West Nine #3
Sarah wasn’t surprised about the decision, not in the slightest. She stood from the couch as if pleased no one dared to attempt to take Bluebell from her. “Let’s get you tucked into your new bed.”
As Sarah walked to the stairs with Bluebell, I realized she had a new duckling. Another Blue to treasure. Another being to fill with endless love.
We all followed them up the stairs and stood at Sarah’s door while Harmony, Seb, and Sarah got Bluebell settled in.
We all grabbed our chests when Bluebell asked if she was having any visitors tonight.
Why did she say visitors with an s?
Dale left the doorway and rolled along the hallway wall until finally resting his forehead against it. I think his limit had been met.
Suspecting this child had not only been sexually abused by her father, but possibly shared with others, had me stunned into a motionless silence. My mind kept racing back to Blue. Had that also happened to her?
Finn went to Dale and rested his hand on his back. “Keep breathing for us.”
Dale nodded, blowing out air as if fighting to not get sick all over the floor.
Looking back into the room, I saw Harmony sit next to Bluebell. She looked like an angel, smiling at the child with such adoration. “No. No more visitors.” She tucked the comforter around the tiny form. “Only family members who want you safe.”
I’m so lucky to have you in my life, Harmony.
It took two-point-three seconds to fall asleep once my head hit my pillow. And I don’t think I moved once. Not even when I heard an out-of-place noise outside. My body was simply exhausted; however, when I heard another sound, my legs swung out of bed, forcing me to sit up.
Ethan had already done the exact same thing in his bed.
Across from each other, our eyes locked. My skin prickled. I hand-gestured to the sensation.
He nodded, doing the same.
My gut was screaming that something was wrong, but it made no sense. Dale had the house rigged with security. I glanced at the window. No outside lights had been triggered. No blaring alarms were sounding off. Yet I sat there feeling dread, like a premonition.
Ethan’s bed was closest to the closet. He snuck to it and tried to turn the light on.
Nothing.
I jerked when my phone vibrated on the nightstand.
Ethan rushed to his while I picked up mine. As I read the text, my blood turned to ice.
Ethan and I darted to our bedroom door and ran into Sebastian. Panicked, Seb held up his phone, showing he got the same text. One very powerful word from Kristen:
Hide!
Not making a peep, the three of us quickly rushed into the girls’ room. Sebastian picked up a sleeping Bluebell while Ethan and I stared at Sarah in horror. She was deep in a nightmare, her feet twisting up in the sheet and blanket and her head thrashing on the pillow.
This was the worst scenario to wake her quietly. I hand-gestured to Ethan. She will scream.
We all turned to face the hallway when hearing a piece of furniture skid across the floor downstairs. I could barely breathe, wishing I knew what the hell was going on.
Finn appeared with a baseball bat, ready to swing. He took a guarding position at the door, head gesturing for us to get a move on.
A bat? What about— His gun was in our weapon bag. Johnny’s people had that.
I signed to Seb, Take her to Finn’s room.
With only a nod, Seb scooted past the foot of Sarah’s bed, past Finn, and was out of sight with sleeping Bluebell on his shoulder.
That’s when Finn finally noticed Sarah. He mouthed, No! witnessing her active night terror. Her life, literally, was being put in danger twice in one night.
Determined to save her, I gestured to Ethan. If she screams, run with her. I’ll stay and fight. Then I stepped into the hallway, facing the stairs with Finn. My plan was to tackle anyone coming up, push them back down the stairs, to buy Ethan time to get Sarah safely behind the mirror.
That’s why my mouth gaped when I looked back in her room to see Ethan leaning down to kiss her. Now wasn’t really the time for a goodbye kiss, right?
However, her head stopped thrashing. Her legs stopped kicking. Her eyes opened. Her lips smiled against his until she jolted as if she understood this kiss was a silent warning. None of which I understood. But I sighed in relief as she nodded to Ethan.
He lifted his mouth from hers, then practically yanked her from the bed.
Of course, she went straight to Bluebell’s but quickly saw it was empty and let Ethan lead her out the door. As he got her up Finn’s stairs, Finn and I backed toward them, not taking our eyes off the staircase.
We both froze when seeing someone, but it was Dale. At the end of the hallway, delivering a glare with such flat lips, I knew an intruder was the least of my problems if I didn’t get up to Finn’s room.
We had already put him through hell tonight. It felt insolent not to do as he asked.
Plus, if Kristen had texted us, that burly biker and his friends would help us, too, right?
Heart racing faster than the speed of light, I headed up a few stairs, Finn following. Seb and Ethan were at the top, appearing to be on the edge of more than a step. Their rage was a clear sign of who they worried for the most.
Halfway up, I stopped. They were right. We needed a line of defense if anyone got past Dale or the biker and discovered our hiding spot.
I turned to face Finn. He had already slid the mirror over the entrance and was slowly closing the door at the bottom of the stairs. When he saw my stance, poised to fight, he understood the assignment, quickly putting his back to me and staying near the door.
Peering over my shoulder, Ethan liked what he saw. He licked his teeth, then stepped a couple of steps down. There were four young men to get through. May seem like an easy win to some, but we weren’t ordinary. We had faced trials that would put most on their knees.
In silence and devotion, we waited…
I think we all stopped breathing when Dale yelled out, sounding irate at seeing a stranger in his home. I think we all took a step forward to help him when the sounds of a scuffle filtered up to us. I think we were all nodding in agreement when Finn reached out for the door.
We had to fight.
We had to help our father.
That chance was taken from us when we heard a gunshot. It was the second of a night that just wouldn’t end. Had we caused all this because of decisions we made? Going to the pastor’s house? Seeking revenge?
We didn’t move.
Suddenly, sounds of more scuffling echoed within the walls we had come to treasure.
Then more silence.
Again, we didn’t move. I don’t know for how long.
My stomach plummeted. Dale or Harmony would’ve been telling us everything was okay by now. If it were.
Blood and adrenaline raced even harder when seeing Finn take a step back from the door, lifting his bat in a space far too small for a deadly swing.
I made fists, promising to fight harder than ever before as I heard the mirror slide open. I took deep breaths, giving all the needed oxygen to my muscles so I could battle and protect the girls.
As the doorknob turned, there was no longer a need to be quiet. So, I said, “Give ’em all the hell you got, my brothers.”