Slave: The Ghost of Cambria - Book Two

Chapter Six

Before both leaving his workshop to drive to her home, Kristen and Tony spoke candidly about the day's events and her plans for the coming days. She apologized to the young man repeatedly for accusing him of betrayal. It became something of an obsession for Kristen – Tony must believe that she didn't think him responsible for what had befallen her. In fact, Kristen found herself becoming protective of the young man as if he were indeed her little brother.

Any erotic thoughts of the man she still harbored had become entirely unavailable to Kristen's conscious mind today. If there was anything she was incapable of feeling in this moment, it certainly wasn't lust. Tony had come to fill a place of darkness in her life, and Kristen couldn't be more grateful for his loyalty.

She was in no fit state to return to work, and when Penelope was properly strapped into her back-seat dog harness, Kristen made a phone call to her job while driving home. She requested a leave of absence from her employer for no less than a month. Kristen described candidly how a close friend of hers had died in her house the night before, and that she couldn't suitably resume her duties yet. The request would require some time to determine, but Kristen was assured that she'd be contacted within forty-eight hours with a decision.

Arriving at the house, the scene from earlier that morning had disappeared. The emergency and sheriff's vehicles were gone as if nothing had happened. Kristen hadn't wanted to enter the home alone, even with the dog, and she was grateful to have Tony by her side as they walked in.

At the foot of the stairs, Kristen found an official notice stating that the second level was off-limits, per law enforcement orders. 'Do Not Cross' tape blocked the path, its yellow and black pattern far more imposing than plastic tape ought to be.

"Damn it!" asked Kristen, agitation threatening to consume her.

She had made a point to move her suitcase into another bedroom upstairs, but now she couldn't even access that.

"I thought the detective just asked you to stay out of the big room," commented Tony.

"She did," answered Kristen, "...but evidently we're to stay off the whole floor."

"I can get my materials out of the guest room for you. The half-bathroom is a month from being done, but I can probably install the toilet in a few days."

Kristen exhaled slowly, her breath labored through her pursed lips.

"And I can't even check into a hotel around here with the dog," she said.

"My gym membership allows me to bring a guest with me," offered Tony. "You can shower there."

Kristen shot him an incredulous stare.

"The porta-potty outside is super clean. They just replaced it yesterday, so no one's been in there but me."

The sincere expression on his face sent Kristen into a volley of hysterical laughter. It was the first genuine release from the day's nightmare, and Kristen didn't attempt to stifle it.

Tony, didn't say anything, but eventually smiled to see the pain leave her eyes finally.

"Yeah, I guess that's where we are," said Kristen when the fits had released her. "Well, I have nothing but the clothes on my back, so I'd better go make some magic happen.

***

Two hours later, Kristen arrived home with half-a-dozen shopping bags in her car. She'd found the local Target store and eventually made her way through the establishment, which thankfully had everything she needed. There was a whole section devoted to travelers, something Kristen had no idea about, and she secretly had a blast rummaging through the bins of toiletries. Kristen gratefully located some simple clothing, a towel, a pillow, and a set of bedsheets. As the lower house floor was devoid of furniture, Kristen found a blow-up mattress that required only a power socket to bring to life. Beyond finding the motor's 'On' button, Kristen didn't trust herself to figure out much more about the camping device. The store even had a groceries section, and Kristen pulled some comfort foods: Oreo Cookies, Lay's Potato Chips, a pack of Coca-Cola and bottles of water. Kristen felt she was prepared to survive the apocalypse, at least for a day or two.

Kristen made her way directly to the garage where the washer and dryer waited for her. She chose to start with her new clothes and the towel, color mismatching be damned. If she never made it to the sheets before nightfall, at least she could go with Tony to have a shower at his gym.

When she returned to the car, Kristen found the remaining bags had made their way into the house, courtesy of Tony's generous attention. When she arrived at the downstairs guest room, he was already unraveling the blow-up bed to set it up.

"This is a good one," Tony said when he noticed her. "I'm surprised you didn't have to go to a sporting goods store to find it."

Tony had already cleared the drop-cloths from the space and vacuumed the floor for Kristen. He'd even unmasked the craftsman wall lamps to give her light in the room.

"Target's not wanting for much," she answered. "Thank you for doing all of this, Tony."

"It's no problem," smiled before flipping the switch that engaged the bed's internal motor.

They both stared at the mattress inflate, somewhat hypnotized by the modern marvel. Within four minutes, they were presented with a fully-realized, queen-sized bed ready to welcome a weary traveler.

"Crazy," Tony laughed. "When I was a kid, we'd have to pump by hand for an hour just to get a bed half this size filled with air."

He laid down on the bed, his expression revealing only after a moment that he hadn't realized what his action implied.

"Sorry," Tony said with embarrassment, and he quickly rose up and placed the plastic-wrapped pillow at the head of the mattress. "I just wanted to see how strong it was."

"That's fine," said Kristen, silently amused.

"Did you want me to take you to the gym for a shower," Tony asked her, "before the late afternoon crowd shows up?"

"I need a couple hours for the clothes to wash and dry first," she answered.

"Sure, that's cool," he nodded.

"Do you want to take Penelope for a walk in the meantime?" she asked. "It doesn't have to be anything special."

"Yeah," Tony smiled. "I'll go change into my gym clothes and see what she's up for."

"I really do appreciate it," said Kristen.

"You got it," answered Tony, and he left her alone in the room.

Kristen immediately sat down on the bed, startled by its flexibility. It would be a strange sensation, the way it moved on account of weighing very little. She laid down, her head falling on the pillow, and heard the plastic wrapping crinkle in her ears.

Damn it, she thought, I don't have a blanket. It seemed she was going to be relying on that Husky for some serious cuddling when the night air rolled in. Luckily, she was a furnace with the double coat.

While Kristen looked up at the ceiling, counting through her internal checklist, she allowed herself to think of Ryan, of what she'd seen. The image was burned into her mind, as was the smell. But he stayed with her only for a few minutes before the exhaustion of this miserable day pressed her eyelids closed.