Page 3 of Deserving Lara
Owl reached for her hand and squeezed it. “As far as I’m concerned, you can stay with me as long as you want.”
“You don’t mean that,” Lara protested.
“The hell I don’t. Look, I get it. I’ve been where you are. When Stone and I were rescued, I was a paranoid son-of-a-bitch. I didn’t trustanyone. Couldn’t even go to the grocery store without having someone with me to watch my back. It hasn’t been that long, Lara. Cut yourself some slack.”
“I’ve read what people online are saying,” she whispered.
Owl mentally swore. He’d read what assholes on social media were saying as well. When the story came out, some people actually blamedLara. Insisted she must’ve done something awful todeservewhat Carter had done. The victim blaming was vicious and horrible to read. And since Carter Grant was actually a very good-looking man—tall and muscular, dirty-blond hair, mid-thirties, hazel eyes—some sick assholes even said they wouldn’t have minded being in Lara’s place.
They were all fucking idiots. Had no idea what they were talking about. It was easy to sit in their houses, safe and warm, and cast judgement on Lara and every other woman who’d found herself in Carter’s clutches.
“Fuck them,” Owl spat.
“But they’re right. I went to Arizona of my own free will. I wasn’t kidnapped.”
“Maybe so, but that didn’t make it okay for Michaels to lock you in the basement, and itcertainlydidn’t give Grant the right to abuse you the way he did. You can’t read that shit, Lara. It’ll eat you alive, and those people online have no clue what they’re talking about. Trust me, when Stone and I got home, people did the same thing. Armchair quarterbacked everything about our situation. They said we were pussies. That we should’ve fought our way free. That we weren’t ‘real’ soldiers. If I took to heart everything they said, I would’ve put a bullet in my brain a long time ago.”
“Owl,” Lara breathed with a look of concern on her face.
“All I’m saying is that you can’t read that stuff. I mean it. You won’t talk to Henley—who could help you a hell of a lot better than I do—and you barely talk to Cora about what happened. Since I’m the only one you’ve opened up to, you need to listen to me. Stop. Reading. That. Hateful. Vitriol. Hear me?”
Owl wished like hell Lara would talk to Henley. Their resident psychologist would be able to help her much more than he could. But since she refused to speak about what happened with anyone but him, Henley had given him some tips that would hopefully help. But it was times like this when he felt as if he was completely out of his league. He just prayed he didn’t screw Lara up even more.
“I hear you,” she said.
“Good. The only people’s opinions that matter are yours, mine, Cora’s, and everyone else here at The Refuge. The people who actually know what you went through. Fuck everyone else.”
Her lips twitched.
Owl’s heart soared. Every time he could make her smile, it felt like a miracle. Especially given the first entire month after she’d arrived at The Refuge, when she was so damn broken.
“Now, you want to stay out here with me or head back to bed?”
“Here,” she said without hesitation.
“TV or book?” Owl asked.
“TV.”
“You want to continue with that documentary we started yesterday? Or something else?”
“Can we watchCinderella?”
“Of course.” Owl picked up the remote and queued the movie. He didn’t mind in the least watching the cartoon for the hundredth time. If that was what Lara wanted to watch, that was what they’d watch.
Honestly, he was relieved about her movie choice. He’d heard more than once from Cora that Lara was a romantic. That she believed in soul mates and true love. At least, she had before everything that happened. But the fact that she still enjoyed this movie, that it was a comfort to her, made Owl believe the woman Lara used to be was still in there. She might’ve been battered and bruised, but she was there.
Lara snuggled into the corner of the couch, her gaze glued to the television. Owl couldn’t keep his eyes off her. He wasn’t tired in the least, but he was thrilled when, not even fifteen minutes into the movie, Lara nodded off. He was pleased she felt safe enough to let down her guard around him and sleep.
Owl had seen this movie just as many times as Lara had since she’d been here, but he didn’t turn it off. He let it play. And prayed that one day, the woman next to him would find her own Prince Charming. A man who would love and cherish her as much ashedid. He knew it couldn’t be him, but he wanted that for her more than he’d ever wanted anything in his life.
CHAPTERTWO
Lara woke up and stayed stock still, trying to get her bearings. She’d learned the hard way that pretending to be asleep could save her some pain…at least for a while.
It didn’t take long for her to realize that she wasn’t in that basement. Wasn’t mostly naked. Wasn’t at the mercy of Carter Grant.
She was at The Refuge. In New Mexico. Her best friend had gone above and beyond and refused to believe she wasn’t in danger. Cora had persuaded the former military men who lived and worked here to come to Arizona to find her.
