Chapter Thirty-Seven
Lucy
Tears sting my eyes as I pull up to the house.
Once the car is shifted into park, I finally let them fall freely down my cheeks.
Ren's broken expression is all I can see as guilt floods my body, causing sobs to escape my throat.
His normally bright green eyes dulled the moment I apologized.
The pain I saw etched on his face in the rearview mirror when I tore from the lot will never leave me.
He’ll never forgive you for that.
That wouldn’t be a bad thing, would it? I don’t know how long I sit in the car before I’m able to calm down enough to make it inside the house.
My body hurts and my head throbs as I open the car door.
Looking up at the house, tears threaten to spill over until a distant roar of thunder rolls through the mountains.
I glance across the yard, above the tree line at the dark sky just as the wind picks up, causing me to shiver.
I quickly get inside the house and make sure all the windows are closed and locked for the upcoming storm.
As much as I hope it passes by, it looks as though it’s heading right towards me.
I make food for myself and eat before hopping in the shower.
By the time I get out, the storm is right outside my window; the sky is black, and thunder rattles the old house.
I look out, my mind drifting to getting caught in that storm with Nash.
Goosebumps cover my skin as I remember the way his beard felt brushing the inside of my leg as his tongue teased before devouring me.
A shiver running down my back breaks me from my thoughts, and I shake my head.
I get dressed in a pair of pajama shorts and the t-shirt Ren left for me that first night.
I climb into bed, turning on the TV to drown out some of the noise from the rain and thunder.
Thunderstorms used to be my favorite part of summer, but now, I hate being alone during them.
I wake up a while later, and the air is thick.
Sweat covers my body as I reach for my phone to check the time.
2:27am. I turn the TV off and listen to the rain lightly pattering on the roof.
I must have slept through the worst part of the storm.
Getting up, I walk to the window and look out.
A shadow catches my eye, and I squint trying to make out what it might be.
An icy chill surrounds me as I realize the shape moving towards my house is a man with a baseball cap and dark clothes on.
I can’t see their face but I drop to the ground below the window as my heart starts to race.
More sweat beads on my forehead, and my breathing picks up.
I quickly think about my options as I peek out of my window. The shadow is nowhere to be found.
What the hell do I do?
I hear glass break on the first floor and scramble to move the pillows on my bed, covering them with a blanket to make it look like someone is lying there.
Is that the right thing to do? I have no idea.
It was the first thing my mind jumped to—a horror movie I had seen where someone did the same thing.
They died in the end, but I won't let that happen to me.
I make my way to the bedroom door and glance down the hallway, listening for any sounds.
My phone catches my eye, and I reach for it on my nightstand.
It fumbles through my fingers and drops to the floor with a loud thud.
I flinch at the sound and hope whoever is in my house didn’t hear it.
I listen out of my door and hear the bottom stair creak as someone steps onto it.
My heart beats loudly as adrenaline courses through my body.
Sneaking across the hall to the room at the top of the stairs, I slide in through the door before the intruder can see me.
I leave it open just a sliver as the person slowly walks by towards my room.
He is bigger than me and carries himself in a way that makes me think he knows what he’s doing.
My attention drags from the ski mask covering his face to where the glint of metal at his side shines.
I cover my mouth to keep any noises from leaving me when I realize he’s holding a gun.
I step back from the crack in the door and shakily unlock my phone.
I hit Lawson’s message thread and send a quick message.
Me: Intruder. SOS
I pocket my phone and look out just as the man pushes my bedroom door open with the tip of his gun.
He takes a step in and mumbles something before a shot goes off.
I use this moment to open the door and slip out onto the landing, carefully placing my feet so the floor doesn’t creak.
I hear him laugh loudly to himself before realizing no one is on the bed, followed by a string of curses.
I place one foot on the first step, and just as I do, my phone pings.
Fear spreads through me as I look back towards my room to find the man standing outside the door with his gun pointing right at me.
Freezing for only a second, I take off, almost slipping down the stairs as another shot rings through the air and hits the wall behind me.
Small pieces of debris bounce off my shoulder and back as the intruder shoots again when I make it to the bottom step.
Another shot rings out, and I let out a scream as a piercing pain rips through my bicep.
I keep running though. Through the kitchen and out the side door, heading straight for the treeline in the rain.
I barely hear the door slam shut behind me when I make it a few strides into the trees.
The storm has made the air humid as more sweat drips down my adrenaline-filled body.
It’s dark in the woods, making visibility low.
I make it almost a hundred yards before I stumble over a root and fall, crawling to get my body behind a big tree.
I sit at the base of the tree, trying to catch my breath and listen to the noises surrounding me. I freeze when I hear his voice.
“Lucy, Lucy, Lucy,” the man says, his voice barely breathless. I don’t recognize who it is.
“You couldn’t listen to me, could you? This all could have been avoided if you had just given up what you don't deserve.” He lets out a laugh before continuing, “Now look, you’re all alone in the woods, with no lover boys in sight to save you. Did you really think I’d give up that easily?”
A branch snaps to the far left of me, and he shoots. I wince at the noise but don’t move from behind the tree.
“Come on out, Lucy. The sooner you die, the sooner we get what’s ours.” The man’s voice is loud and echoes through the trees. Even the echo sounds malicious.
Who the fuck is this? And what is he talking about?
I look down at my arm and see blood dripping.
I touch it and let out a quiet hiss as I assess the damage.
It looks as though it was just grazed, but it still hurts like a bitch.
I close my eyes as rain falls around me, trying to think of a way out of this but coming up empty. I’ll have to either face him or run.
Launching up from my spot, I take off further into the trees.
Another shot rings out behind me, hitting a tree to my right.
I push through the bushes and make a hard left, trying to make it back closer to the house.
I can only hope Lawson received my text and is on the way to help.
While running, I count the shots that I’ve heard him take and realize he probably only has one bullet left.
I stop behind another tree when I hear my name being yelled from around the house.
I’m almost to the tree line, and I can see the lights from inside the kitchen windows.
There are shadows walking around the outside of the house.
I take off running again, and another bullet rings out, hitting the tree I was just behind.
I scream as I run towards the end of the treeline, causing the shadows to run towards me.
“Fuck!” the intruder shouts, and when I look over my shoulder, he’s running the opposite way.
When I break through, I stumble and start to fall before muscular arms catch me at the last moment.
“Lucy, baby. Are you alright?” Cole’s voice sounds like a dream as I look up at him and start crying in relief.
I wrap my arms around his neck and don’t let go as he picks me up, carrying me back towards the others. I close my eyes as the fear and adrenaline leave my system, letting exhaustion take over. The last thing I hear is Cole shouting.