Rescuing Her 18+ (Her Series book two)

Mia

Levi's brother isn't what I was expecting when he told me River was a veterinarian. I thought he would look nerdy and be off-putting since most veterinarians prefer the company of animals, right?

I don't know why I thought that. I've never had a pet before, or met a veterinarian. I feel like an ass for making that assumption in the first place, but this is definitely one of those times where I learn a valuable lesson. Never make assumptions about others.

River is a very large man, as in muscular, just like Levi. His hair is a darker shade than Levi's, but other than that, I can definitely tell they are related. It makes me curious about what the other three look like.

Levi woke me up from my self-induced crying nap a bit ago. I used the bathroom and when I came back out, Levi introduced me to his brother.

Part of me expected a little bit of hostility from him, since I'm a strange woman that's probably putting his brother's life in danger and all that, but there was only pleasantness radiating off of him. It was refreshing.

"So, Mia. I'm going to use this scanner here to see if we can find a chip under your skin. Do you have any questions, Sweetheart?" River holds up a black device with a hollowed out rounded head and a narrow base. I look over at Levi and he smiles reassuringly at me. I swallow my hesitance and shake my head at River to answer his question.

He presses some buttons and starts waving the wand over my arms. I don't know how to feel about this situation. Part of me hopes he finds a tracker, because it would finally explain how Brandon has always managed to find me so quickly. But the other part of me hopes there isn't one, because if he implanted it on me it leads me to think about what else he could have done to my body without my knowledge.

There's no doubt in my mind that Brandon is capable of doing all sorts of monstrous things without me knowing. I wouldn't put it past him to have drugged me and done whatever he wanted. I just don't understand why he went through the trouble. That was my first thought after the shock wore off when I discovered the truth of what he really was.

Why me?

Why did he go through the trouble of seducing me and being in a relationship? Why not just kill me in the very beginning like he did all of those other women? What makes me so different?

"You doing okay, Mia?" River's voice brings me out of my spiraling thoughts and I give him a small smile that I know doesn't reach my eyes.

"Yeah, I'm fine." God, my voice sounds as weak as I feel.

"Lean forward for me a bit and I'm going to scan your back and neck. We're almost done, Mia." I nod and do as he says, feeling strong fingers grip my right hand.

Levi squeezes my hand in comfort and I melt a little at how much care I see in his eyes. This man is an enigma to me. He's the picture of pure perfection, yet he looks at me like I hung the moon.

We hardly know each other but it feels like we've known each other our whole lives. I'm so thankful for this man. He not only saved my life, he saved me and then stayed by my side throughout the entire painful aftermath. If it wasn't for him, my mind would have finally fractured and I would have completely given up. After living in fear for so long, everything was just too much. Right now, he's the only thing that's keeping me going.

River holds the wand over my neck and a loud beeping goes off, making me jump. I close my eyes as I feel tears start to form. He doesn't have to explain what that beeping means; I already know.

"Found it." His voice is subdued, and he turns the wand off, effectively shutting off the dooming noise.

There's a pregnant pause before he clears his throat and squats down in front of me. He looks to Levi and then back to me. The pity in his eyes is almost enough to make me break down, but the strength I'm taking from Levi as he touches me helps me get myself under some type of control.