Savage Cinderella

Savage Cinderella- Chapter 5- Kitty

Kitty

After the girl tossed him his pants and stood piercing him with a predatory expression before she abruptly left him alone with his pickle jar, Justin wondered how he should approach the situation. He had no doubt that she had been through something terrible. Her obvious mistrust was probably warranted, given the circumstances of her living out here all alone. At least he thought she was all alone. 

She hadn't answered any of his questions to his satisfaction. She was a mystery that his inner journalist could not resist. The urge to unravel Brinn’s story compelled him to want to know everything about her. If she truly was alone, he had to find a way to help her. This was certainly no life for a girl—young woman—he mentally corrected. He judged her age to be in her late teens or early twenties. It was hard to tell beyond the sprite-like features and the look of weary wisdom in her eyes.

Despite the wild tangle of her long black hair, and the obvious lack of attention to the female grooming details he was used to seeing on girls her age, she was absolutely beautiful. She possessed an essence, raw and savagely striking. Those dark-lashed blue eyes that turned up at the corners like some exotic cat shone like sapphires, flashing to blue flames when she was scared or angry. Her long limbs fit her sleek body perfectly. 

Justin caught himself thinking in an impossible direction and shifted his attention to his own discomfort. He ignored his full bladder and attempted to wiggle his foot. The pain and stiffness in his ankle distracted him as he grunted a few expletives and tested his weight-bearing capabilities. The splint she’d manufactured was ideal. He could point and flex his foot marginally, but the flat sticks, padded and strapped onto either side of his ankle, offered lateral stability. To his happy surprise, after a few failed attempts, he stood with partial weight on his foot. 

After relieving himself, he awkwardly pulled on his pants and buttoned the top button. His shirt hung on the chair across the room by the fire. Should he hop over and get it? Every muscle in his body dreaded the movement. He flinched at the thought, his aching head and throbbing foot leading the revolt. He still felt groggy from whatever was in that nasty-tasting concoction she’d given him last night. He had to admit that he had slept soundly, much to his surprise.

He sucked in a breath and prepared for the pain of jolting his foot, then hobbled and hopped across the eight-foot span. Nearly knocking over the chair as he flopped into it, he toppled a stack of books behind him. As he righted the mess, he scanned the stack. Botany, native plants, herbal medicine, some old Natural Health and Field and Stream magazines, and two sketch pads bound in the same leather straps she had used to tie him to the bed. 

He shook his head, frustrated by the abundance of unanswered questions. Who was she so afraid of? Had he stumbled into a situation that could prove dangerous? He glanced at the red and purple around his ankle and realized that his precarious circumstances remained beyond his control. He was stuck here and that was that.    

As much as he hated to admit it, his boss had been right. Charlene Kensington was Managing Editor for Real Life Magazine. She had sent him on assignment to the National Parks before, but she always warned him to stay on trails and avoid hiking alone. She’d accused him of taking unnecessary risks. Charlene suggested more than once that she tag along to make sure he stayed out of trouble, but he knew it was just an excuse to get him alone. 

They’d had a relationship two years ago, before he’d taken the job with the magazine. He was fresh out of college then, but once they’d started working together, he ended it. He knew better than to date a coworker, let alone his boss. Charlene didn't agree and made her feelings known. So far, he’d managed to keep out of her clutches. She’d be frantic when he didn’t return on Monday morning and he was certain she would have half of Georgia looking for him. But for now, he was stranded.