Chapter 4
Everleigh
Some monsters don’t sleep under your bed or hide in your closet.
They walk among us, living and breathing like you and me, but they aren’t anything like us. They are cold, wicked creatures who strive to rule the world, destroying anyone and everyone who tries to stand in their way.
I knew Antonio DeLuca was a monster the second I first laid eyes on him.
But I didn’t know how cruel and malicious he truly was until the night I tried to escape.
I was in my room and about to go to bed when I heard a pounding on my door. “Everleigh! Everleigh! Open up!”
I rushed over to my bedroom door, and when I opened it, I found Matteo standing in the hall with a panicked look on his face. “What’s wrong?”
“Get under the bed,” he ordered. “Don’t come out until I come and get you.”
“Why? What’s going on?”
“Someone’s here. We’re under attack.”
Matteo was one of DeLuca’s guards. He was young, eighteen or nineteen, with dark hair and eyes and the most adorable smile.
While Matteo’s loyalty lay with his boss, he was always kind to me.
It started with a warm smile, but quickly progressed to brief little chats when he walked me back and forth between my room and DeLuca’s office.
He even brought me small gifts on special occasions like my birthday or Christmas.
His thoughtfulness meant a great deal to me, and at times, it was the only thing that got me through the day.
“Under attack? What are you talking about?”
“I don’t have time to explain.” Matteo reached over and placed his hand on my shoulder, then urged, “You need to get under your bed, Everleigh. Hide there until I come back. You got me?”
“Yeah, I got you.”
“Good.”
He motioned his hand toward the bed, then slowly closed the door.
There are three types of fear.
A rational fear occurs when there’s a real, impending threat—like someone is about to stab you or throw you off a ledge.
A primal fear is one that is ingrained deep within us, like a fear of heights or spiders.
Lastly, there’s an irrational fear. It's often the most intense but doesn’t always make sense, like an extreme fear of clowns or glass dolls.
The second I heard a round of gunfire downstairs, it felt like I’d been struck by all three.
Maybe I’d seen too many horror movies, but all the unfamiliar rustles and knocks made my hair prickle against the back of my neck.
One might think I was experiencing a rational fear.
It made sense. Matteo had warned me that someone was coming—someone who could hurt me, but what I was feeling wasn’t due to an impending threat.
It was something more—much, much more.
This fear had become so ingrained in me that it no longer made sense. I’d built up Antonio DeLuca in my head to the point that he was larger than life—the monster of all monsters, and deep down, I knew he’d be the end of me.
I considered doing as Matteo said and hiding under my bed, but I couldn’t.
I’d been waiting for an opportunity like this for almost a year, and even though I was terrified, I couldn’t let it pass me by.
I heard men’s voices outside as they approached the house, but they were quickly drowned out by more gunfire. It wasn’t exactly a fair fight. DeLuca’s men were cold and callous like him, and they’d never let anyone win in an attack.
I took several deep breaths, then eased my door open and slipped out into the hall. Even though I’d been there for years, I didn’t know the exact layout of the house. However, I wasn’t going to let that deter me.
I just needed to find an outside door, and then I could make my grand escape—or so I thought.
I’d just started down the stairs when I heard a loud commotion below me. I eased over to the railing and saw that two men had managed to make it through the front door. They started to make their way into the foyer, but a round of gunfire stopped them dead in their tracks.
I didn’t move.
DeLuca’s guards were right below me, combing downstairs for any other intruders.
It felt like I waited there for a lifetime before they finally made their way outside.
I was finally alone, so I took the opportunity to rush down the stairs.
I stepped over one of the bodies, then bolted for the back door.
For a brief moment, I actually thought I might get away, but then I heard DeLuca hiss, “Where the hell do you think you’re going?”
“Nowhere,” I lied. “I just came down to find out what was going on.”
“Hmmm.” DeLuca’s eyes were trained on me as he took a step closer. “So, you weren’t trying to make a run for it?”
“No, of course not.” My heart was pounding in my chest as I told him, “I wouldn’t do that.”
“You’re lying.” He crossed his arms and looked down at me with a smug look on his face. “After all I’ve done for you, and this is the thanks I get.”
“Done for me?” I snapped. “You stole my life from me!”
“I’ve given you everything you could possibly want!” he roared. “But it’s never been enough for you. You’ve always wanted more.”
“I’ve only wanted what I was promised.”
“I can’t believe you would do this.” He pointed toward the door as he shouted, “If you want to go so fucking bad, then just go!”
I wanted to run, but there was something in his tone that paralyzed me with fear.
I couldn’t move. I couldn’t speak. I could only stand there and stare back at him like a frightened child.
After several moments, Matteo caught my eye.
He gave me a beseeching look, imploring that I say or do something, but no words came.
Angered even more by my silence, DeLuca’s face grew red, and he roared, “I said go!”
I glanced back over to Matteo, trying to muster my courage, and then I did the only thing I could do. I ran for the back door. I’d only taken a few steps when I heard a click and considered stopping, but my freedom was right there within my reach.
So, I went for it.
I honestly thought I could make it.
I was wrong.
Moments after that click, I heard the gunfire, then felt something hit my back, and I lurched forward.
It threw me off step, but I kept running—until I was hit a second and third time.
I’d heard the gunfire. I knew I’d been shot, but I hadn’t felt the searing hot metal pierce through my skin.
I hadn’t felt it rip through my muscle and bone, but the damage had been done.
I dropped to the ground, then clawed at the floor, trying to drag myself out of the room. Unfortunately, I didn’t get very far.
My wounds were just too much for my body to overcome. The adrenaline coursing through my veins started to fade, and shock took over. I saw my life flash before my eyes, and then everything went dark.
I thought that was it.
I thought my life was over.
And then, I heard his voice beckoning me to hold on.
I was in such pain, such utter agony, that every inch of me hurt, but there was something about hearing his soft, alluring voice that helped soothe me and made me believe that I could hold on a little longer.
But even with him urging me on, it wasn’t long before I blacked out again.
I don’t know how long I was unconscious, but when I woke, I was strong enough to open my eyes and take a look around. I saw that I was on a hospital gurney and had an IV in my arm, but I could tell right away I wasn’t in a hospital.
This room had unpainted concrete walls with no windows, and there were no doctors or nurses, just an older man with long, braided gray hair and a thick, burly beard.
He was rummaging through the various cabinets and drawers, and after several minutes of shuffling about, he started over to me with a needle in his hand.
I had no idea who this man was or what he was doing with that damn needle, so I tried to back away and implored, “Please don’t.”
“Whoa, easy there, doll.” He placed his free hand on my shoulder. “I’m not going to hurt you. I’m just trying to help.”
“Who are you, and what do you want?”
“The name’s Doc, and I don’t want anything. I’m just a friend of Billy’s.”
“Billy? Who’s Billy?”
“What?” His brows furrowed as he asked, “You don’t know him?”
“No.” My eyelids were growing heavy, and my voice was strained as I mumbled, “I don’t know anyone by that name.”
“Seriously? I thought... It doesn’t matter.
He asked me to come help you out, and that’s what I did.
Took the bullets out and patched you up.
I had a hell of a time, but got it done.
” Doc held up the syringe, then injected it into the port of the IV as he explained, “This here is an antibiotic. You got a fever which means you got an infection. Not that I’m surprised. You had a pretty rough go of it.”
“Hm-hmmm.”
“Gave ya something for the pain, too. That’ll help ya get some rest.”
I wanted to thank the kind stranger for helping me, but all I could manage was an incoherent, “Hm-mmm-hmm.”
“That’s it.” I felt him pat me on the shoulder. “You get some good rest, and I’ll check back on you later.”
I heard him walk out of the room, and I desperately wanted to get up and follow him. I simply didn’t have the strength, so I did the only thing I could. I succumbed to my exhaustion and fell back asleep.