Free Wanted by Jason Halstead Page B

asleep so she made her way into Carl’s kitchen and looked around until she found another rag. A jug half full of lukewarm water was on the counter, so she poured herself a cup and, grimacing at the bland taste, forced herself to drink it. Fighting the urge to gag, Jessie poured another cup full of water and made herself breathe evenly to get past it.
    Finally feeling as though she could keep the water down, she dipped the rag into the cup and began to work on wiping the sweat and dirt off of her face. From there she moved on to her arms. Glancing at Tanya and Dustin and around the small building for a place to go, she gave up and pulled her halter over her head. She turned her back to the sleeping teenagers and realized she needed a fresh cup of water. Hers was brown with dirt.
    Several minutes later the door opened again, making her freeze in panic. She saw a two pronged meat fork nearby and grabbed it, turning to face the door. Carl stepped in, looked around and saw her first. His expression would have made her laugh had she not been standing naked with her shorts halfway up her legs in one hand.
    He turned and saw the other two still sleeping, though Tanya stirred. He stepped in, shut the door behind him and turned to put his rifle and coat in the cabinet. Finally, that finished, he turned back to see Jessie still standing there, meat fork held out defensively in front of her.
    “ You allergic to clothes or something?” he growled, albeit softly.
    “ You allergic to knocking?” she countered. She realized how silly she looked though, and put the fork on the counter then finished pulling her shorts back on. She reached for her top, keeping her eyes on him.
    “ It’s my place,” he pointed out, then shook his head and turned away. “I got some spare clothes you can wear while you wash yours up.”
    Jessie stared at him, forgetting the halter top in her hands. She looked at him suspiciously while he walked across the room without making any noise. He opened a trunk and took out some clothes, then turned and walked back towards her. He tossed them to her, looking almost uncomfortable for a minute. With a hint of satisfaction in his voice he said, “Just don’t bleed on ‘em.”
    Jessie stared at him, lips parting again. She knew exactly what he meant and couldn’t believe he’d said it. The winkle of amusement in his eyes as he turned away sucked some of her building rage out of her though, and then it fell flat within her. She looked down at herself, staring at the clothes in her hands and then at her belly. The dirt was gone and the tan and cosmetic surgery she had hid her scars well, but she knew they were there.
    “ Don’t worry,” she said flatly, her voice drained and dead sounding. “I can’t.”
    “ Huh?” he asked, turning around and not understanding her.
    Jessie saw him looking at her and, for the first time in a long time, she felt dirty. She let her soiled top fall to the floor and slid her shorts back down, then thought about scrubbing herself down again, but knew it would not change a thing. She slipped his pants on, hauling them up and finding the green and brown camouflaged fatigues so roomy that they barely held on to her hips. A t-shirt followed next, which was similarly loose on her except for where her bust stretched it tight. She blushed as she realized how much Dustin might enjoy her wardrobe change, even though she was wearing more now than she had in weeks. Come to think of it, if Dustin had seen all her movies, he had seen everything she had to offer anyhow.
    “ I didn’t mean any wounds,” Carl said, thinking she had misunderstood him. It had been a funny private joke to him before, but now he wished he’d kept it to himself. Something about the chatty, and stupid, girl just left him feeling awkward at times.
    “ I know,” she said, looking up and smiling without emotion. “Thanks for the clothes. I’ll wash them up when I’m done with mine.”
    “ Use the sink, the