She hadn’t been aware that she’d been holding her breath, so when she exhaled, her lungs burned and her head went fuzzy.
“I think I’ll take that shower now.” It was the only place she could be alone.
The others gave her understanding looks, and she hated the pity on their faces. She quickly scurried away, taking her cellphone with her just in case someone called, and turned on the shower. As soon as the water was hot enough to scald, she stripped down and put her whole body under the spray.
Only then did she let the tears come.
Her body shook, and she sobbed, her throat aching as she screamed and thrashed. The tears mixed with the hot water, sliding down her face and into the drain at her feet. She ached for what was going on, but nothing compared to her thoughts of her daughter and what she must be going through right now. She prayed that whoever had her wouldn’t hurt her. Maybe they’d only wanted to scare Blake, but would keep Rowan safe? She wouldn’t dare think of anything else, because if she did, she’d break down even more.
She shouldn’t have even taken the time to break down now as she had, but she hadn’t been able to hold it in any longer.
When the bathroom door opened, she closed her eyes, trying to calm her tears. As someone pulled the curtain back and turned off the water, she opened her lids, only to see Graham there. He gave her a look that she couldn’t interpret and reached around to grab a thick towel she’d put on the hook next to the shower. When he wrapped it around her, she leaned into him, knowing she shouldn’t. She needed to keep her distance, but right then, she was going in so many different directions, she didn’t know what to do.
Instead of leading her out of the shower, he picked her up and cradled her to his chest.
“You’re going to get your clothes wet,” she whispered.
“Fuck my clothes. Let’s get you dressed and dry so you don’t catch a cold.”
She looked over his shoulder and reached out. “I need my phone.”
He shook his head. “It’s in my hand behind your back. If someone calls, we’ll know.”
Graham set her on her feet and let the towel slide away so she stood in her bedroom, naked and bare. She’d been this way before with him, of course, but there was nothing sexy about this time. He ran the towel over her body, being as gentle as he could with those large hands of his, before wrapping the towel around her shoulders and turning back to her dresser.
He hadn’t been over to her place enough to know where things were, so it took him a bit to find her some clothes. Of course, if they’d been at his place, she’d have been able to find anything of his because he’d let her in.
She’d always kept him a little bit apart from her, even when she’d told herself she loved him.
And yet, no matter how hard she’d tried, her world had still fallen out from under her.
He helped her dress in silence as her heart thudded in her ears. She didn’t like this person she’d become and knew she needed to snap out of it and do her best to find her daughter.
She let out a breath when Graham finished helping her dress, and she ran her hand over his beard. “Thank you.”
Graham sighed, his body shaking. “God, Blake. I don’t know how to help you. That little girl means so fucking much to me, and I’m at a loss as to how to help. I wish there was someone to tell us what to do right now, but no matter what, I’m here if you need me. Okay? I’m here.”
She nodded, though she wasn’t sure what to do either. Without another word, she pushed past him into the living room where the others had gathered. Mrs. Gonzales had brought over food, and according to Murphy, had gone back to her home to cook more for “the nice policemen.”
Blake ran a hand through her wet hair, annoyed with herself for not putting conditioner in it or even bothering to brush it. But who cared about that when Rowan was gone?
Her phone rang, and she pressed answer without even looking at it. The room went so silent she could hear her pulse in her head. “Rowan?”
“Ms. Brennen, this is Officer Lansing. We have Rowan.”
Her legs went out from under her, and she fell to the ground. Graham was there by her side while the others moved toward her in the next instant.
“Is she okay? Is she hurt? Can I talk to her?”
“Oh, thank God,” Owen whispered, but Blake waved him off. She needed to be able to hear Officer Lansing.
“She’s unharmed, though we still have paramedics doing a check up just in case. We’re going to bring her to your home soon and go over everything.”
Tears once again slid down Blake’s cheeks. “What happened? Who took her? Can I talk to her?” She asked the last question again, needing to hear her daughter’s voice.
“Rowan is with the paramedic right now, and then we’re putting her in the car and heading down to your place. I’m not near her, as I’m in Denver, and Rowan was found in Vail. Otherwise, I would put you on the phone with her right now.”