The next time Alice blinked open her eyes, she was greeted by the sight of a pure white ceiling. Sunlight angled in through the blinds of a plainly curtained window. Mexican music played softly from somewhere nearby. A man and a woman were conversing in Spanish. There was a burst of muted laughter and the rustle of bedclothes, accompanied by an almost inaudible squeaking of springs.
Alice lay deathly still, her heart thumping fearfully in her chest. She was in bed and as she rolled her reluctant eyes away from the window, she saw that she was separated from the Mexican couple by a drawable pale green curtain.
A whorehouse! I m in a whorehouse! She groaned inwardly, tears of shame welling up to cloud her vision.
She shut her eyes and groaned aloud, feeling hopeless and sick at heart.
I dont want to be a whore! Oh, dear God! she thought wretchedly.
A hand touched her shoulder, and she nearly jumped out of her skin. "Don't touch me!"
"Easy, honey, easy," a male voice soothed. "It's me. John."
"John?" she gasped, her head snapping toward him.
"It is you! Oh, John, darling, I've never been so glad to see anyone in all my life! Where am I?"
"In the hospital, baby. You're going to be all right. How do you feel?"
There was a throbbing ache in the vicinity of the asshole, but she didn't tell John that. "Hungry," she said, heaving a sigh of relief. "I'm hungry."
He grinned and patted her hand. "That's a good sign."
"How did I get here?"
"I brought you. You were out cold, and I didn't know what was wrong with you. I didn't want to take any chances."
"But I was at Doctor Gordan's… the last I remember… and he was… was going to take me… How did you know where I was, John? What happened? Where are Gordan and Denton?"
"Hal called me after he woke up and couldn't find you in the house. Just in time, too. Those bastards were loading you in the trunk of your car when I got there. I'd called the police before I left my apartment. Hal saw Denton drive your car away from the house, so I was pretty sure where you'd be. The police got to Gordan's seconds after I did. Gordan was already dead. He pulled a gun on me Alice. I had to shoot him."
"I'm almost glad he's dead," she said simply. "What about Denton?"
"He's in jail, for attempted fraud and kidnapping. Do you want to add any other charges?"
"No," she breathed. "It wouldn't make much difference, would it?"
"Not really. Kidnapping is more serious than rape."
"You know, then," she said, turning her head in shame.
"I know," he replied, and gave her hand a squeeze.
They lapsed into an awkward silence, each thinking their own thoughts. It was John who broke that silence, and what he said made Alice cry.
"We'll have to live at your boarding house for the time being, but let's get married right away, Alice. I don't want to wait."
She blinked up at him, trying to smile as tears streaked her cheeks. "Oh, Darling, after what they did to me? Are you sure?"
He nodded. "When Hal called me, I knew how much danger you were in. I nearly went out of my mind, Alice. It made me realize how much I really do love you. Forget what happened, if you can, because I'm never going to mention it again. Will you marry me, Alice?"
"Oh, yes, John, I will. You know I will, Darling." They were married a week later, and John moved into the boarding house with Alice. He had to go before a coroner's inquest for killing Dr. Gordan but the policeman and Denton backed up his testimony and the shooting was ruled self-defense.
The fraud charges against Denton were dropped when he pleaded guilty to kidnapping. Denton was sentenced to life in prison.