Eye of the Falcon (Psychic Visions #12)(39)

He shot her a look and held one out to her. “Winter can land in Denver very quickly. No way you can wear my winter jackets.”

She struggled, not wanting the coat, as it was still way too big. Two jackets later, she found one. She glanced around for shoes as she still wore his socks. Noticing her interest, he found a used pair of sneakers that had some life in them, a couple of slip-ons, and a pair of boots for her to try on.

By the time she was done, she had a whole new wardrobe. She winced at the full cart. “What do you think all this costs?”

“It’s Tuesday. Everything is half price.”

She stared at him in delight. “Really, they do that?”

He chuckled. “And even if they didn’t, it wouldn’t matter.” He hesitated. “They might have socks that fit here too.”

One of the women who worked there heard them. She walked them over to several baskets full of heavy socks and lighter socks. And mittens as well. He took several that looked to be in good shape and added them to the pile. There he slid her a sidelong look. “With your low body weight, you don’t need a bra.”

Surprised, she glanced down and realized that, of course, when her body was so skinny, her breasts had shrunk. She shook her head in disbelief. “I used to be a B cup.”

“Well, now you’re maybe a double A,” he said with a smile.

She shot him a look of outrage, but, chuckling, he turned and walked to a different counter.

He motioned to the bras on the rack ahead of them. “This is your department. I don’t know anything about them.”

She found several brand-new sports bras hanging on a rack. They were very small, but she checked the sizes and then glanced down at her chest. She realized they were only a size smaller than what she would normally wear. She chose two and added them. “These will do, at least for now.”

“And panties?”

She winced. That was a great reminder she hadn’t had any underwear on for days now. She groaned and walked back to the lingerie section. It wasn’t the time to be squeamish. She should be grateful to have any. She found packages of unopened underwear set off to the side with tags on them, as if a store had just handed over all their old stock. The sizes were once again big. She chose a size she normally would have worn. One had six in the package. She held them up with a question in her eyes.

He nodded. “Absolutely. Can you get a second pack too?”

She looked, but there weren’t any more in that size. At the cash register, with the sale, the entire purchase ended up being less than fifty dollars. She stared openmouthed as he paid cash and carried her three large bags with her purchases.

When she got to the truck, she said, “You think she made a mistake?”

“What kind of mistake?”

“There are three bags full of clothes here, and you only paid fifty dollars.” She laughed. “I’m loving this.”

He helped her into the front of the truck, placing the bags in the back with the boxes. “Next up is home. Go to sleep if you can.”

She shook her head. “I don’t think I’ll be able to.”

But she was wrong.

The excitement of getting clothes of her own again had helped to give her a sense of peace. And, as the wheels turned under her, and Eagle drove them steadily homeward, the calmness around her stroked her mind, and she fell asleep.

*

He glanced over and smiled as she gave up the ghost. He’d loved seeing her in the secondhand store. Her reaction to the cost was priceless. He didn’t know what her mom might’ve been like, but he himself had been raised traveling around the world. He and his mom often ended up getting secondhand clothing, if only to replace those destroyed by his rough play. He didn’t see any reason not to shop that way. He couldn’t have bought a decent jacket in a real store for the fifty dollars he’d spent for everything just now. And, as she regained her weight, these purchases would become too small.

While she’d shopped, he’d sent texts to a couple friends, giving them a few important details. He’d used a code word they’d often employed in the military, letting them know the level of danger he suspected they were in.

Chances were the kidnapping assholes had already checked his license plate and probably knew everything there was to know about him and his property at this point. The kidnappers could be at his place in no time. Eagle drove steadily, watching to make sure they weren’t being followed. But he didn’t see anything out of the ordinary. They drove up the long driveway, finding the dogs barking at the edge of the gates. As soon as they saw them, they switched from guard dogs to pets.

He unlocked the gate, got back in the truck, and parked near the house. He gave Issa a gentle shoulder shake and said, “Wake up, sweetie.”

She bolted upright, fear on her face. When she saw him, she put her hands over her face, and whispered, “Jesus. You scared me.”

“We’re home.”

She stared around in surprise. “I had no idea I had slept so long.”

“It wasn’t that long. But take it easy. We have some things to unload. I’ll go back and lock the gates and check on the property.” He turned to her. “I want you to stay in the truck.”

She was in the process of opening the door, but she stopped and looked at him. “For how long?”

“Just until I can get a perimeter check.”