5. Chapter 5
Chapter 5
Alek
“ B ut who are you?” The woman asks softly, twisting her hands together nervously as she looks between my brothers and me.
Ronan stands guard beside her, making sure she doesn't try anything while we’re distracted. Maddox still clings to Em like she might disappear at any second while Royal and I get to our feet.
“I was going to ask you the same thing,” Royal says, moving to stand at his full height in front of Maddox and Em– an extra shield of protection. The woman backs away meekly until the backs of her knees hit the bed, and she takes a seat, bowing her head submissively.
“Laurelyn– but she calls me Laurie. I’m the…uh…nanny?” She winces as she says it with more of a question than a declaration. I feel like it has more to do with why King actually has her than a lie.
“And why exactly were you hiding her in this tower? Under the bed?” I step forward and ask, searching her face to see if I can pick up on any signs of deceit.
“ I- uh, we were in the g-garden when I heard gunshots. So I g-grabbed her and ran in here to hide,” she stutters, barely above a whisper, as she keeps her eyes trained on her lap.
“It’s okay. We’re not going to hurt you, Laurelyn,” I say gently, stepping forward with my hands raised, stopping just in front of her. I can tell she is a victim here, not a threat. “We’re here for Em. She is leaving with us. You can stay here if you’d like, or we can get you somewhere safe, away from King.”
She finally lifts her eyes to mine, fear and relief warring inside them. I can see her face up close now, which only confirms my suspicion. Easing my hand to her chin slowly, I tip her face from side to side, inspecting the road map of abuse littering her ivory skin.
“King?” I ask, even though I know the answer.
“He doesn’t like it when I get between him and Em,” she says, determination seeping into her words, even if she’s withdrawn and timid. “I’ll take his marks any day if it means she doesn’t have to wear them.”
I nod my head in approval, dropping my hand from her face softly. I don’t dare try to speak right now. I’ll make a damn fool of myself with the amount of emotions bubbling inside me like a hot pot of stew over the fire.
“We need to get moving. We’ve cleared the area for now, but we don’t know when someone else might show up. Are you with us or not?” Ronan directs his question directly at Laurelyn. She squares her shoulders and lifts her chin more confidently this time.
“I go where Emma goes. Period.”
“Well, okay then. Let’s move out,” he says with a smile ghosting across his face as he turns for the stairs.
I turn and help Maddox to his feet, with Em still holding on for dear life.
“We’re getting you out of here, Sunshine,” he tells her, kissing her forehead and cradling her head into the crook of his neck as we all head to the winding stairs. “It’s time to go home. Our real home.”
The trek back to the main house is quiet, and each of us is on high alert and listening for any signs of disarray. When we walk back in, Jasper is pacing the floor next to Dax’s unconscious body in panic.
“We have to get him to a doctor, Ronan. Now! He passed out. I think he lost too much blood. We’ve got to-”
“Slow down, Jas. Breathe,” Ronan says, gripping him by the back of the neck and forcing him to a stop. He brings their foreheads together. “Go find something we can transport him on. We’ll get him to the truck and then to a doctor. He’s going to be fine.”
“Come on, I’ll help find something to put him on. Royal, keep an eye out. Laurelyn, why don’t you take Maddox and Em and grab anything you can’t leave behind? But hurry, only take what you can carry,” I say.
“There’s an ironing board in the washroom, just through there,” Laurelyn points to the doorway off the kitchen as she moves down the hallway with Maddox and Em following behind them.
Everyone moves quickly to do their respective tasks. Royal moves to the front door to keep watch while Jasper and I grab the ironing board and start moving Dax onto it to carry him through the woods. We find some sheets in the washroom and use them to strap his body down so he doesn’t slide off. I wish we would have parked closer. This would have been much easier if we didn’t have to cross the river to get back to our ride.
By the time we have him secured to the board, Maddox and the others come out, ready to leave. Tears well in Em’s eyes and make me pause. “What’s wrong, Little One?”
“My ho-horse,” she says, her lip trembling.
“Don’t cry. We’ve got your horse,” I tell her, tucking her blonde hair behind her ear as Royal steps up to us, holding the little worn-out horse up to her.
“I kept him safe for you. Don’t worry,” he tells her, kissing her cheek as she lights up in excitement. This little girl holds our hearts just as much as her momma does. “Can you keep your eyes closed and be very quiet for me?”
She squeezes her eyes shut and nods her blonde little head before burying it in Maddox’s neck once more.
“Royal, have you checked in?” I ask as we all file out the door and head towards the treeline we walked out of. Jasper and I carry the board with Dax as carefully as we can. Ronan takes the lead ahead of us, with Maddox, Em, and Laurelyn behind us. Royal’s at the tail, watching our backs.
“I will when we get to the truck. Let’s just get through these woods,” he replies as we cross the shallow river bed.
We fall into a comfortable silence until we make it back to the SUV. We get the seats laid down in the back for Dax on the makeshift stretcher, and Jasper climbs in beside him. The rest of us pile in, and we take off back towards the main road.
“What’s the plan?” Ronan asks.
“Head back to Twisted. We have a med room there, and we will find a doctor to help him,” I tell him, keeping my head on a swivel and making sure no one follows us.