Chapter 43
Harper
My heart is pounding so hard I can feel it, but I listen past it, and—there. The sound sharpens, and I realize they’re slow, heavy footsteps. They’re not rushed or accidental. Not the familiar pacing of one of the deputies doing a check or the confident stride of one of the men coming home.
Someone’s in the house.
My body goes cold, and for a second, I just sit there on the couch, frozen in place by my fear. Someone’s in the fucking house. They got past the deputies somehow, and they’re here, coming to find me. Coming to get me and—fuck.
Cora.
Thinking about her kicks my brain back into gear. I can’t freeze up now. I can’t fall to pieces. The only thing that matters is getting Cora safe.
I get up quickly, moving fast, but quiet.
My heart is still pounding, and I have a delirious second of worrying that the sound of it might give me away.
There’s no time to think about how the hell someone got past the patrol car or the guy doing rounds outside.
No time to figure out if the guards are dead or distracted or what the fuck else. I just have to get to Cora.
I have to get to her and hide her before anything else can happen.
Every sound I make feels amplified. The shift of my weight on the stairs, the creak of the floorboards in the hall. But no one stops me.
I make it to Cora’s room and slip inside, waking her gently. I put a finger to her lips before she can even make a noise. Her eyes are sleepy, and they go wide as she clutches onto her stuffed animal.
I pick her up immediately and carry her down the hall to the closet in the master bedroom. It’s big and lined with soft blankets, and I push them into the corner, building a sort of nest.
“Listen to me, baby, okay?” I whisper. “You need to stay in here for me. You’re going to curl up in these blankets and stay quiet.” I try to keep the fear out of my voice, making it sound more like a game.
She’s played hide and seek with the men before, and I try to remember how that went.
“You remember how important hiding is? Remember last time when you got ice cream because no one could find you?”
She nods. Her eyes are still wide, and I can feel her shaking slightly against me. She’s scared, but she’s not freaking out, and I’m so grateful for that.
“This is like that,” I tell her. “You stay in here no matter what. Don’t come out even if you hear shouting or someone says your name. Stay in here until I come get you or until Everett, Lincoln, or Cash shows up, okay?”
She nods again, her little face set in serious lines.
“Good girl. I love you so much, Cora.” I settle her in, pulling the blankets around her.
There are footsteps on the stairs now, and I swallow hard. I give Cora a strained smile and close the closet door as gently as I can, moving away from it.
It hurts to leave her there. To turn around and just trust that she’ll be okay after I promised to keep her safe, but I don’t have a choice.
If Geoffrey finds Cora, it’s all over.
I grab the bat Lincoln keeps tucked behind his nightstand and grip it tight. My hands are shaking. All of me is shaking. But I don’t let go. I move so I’m positioned just out of view of the doorway, holding my breath as the footsteps grow louder and closer.
There’s a moment of silence and then he’s there.
It’s Geoffrey.
He looks the same as he did the last time I saw him. Same height, same build, same cruel mouth twisted into that cold smirk that used to make my stomach drop.
For a second, I’m thrown back in time. I’m cowering in fear, afraid of this man who caused my sister so much pain. It’s hard to breathe, hard to think past the panic to figure out what I should do.
But then, something clicks.
Because I’m not the same Omega I was back then. I’m not trapped, and I’m not afraid to speak or move or fight. I’ve been through hell and back since I ran with Cora, and I’m still here.
I’m still fucking here.
I swing the bat, the impact shuddering up my arm as it connects with a loud crack. It slams into Geoffrey’s shoulder, a solid hit.
He grunts and stumbles back, clearly not expecting that. For a second he looks startled, off balance, but it does only last a second. His expression twists into rage, and then he’s coming at me.
“You shouldn’t have done that, you little bitch,” he growls.
He lunges at me, and I swing the bat again, but this time he’s too fast. He catches it, using his strength to yank it from my hands so he can toss it across the room with a clatter.
He grabs me next, and I do everything I can to get him off.
I kick and claw against him, drawing blood, but it’s not enough to get him off.
Even when I sink my teeth into his arm, he just roars in anger and holds on.
“You’re making this harder on yourself,” he snarls, and I spit in his face.
He drags me across the room, and I kick out, trying to do anything to slow him down. I fight him like someone who doesn’t have anything left to lose, using all my anger and fear to try to get any advantage.
But he’s still stronger than me. He always has been.
I can’t do anything to get away from him, and he finally slams me to the ground hard. Stars burst in front of my eyes, and I struggle to breathe as he looms over me.
He fishes for something, and I half think he’s going to try to kill me right here in the bedroom. Instead of a gun or a knife, he comes up with a cloth, clearly soaked in something.
I thrash in his hold, but I can’t get away before he presses the cloth over my face. I suck in air, and the scent of something sharp hits me hard.
My head spins, my vision going blurry, and the last thought I have before everything goes dark is about Cora, hidden in the closet. He won’t find her. She’ll be safe.
Please stay hidden. Please stay quiet.