Page 90 of Fallen Creed

This time, she looked a bit embarrassed.

“So who is this guy, Ruben?” Creed wasn’t sure how to broach the subject, other than being straightforward. He needed to wait for Grace to finish before he moved to the proffered bed in the back.

“Just some guy.”

“What did you do that made him want to kill you?”

Libby did a quick glance out the window. It was dark now. The downed branches cut out any fading light.

“It’s a long story,” she finally said.

“It’s your lucky day. I just happen to have quite a bit of time on my hands.”

He made her smile. Again, before she realized and stopped it.

“I wouldn’t want to shock you and your little dog.”

“I was a Marine dog handler in Afghanistan. I can’t imagine there’s anything you could have done that would shock me. And as for Grace? A couple of days ago she found a human trafficker’s catalog on a microSD card stuffed inside a book of Shakespeare.”

She furrowed her brow. “A memory card? She could smell that?”

“Electronic devices, cocaine hidden in peanut butter jars. She even found some kids stowed in the hull of a fishing boat. They were under piles of Mahi.”

He waited in case she decided to tell him about Ruben on her own. Of course, she remained silent.

“Is Ruben the father of your baby?”

“God, no!”

She said it like the very thought was repulsive. It was the most emotion Creed had seen from her.

“He’s like fifty-something. He’s older than my dad,” Libby said.

“Does the father know about the baby?”

“I didn’t even know. Don’t get me wrong. It’s not like I was some kind of virgin. I’ve messed around before, but I was always careful. I was focused on soccer and college.”

“So, you were in college?”

Another shrug combined with a shake of her head and a slight smile. She was trying to decide whether to tell him the truth, but perhaps not the whole truth.

“It wasn’t a big deal. I worked hard, followed all the rules, did everything I was supposed to do. I just wanted to cut loose, you know? So I met this guy at a party. I didn’t even know his last name. I barely remember what he looked like. I honestly thought we were too drunk for anything to have happened.”

She made it sound like it didn’t matter, like it was as casual and inconsequential as she pretended it was. Then she looked up at Creed. In that brief moment, he saw a vulnerable young woman who had no clue how she had gotten to where she was right now.

He knew what it felt like to lose your way, to maybe even lose yourself. Brodie disappearing. His father’s suicide. Both of those tragedies had turned his world so far upside down, he didn’t believe he’d ever be able to course-correct his life.

“I found out about a month later when I was in the hospital,” Libby interrupted his thoughts. “After I tried to off myself. Nora came to talk to me about it. She thought the baby was the reason I did it.”

“But it was Ruben.”

Her eyes confirmed it as they darted away. He noticed tears welling up and figured that was the end of the conversation.

“I was so tired of running,” she told him. Even her voice now sounded tired. “No matter how far away I got, I was still looking over my shoulder. Finding out about the baby gave me a reason to stop.”

She paused, then in almost a whisper, she added, “I should have known I could never escape from him.”

“There are people who want to help.”