said, but changed her mind when she noted the look of grim irritation on his face. This was not a man to be trifled with.
She stretched out her leg. “It’s fine,” she repeated, but he ignored her as he ran his hand up and down first her calf then her thigh, feeling for broken bones and asking her if it hurt when he squeezed certain areas. She winced but shook her head at each question.
“It’s just bruised,” he finally announced. You’re lucky.” He paused, and looked at her. “So you want to tell me what on earth possessed you to run out into the field during a storm?”
Karen paused, her dazed mind trying to come up with a plausible answer.
“Betty?”
She looked at him and looked away. “I-I don’t know.”
“I think you do,” he said. He reached into his pocket. “You dropped this out there.”
Karen looked down to see he was holding her iPhone cell phone.
She opened her mouth to say something but nothing came out.
“You will give me an explanation,” Clay said.
Karen suddenly felt angry. The tone was demanding. How dare he? she thought. How dare he?
“I’m a grown woman perfectly capable of taking care of myself,” she said. “I don’t have to give you an explanation if I don’t want to.”
“I disagree,” said Clay. He looked back at the phone. You show up at our gate in a clunker of a car and claiming to be flat broke, but in possession of what looks like a brand new cell phone. You avail yourself of our hospitality under what I’m beginning to suspect are false pretenses. So yeah, young lady, I do think you owe me an explanation. And you will give me one. I explained the rules to you when we took you in. Maybe outside this place you answered to no one, but as long as you’re here you answer to me. Now, I’m going to count to five. If you don’t start talking you’re going to wish you had. One…”
“You can’t be serious.” The wind had died down, but the fear Karen felt was renewed, but for a different reason.
“Two.”
“This is ridiculous,” she said. “I would have been fine. You didn’t have to come after me.”
“Three.” Clay’s mouth was a grim line, his eyes intense as he looked at her.
“So what if I have a cell phone. Is that illegal here, too?” Karen injected bravery into her tone, even though she didn’t feel particularly brave at that moment. Her head was swimming in the unbelievable notion that this man was clearly intent on chastising her like a child if she didn’t tell him what she’d been doing out in the storm with a cell phone in her hand. And she was so flustered; she worried that a lame excuse would blow her cover. She had to hold on. She had to, at least long enough to find out more, to let her superiors know she’d found Ann Marie, to find out what was behind the door just behind Clay.
“Four.”
The wind was dying down now, and outside Karen could hear the sound of a loose board flapping against the barn. The danger from the storm was past. But the danger in the barn was not. She had to get out.
She stood. “If you think I’m going to let you-”
But she didn’t get to finish her sentence. Clay had grabbed her as she tried to move past and was hauling her over to a stack of feedbags. Sitting on them, he pulled her easily across his lap.
Karen’s mind jumped back to her police academy training, to what she’d been taught to do in an assault.
With a strength that surprised even her, she jabbed a sharp elbow into her captor’s ribs and was rewarded by an “oomph” from the larger man. Clay momentarily loosened his grip, more from surprise than any real hurt, and Karen took that opportunity to try and escape. But she’d only gotten a few feet towards the door when he grabbed her again, this time pinning her arms to her sides.
“Oh no you don’t,” he said.
Karen twisted her body to no avail, and realized that Clay had only been using a portion of his strength to hold her initially. Now he had a firmer
She stretched out her leg. “It’s fine,” she repeated, but he ignored her as he ran his hand up and down first her calf then her thigh, feeling for broken bones and asking her if it hurt when he squeezed certain areas. She winced but shook her head at each question.
“It’s just bruised,” he finally announced. You’re lucky.” He paused, and looked at her. “So you want to tell me what on earth possessed you to run out into the field during a storm?”
Karen paused, her dazed mind trying to come up with a plausible answer.
“Betty?”
She looked at him and looked away. “I-I don’t know.”
“I think you do,” he said. He reached into his pocket. “You dropped this out there.”
Karen looked down to see he was holding her iPhone cell phone.
She opened her mouth to say something but nothing came out.
“You will give me an explanation,” Clay said.
Karen suddenly felt angry. The tone was demanding. How dare he? she thought. How dare he?
“I’m a grown woman perfectly capable of taking care of myself,” she said. “I don’t have to give you an explanation if I don’t want to.”
“I disagree,” said Clay. He looked back at the phone. You show up at our gate in a clunker of a car and claiming to be flat broke, but in possession of what looks like a brand new cell phone. You avail yourself of our hospitality under what I’m beginning to suspect are false pretenses. So yeah, young lady, I do think you owe me an explanation. And you will give me one. I explained the rules to you when we took you in. Maybe outside this place you answered to no one, but as long as you’re here you answer to me. Now, I’m going to count to five. If you don’t start talking you’re going to wish you had. One…”
“You can’t be serious.” The wind had died down, but the fear Karen felt was renewed, but for a different reason.
“Two.”
“This is ridiculous,” she said. “I would have been fine. You didn’t have to come after me.”
“Three.” Clay’s mouth was a grim line, his eyes intense as he looked at her.
“So what if I have a cell phone. Is that illegal here, too?” Karen injected bravery into her tone, even though she didn’t feel particularly brave at that moment. Her head was swimming in the unbelievable notion that this man was clearly intent on chastising her like a child if she didn’t tell him what she’d been doing out in the storm with a cell phone in her hand. And she was so flustered; she worried that a lame excuse would blow her cover. She had to hold on. She had to, at least long enough to find out more, to let her superiors know she’d found Ann Marie, to find out what was behind the door just behind Clay.
“Four.”
The wind was dying down now, and outside Karen could hear the sound of a loose board flapping against the barn. The danger from the storm was past. But the danger in the barn was not. She had to get out.
She stood. “If you think I’m going to let you-”
But she didn’t get to finish her sentence. Clay had grabbed her as she tried to move past and was hauling her over to a stack of feedbags. Sitting on them, he pulled her easily across his lap.
Karen’s mind jumped back to her police academy training, to what she’d been taught to do in an assault.
With a strength that surprised even her, she jabbed a sharp elbow into her captor’s ribs and was rewarded by an “oomph” from the larger man. Clay momentarily loosened his grip, more from surprise than any real hurt, and Karen took that opportunity to try and escape. But she’d only gotten a few feet towards the door when he grabbed her again, this time pinning her arms to her sides.
“Oh no you don’t,” he said.
Karen twisted her body to no avail, and realized that Clay had only been using a portion of his strength to hold her initially. Now he had a firmer
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