“You can trust me” continuation

Roth stood in the aisle. Before he reached her, every seat in the lounge had been vacated as the men relocated to different parts of the aircraft.

She closed her eyes, ignoring his presence until something heavy was draped over her front. Automatically, she clutched at it when it started to fall and saw it was Roth’s wool coat. It was so large, it seemed more like a heavy blanket than something another human would wear to keep warm.

Roth settled beside her. If she had the energy, she would have fetched her bag to find something else to cover herself with, but that was beyond her so she accepted his offer of a cover up.

She stiffened when Mo and Johan appeared, sitting off to the side but still in their section instead of on the other side of the galley. She wasn’t sure if they had to sit here because all the other seats were taken or if they wanted to keep an eye on them. Either way, she turned her head toward the window, unable to look at any of them.

***** 

Roth had understood what she meant when she asked to go to the mountains. From what little she could see, they were surrounded by trees and the long drive on a winding road promised the solitude she so desperately wanted.

No one had said a word for the past half hour. Mo and Johan sat in the front while she and Roth sat in the row behind them. She was grateful for the empty seat between them. She leaned against her door, eyes closed though she was wide awake.

Her busy mind had churned to a complete halt, something that occurred only when she was in complete shock like when her father passed or when she was so overwhelmed that she shut down out of sheer self-preservation… like when she left Roth and made her way back to the States. She didn’t remember the plane ride and only bits and pieces of what she’d done that week.

She was in a version of the blank space she visited when Roth pushed her past her body past its physical limits, but there was no euphoria or peace. It was a static emptiness that she embraced. There were no questions or worries about where they were or what would happen once they reached their destination. None of the big details mattered. Instead, her mind hyper-focused on the small things like the feel of coarse wool under her fingertips.

She was engulfed in Roth’s coat, drowning in it. When they landed, Roth had slipped her arms into it and buttoned the front. Since she’d slipped into a trancelike state, she hadn’t fought him. His coat had the same effect as a weighted blanket, suppressing her raw nerves so she could float.

The SUV braked, turned, and began a slow ascent. Even when they finally halted and doors opened and the interior lights came on, she found herself loathe to move. Then, three doors closed, the lights went off, and she heard the doors lock.

A full minute ticked by before she opened her eyes. Johan stood outside her door, but he wasn’t paying attention to her. She followed his gaze to Mo and Roth who addressed the army of security who stood before them in a semicircle in the falling snow. She wasn’t sure whether the men were getting a lecture or briefing and didn’t care.

**This is a raw draft of Bitter Sins. Please do not share or distribute.

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