Walking around the area for several minutes, he scanned right and left for her.
At first, he thought he’d lost her, but then he heard faint muffled whimpering behind a dumpster.
He exhaled, betting it was her, and he was thankful he’d finally found her. Now, he had to catch her and take her home.
God, he didn’t want to scare her, but she needed to go with him before she got hurt. The dark pre-dawn hours were no time for a girl like her to be out.
“Emma, honey. Please don’t be afraid.” He heard a thump like he’d startled her. “Please, come out.”
“Go away.”
“Honey, I can’t.”
“Are you here to kill me?”
“No, I’m here to save you. Lacey sent me.”
She was quiet for a moment. “Lacey? Not the monster or my mother?”
His eyebrows rose. She was afraid of her mother? That was something he’d figure out later.
“No, Lacey, the girl you saved. She has been so worried about you.”
“She has?”
“Yes, baby. Can you come out?”
“Is she okay?”
“Yes. She’s just fine, and she’s safe. I’ll tell you all about it when we get you taken care of.”
“I’m afraid.”
“You don’t ever have to be afraid of me.”
She paused again. “I can’t tell if a person is lying or not.”
“You’re right. That is hard to tell most of the time. You’re going to have to trust me. I don’t think you have a lot of options at the moment.”
A long moment passed before he heard her shuffle around, and then he saw her slide out behind the garbage. The only light was a streetlight several feet away, so he couldn’t get a good look at her. What he could see worried him.
She was fragile and pale. Her eyes were huge, filled with fear, and the dark circles under them that looked more like bruises attested to the fact she wasn’t getting any sleep.
She tensed when he took a step toward her.
“Easy, pet.” He held out his hand.
His brows snapped together when he finally noticed the way she was holding her arm against her body and the sheen of something like blood on her black sweatshirt.
“Baby, did you get hurt?”
She bit down on her lip and nodded.
“Can I see it?”
She shook her head.
Fuck, she looked like she was about ready to fall over. He saw her sway again, and he knew she didn’t have any more fight left in her. “Will you let me take care of you?”
Her eyes widened. “How?”
“I will take you home with me, get you clean, see to your wound, feed you, and put you in a nice soft bed I have in my guest room. I promise we’ll call Lacey in the morning. She lives in the same building I do.”
****