When Dove Cries Read Online Free PDF

of the morning napping. The nurse would come by every couple of hours to change her IV fluids and take her vitals. Lunch consisted of soup and Jell-O—easy fare for her shrunken stomach. She felt bad for both men, who didn’t leave her side, even as she napped, because she knew they had to be bored beyond belief. But she was glad that they’d stayed with her. She felt safe with them there. They were like protective lions keeping their eyes on her.
    She had just begun to drift off once more when she heard murmuring voices and opened her eyes to see two men and a petite, dark-haired woman at the foot of the bed. Cade stood to the side, arms folded as he watched the visitors. The woman was breathtaking, with delicate Native American features and thick, raven hair. She watched Dove with caring, dark eyes. When she shifted in the bed, all the men shut up and their gazes fell on her.
    “Dove,” Draven murmured, smiling comfortingly at her. “This is North Tabion, Sheriff Givon Halloran, and this is Allis Evening. North is the president of the Wolves. The sheriff has some questions he needs to ask you. Are you up for it, sweetheart?”
    Dove loved it when he called her sweetheart. She nodded and gave a strained smile. But before Givon could say anything, Allis reached out and took Dove’s hand in hers, squeezing tightly.
    “I was a victim too,” she told Dove in a low voice. “He shot me, though, as I tried to escape.”
    Dove’s eyes widened. “That’s why I didn’t try to get out of that hole right away. He said he would hurt me.”
    Allis nodded. “You did the right thing, Dove. And I’m here for you. Whatever you need, you just let me know, okay?”
    “Thank you,” she whispered as a huge boulder of guilt slid off her shoulders. She’d been feeling so foolish for not escaping that it had weighed heavily on her mind.
    “Hello, Dove,” the sheriff said with a friendly smile. He took Allis’ hand in his and squeezed. “My name is Givon. I’m sorry we have to meet under these circumstances. Can you tell me your full name and where you’re from?”
    “Dove Elizabeth Aldrin,” she replied. “I’m twenty-one and from Cheyenne, but I’ve been living in Durango for the past couple of months.”
    “Okay. Why Durango?”
    “It’s where I ended up,” she said with a shrug. “I got a job at one of the truck stops.”
    “Can you tell me what happened the night you were abducted?”
    “I was walking home from work one night and someone hit me over the head. I woke up in that place—that dark cave. He’d tied my hands together.” The memories rushed at her. “He left me a jar of peanut butter and a box of crackers. And there was a trickle of water along the ground. I didn’t want to drink it, but I had nothing else.”
    The memories catapulted her back into that dank, dark hole, and all she wanted to do was forget. In fact, she wanted to forget the past six months of her life. Go back in time and prevent her father from leaving her, stop him from going on the mission that had ended his life. She wanted to be that happy, secure woman she’d once been, not this fearful, lost person that even she didn’t recognize. Dove hadn’t even realized she was crying until Draven closed his arms around her. She buried her face in his chest and sobbed.
    Several minutes went by until finally, she heard Cade trying to talk to her, ordering her to calm down, telling her she was making herself sick. It took her a moment to drag in several deep gulps of air as she tried to cease her crying.
    When she’d composed herself, she opened her eyes. The other people had left, leaving her alone with Cade and Draven. They stared at her with something akin to horror, and she suddenly felt ashamed for losing it. She’d always been a little too sensitive, and the past few months had just pushed her over the top.
    “I’m sorry.” She gripped Cade’s hand tightly. “Please don’t leave me.”
    He shot a confused look at