Then he focused on her last word. “Shelter. That’s a great idea. Why don’t you take her to Ruth’s?”
“Lately her place has been running full,” Jenna pointed out. “Although I guess I could call to see if there are any openings.”
“No!” Claire said from the doorway, looking so pale Griff feared she might crumple to the floor at any moment.
“It’s okay, Claire,” Jenna said in a soothing voice. “We were just trying to think of ways to keep you safe.”
“I’m safer here with you,” the girl protested. “I don’t want to go to a shelter.”
Griff tried to stifle a weary sigh. From the compassionate expression in Jenna’s eyes, he suspected she wanted to give in to Claire’s wishes.
“I won’t force you, Claire. We’ll be fine,” Jenna assured him. “She can hang out here for what’s left of the night.”
“Oh, yeah?” Griff wanted to shake some sense into Jenna. “What if that guy shows up again to finish what he’s started?”
“Stop it—you’re frightening Claire,” Jenna admonished him. “Besides, I doubt he is going to come back. And if he does, I’m armed and will call for backup.”
He stared at her, trying to find a way to convince Jenna that keeping a strange teenager in her home wasn’t smart. “You don’t know Claire isn’t involved in this,” he finally reminded her. “If you’re letting her stay, then I’m staying, too.”
Jenna looked taken aback by his declaration, but to his surprise, Claire nodded. “That’s good.”
Good? He frowned. “Why? Do you know something about the guy who attacked Jenna?”
Claire shifted uncomfortably, looking guilty. “I’m afraid so.”
He knew it! “Start talking,” he advised in a gruff voice.
Claire swallowed hard, her gaze darting between him and Jenna. It was several long seconds before she spoke. “I think that guy attacked Jenna by mistake.”
“By mistake?” Griff echoed in surprise. He’d never expected her to say something that crazy. “What makes you think that?”
Claire licked her dry lips. “I managed to escape from them, so I’m pretty sure they’re looking for me.”
Griff looked at Jenna, struck again by the similarities between the two women. Maybe Claire’s statement wasn’t that far-fetched.
Jenna’s eyes widened in shock. “I guess it’s possible the masked man made a mistake.”
“That doesn’t explain why the bulb was removed from your porch light,” Griff pointed out. “If he’s the one who removed it, then he had to know you lived here.”
Claire winced. “That was me,” she said in a soft voice. “I removed the lightbulb, needing darkness while I waited for Jenna to come home.” The teen’s eyes filled with tears as she moved toward Jenna, who placed a consoling arm around her thin shoulders. “I’m sorry. I never meant for you to be hurt.”
Griff stared helplessly at the two of them. If Claire was telling the truth and the assailant really had mistaken Jenna for Claire, then she and Jenna were still in danger.
Leaving him to figure out how to protect them both.
“So you must have lost your bracelet while you were removing the lightbulb,” Jenna murmured, trying to come to grips with what Claire had revealed. To be honest, she was relieved the guy had attacked her instead of Claire. There was no way the younger girl would have had the strength to fight him off.
The fact that Claire had escaped from the guy before also explained why the attack had been so personal. Why he’d seemed so intent on using physical force against her.
“You mentioned escaping from danger. What exactly happened?” Jenna asked.
Claire lifted her thin, bony shoulders in a shrug. “It’s a long story, but basically I escaped being drugged and forced into prostitution.”
Jenna gasped and curled her fingers into fists. It was too easy to imagine how scared Claire had been.
“Who did that to you? Do you have names? Where did this happen?” Griff asked, going into full lieutenant mode.
Claire shrank against Jenna, convincing her that the teen wouldn’t want to relay horrible details in front of a guy.
“I don’t want to talk about it,” Claire whispered.
“It’s okay. We’ll have time to go into that later,” she assured the girl. Then she turned to Griff, imploring him to back off. “The most important thing right now is to get Claire someplace safe. Now that we know she’s still in danger, we need a different plan. I guess you were right. Going to the women’s shelter tonight is likely our best option.”
Claire let out a soft sound of distress, but Jenna did her best to ignore it.
“Agreed,” Griff said firmly. “You can give me directions and I’ll take you both there. Because you’re still in danger, as well, Jenna.”
He was crazy if he thought she was going to hide out in some women’s shelter. “I can’t let you do that,” Jenna protested. “The location of the shelter is secret and needs to stay that way. The women who live there don’t trust men, even cops. But they know me. I’ve been supporting them for years. I’ll take Claire there on my own.”
Griff stared at her, concern wrinkling his brow. “I don’t think that’s smart,” he protested. “What if that guy comes back here looking for you?”
“I’ll make sure we’re not followed, and then I’ll find someplace else to stay for what’s left of the night.”
“I don’t like it,” Griff said in a burst of exasperation. “You know as well as I do that I’m not going to breach the security of the shelter. There’s no reason for you to be so paranoid.”
“Paranoid? The women in the shelter fear for their lives and the lives of their children,” she pointed out, striving for patience. “I don’t understand what your problem is. You really think an armed sheriff’s deputy isn’t capable of taking a young woman to a shelter?”
Griff let out a heavy sigh and scrubbed his hands over his face, giving Jenna the satisfaction of knowing she’d made her point.
Her boss might not like it, but he clearly wouldn’t stand in her way. Yeah, she appreciated his help, but it was time he proved he actually trusted her abilities.
Instead of treating her like a victim.
* * *
Griff hated to admit Jenna was right. If she were any other deputy, he wouldn’t be standing here arguing about this. “Fine. I’ll head out, but I want you to keep in touch.”
“Will do. Thanks for your help.”
Griff turned and walked through the small house to the front door.
He flipped the dead bolt open, then glanced over his shoulder. “Lock up behind me.”
Griff waited until Jenna came over before stepping outside. When he heard the door lock snap into place behind him, he made his way across the grass toward the spot where he’d left his vehicle.
He pulled his keys out of his pocket but fumbled and dropped them. When