. Was he really ready to depend on her to make sure Sarah was out of harm’s way?

Jessica, at least, unlike God, had never let him down.

* * *

Jessica saw his pained expression as Sarah disappeared around the corner. That look of protectiveness caught her breath as she realized this entire situation was too familiar for comfort.

Overprotective brother.

Vulnerable sister.

And a dangerous, obsessed abuser.

She’d been here before, and it had not turned out well.

“So what do we do now?” Andrew asked turning back to her.