Broken(26)

“Wherever you’d like, baby.”

She took a deep breath before relaying her tale. “Do you remember when I won that internship with J&T Textiles after my design won first place in that contest I entered?”

Her father nodded. “I was so proud of you. You always were a whiz with that sewing machine. You’d make the most amazing outfits. I still have that pink party dress you made when you were ten.”

Jocelyn grimaced, as she recalled that fluffy pink monstrosity. “Uh, I was the laughing stock of Pamela Evan’s birthday party. One of the sleeves was longer than the other and I’d added so much ribbon and lace I looked like a ballerina on acid.”

Jack chuckled. “But you were still as cute as a button wearing it. I still have that picture.”

“Don’t you dare pull that thing out.”

He winked. “Maybe another time.”

She groaned, knowing he’d do exactly that. Realizing she’d stalled enough, she continued on. “Getting back to the story, my internship was going well and I was making friends. One night I was invited to a party at the house of one of the girls who worked at J&T. I knew I was out of my element the minute I walked in. Everyone was so sophisticated and well traveled. Dallas was the farthest away from home I’d ever been. My roommate had warned me not to get tangled up in that particular crowd, but I didn’t listen and stubbornly went anyway. The minute I saw some guys doing cocaine right in front of everyone, I knew I had to get out of there.”

Her father’s eyes widened and his brows flew together. “Oh, Jossy, please tell me you didn’t—”

She shook her head. “No. You raised me better than that. As soon as I saw that, I started looking for my ride. I found her in the arms of some strange man and when I told her I was ready to go, she informed me I’d have to take a cab if I wanted to go home because she wasn’t ready to leave.”

“Sounds like your roommate had the right of it, didn’t she?” he asked gently, still stroking the back of her head.

“Unfortunately,” Jocelyn sighed. Even as her mouth moved to form the words she had difficulty getting them out.

“It’s okay, baby. Take your time.”

She closed her eyes against the understanding in his. She didn’t feel she deserved his compassion after the way she’d treated him. “I-I was looking for a phone to call a cab when I met a guy who looked like he sympathized with my situation. He seemed so nice and for the first time since I arrived at the party, I began to feel at ease. We talked about everything. I told him that while I would love to have my own clothing line one day, I wasn’t looking to become a big name. I told him about the ranch and how I was looking forward to going back to it…and Cade. After a while, he offered to get me a drink. I didn’t think anything of it until I took a sip.”

“Why? Did it taste funny?”

She frowned with a shake of her head. “No. It was okay as far as I could tell, but he looked at me so expectantly when I held it to my mouth. It then occurred to me he was still a stranger, despite our little chat. I told him I had to go and I needed to call a cab.” Anxiety began to twist a knot in her chest as each horrifying moment of that night came back to her. Hastily, she wiped a tear away before it could spill down her cheek.

He stiffened. “Jossy, what happened after that?”

“H-he told me he knew where a phone was. I should have listened to my first instinct, but by that time I was so eager to leave I didn’t think things through properly. So he led me to a bedroom and showed me the phone. He left me alone and I believed that was that. But…” She sniffed. “He returned with two men. One of them locked the door and…the other snatched the phone from my hand…I…I tried to fight them, but I think whatever was in that drink began to kick in. My head was woozy and they did things to me I’d rather not say…I’m so sorry, Daddy. The truth is, after that night, I was so ashamed of what happened I couldn’t come home. I gave up the internship because I couldn’t face those people again.” She couldn’t go into further detail. Having to relive it all over again brought back that familiar ache.