The Gentlewoman by Lisa Durkin Page A

Rory’s
father had bought it for the family as a getaway for precisely that reason. She
would try to devise a plan of action before they reached the farmhouse. But
fear and pain were gripping her mind. She must think of what to do, how to get
out of this and help her father.
     
    Rory woke to the sound of her own scream. She was curled in
the fetal position with her arms wrapped tightly around her head. As she
realized where she was, she tried to slow her breathing and relax her clenched
muscles. She moved slowly, unwrapping herself. Doused with sweat, she sat up
and looked at the clock. Five a.m. She dragged herself out of bed and headed to
the bathroom for a drink of water.
    She held the glass under the faucet, her hands shaking hard.
She set the glass down and gripped the sink, hanging her head. She’d had
nightmares over and over in the first couple of years after the incident and
was so happy when they subsided. They made her sad and scared, but it also made
her angry as hell. She didn’t need the constant reminder. She needed to be
fresh to deal with the business of representing her people in Congress. She
pushed off the sink. She would go for a run to clear her head.
     
    “What are you doing here? You didn’t mention you liked to
run.” Rory jogged in place as Jackson Dorn caught up with her.
    “I use the treadmill in my condo, but I decided to join in
when I saw you heading out into the darkness alone. You really should be more
cautious. We may live in a pretty safe neighborhood, but you know as well as I
do that it’s still dangerous for anyone to run alone in the dark.”
    “Well, I guess I’ve been doing it for so long, and this is a
pretty safe neighborhood… I just needed to get out and run…” Her words trailed
off.
    “What’s wrong?”
    “Nothing, I’m fine.”
    He looked down at her as they jogged along. She wasn’t fine.
He’d known her for about five minutes, but he could tell she was pretty upset.
And it bothered him.
    “Has something happened at work that has you upset?”
    “Not yet, so far so good there.”
    “Then what, Rory?” He reached out and grabbed her elbow,
drawing her to a stop in front of the Georgetown University Library. She put
her hands on her knees, her breath curling in the chilly air. “Tell me. You seem
pretty upset.”
    “I guess I need to do a better job of hiding it then. I
don’t need pity.”
    “Nobody pities you, cut the shit. Tell me.” Her pretty face
looked even more pale, he thought. “Out with it.”
    “Fine. Last night I got home around nine o’clock. When I
arrived, my front door was open.”
    “What do you mean your door was open?”
    “I mean, when I approached my door, I found that I must not
have closed it all the way when I left, so it was open.” She held up a hand
when he started to interrupt her. “I entered the condo very cautiously and
checked every room and everything was where I left it and nobody was hiding in
any closets,” she said, as alarmed anger spread throughout his body.
    He felt her aloneness. “So that certainly spooked you, I
imagine. So much so that you’re still upset over it this morning.”
    “Well, I’m more upset because the door situation brought on
some nightmares.” She began to run again. He absorbed what she said and caught
up with her, striding alongside her.
    “Nightmares, huh?”
    “Yeah, I’m prone to them. I don’t know what triggers them
normally, but I bet that was what happened this time. The open door thing
triggered the nightmare.” It felt good that she was talking to him.
    “So you have them often?” He continued when she was silent.
“Obviously you might not feel comfortable talking to me about this. I mean, you
just met me and I’m not a friend yet. ” He stressed the word as he tilted
his head sideways and smiled. “But I think we could be friends, Morgan. And as
friends, I wouldn’t use any personal information you shared with me for any
political purposes.”
    She