I turned my head to the side and pushed my hair out of my face as I kept talking.
“For a short while I convinced myself Sawyer got what he deserved after the accident. He was injured in such a way he won’t ever walk again, but I had no idea once Huck was out of the picture how bad things were going to get with Sawyer. He was always overly possessive and bossy, but as soon as he knew I felt responsible for him and his situation, he took total advantage of it and of me. I wasn’t allowed to talk to anyone he didn’t approve of anymore. I had to pull out of high school and finish my last few years at home because he didn’t want me to be out of his sight in case he needed me for something during the day. I became his chauffeur. His chef. His secretary. His full-time companion. I was at his beck and call twenty-four seven. It was exhausting, and he got more and more demanding as I got older. By the time I was ready to graduate high school, he’d taken over every single aspect of my life, including where I was going to college and who I was going to spend the rest of my life with. And none of the adults who should’ve intervened seemed to care. I had no one to ask for help, and my mom was barely hanging on.”
I closed my eyes away and clenched my fist on the tabletop. “His behavior toward me also got more aggressive and sexually suggestive as I got older. He started to demand I help him change his clothes and that I bathe him. He started to touch me and grope me and tell me all the things he wanted to do to me when we were finally together. I didn’t get a say in the matter. I was scared to death, and no one would help me or listen to me. Every single second of every day, I wished I still had Huck. I missed him so badly. I stopped eating and could hardly function for months and months. I found out that Sawyer was always watching me, that he installed surveillance equipment in my room and had hired people to follow me around when I was at school day in and day out. It got worse when I went to college.”
I finally managed to meet Mr. Peters’s gaze and realized he was the one who now looked like he was fighting back the tears.
“The last time I felt safe, or like anyone cared about me and what I wanted, was when I was with Huck, so I tracked him down to get as close to him as possible. But I didn’t think about what would happen to him if Sawyer found out we were reunited, and I can’t let him get hurt again because of me. At first, I thought I could. I thought I could sacrifice him again if it meant I was safe, but I can’t. I’ve done a lot wrong in my life, but I can get this one thing right before it’s too late, so please help me.”
My voice cracked on the last words, and the sobs I’d been holding back broke free. It was a lot to wade through, but it’d been even more to live and survive with my sanity still somewhat intact. My shoulders shook, and so did my soul. This was the first time I’d laid it all bare for anyone or went into detail about just how bad things had gotten. Even Mercer didn’t know the nitty-gritty because it made me feel pathetic, and there were days when I wondered if I deserved that treatment because I was the one who chased Huck away and put Sawyer in a wheelchair.
“You hear enough, kiddo?” Mr. Peters asked the question as he got up and made his way around the table. His withered, heavy hand fell on the top of my head as he stroked my hair in the most tender way possible.
I couldn’t stop crying when Huck suddenly appeared in the doorway of the dining room.
His hair was standing on end, and he was dressed in the same jeans and shirt he’d tossed off before falling into bed with me a few hours ago. His big body was vibrating with so much rage I could practically feel the heat coming off of him. And his molten gold gaze was turbulent and dangerous.
“What are you doing here?” I hiccupped my way through the words as the sobs wracked my entire body. He was the last person I wanted to see, and the last one I wanted to know the full truth of what happened after he left. “How long have you been listening to our conversation?”
“Long enough.” He stepped into the dining room, and the air changed. “I called the old man to ask him if he had any idea where you would run when something bad happened. He told me to come over because you were on your way and sounded really upset.”
“How did you beat me here?” I was gasping for air and frantically trying to figure out what I should do.
He shouldn’t be here. He shouldn’t be this close to me or care about what happened to me.
He was right. I was nothing but trouble and would only bring bad shit directly to his door.
Why didn’t I listen to him before it was too late? Both then and now.
“I didn’t walk. I got a ride. I had plenty of time to make breakfast and talk to the old man about what we should do with you. We need to sit down and talk, Ollie. About a lot of things.” Huck crossed his arms over his broad chest, and I could tell he was pissed all the way down to his bones.
I dragged my hand across my messy face and rose from the chair. I patted Mr. Peters on one frail hand and tried to give him a shaky smile. I knew he was only trying to help, but he’d made things infinitely worse by bringing Huck around while I was pouring out my heart and planning my escape.
I nodded like a bobblehead doll and shifted my eyes toward the front door. Huck was bigger and faster than I was, but desperation often granted people supernatural-level powers. There was no telling how far I would get if I ran.
Hell, there was no guarantee he would even try to chase me.
Without thinking things through, or really thinking at all, I suddenly bolted.
I blasted past a startled Mr. Peters, and hit the front door with enough force to rattle my teeth. I jumped down the front steps and dashed across the immaculately maintained lawn like the hounds of Hell were after me.
I made it about two blocks before my only other fear caught up with me before Huck did.
With a deafening crack, thunder and lightning rapidly filled the sky as dark clouds rolled over the morning sun. It started to sprinkle lightly, but the sky sounded as angry as Huck had looked a minute ago as boom after boom echoed in my ears. I dropped down in a crouch on the sidewalk and covered my head with my arms to block out the sound. I squeezed my eyes closed and tried to stop myself from hyperventilating. I was still crying and shaking from the conversation that turned me inside out, and now I’d raced blindly into this storm that was going to be the end me.
I felt strong, warm arms wrap around me just as it started to really rain. I heard Huck swear as we instantly got drenched. He picked me up like I weighed nothing, his eyes not looking any calmer or kinder than they had in the old man’s house.
He took a few steps back toward our landlord’s house, but I stopped him by pointing in the direction of Mercer’s store. It was only a few blocks over, and I would settle down faster in the familiar back room. I didn’t take my keys when I left, but I knew the combination code to the electronic lock on the back door where deliveries came in. I barely managed to get half-assed directions out, and told Huck how to get inside before my shallow, raspy breathing ultimately caused me to pass out in his arms as he was yelling at me for being a fool.
Things went black quickly. For once, I didn’t worry about what was going to happen to me when I was unaware and out of control.
Because Huck was the one holding me.
Huck
I juggled Ollie’s limp body as she drifted in and out of awareness and my cell phone so I could let Mr. Peters know I had her and would take care of her. It was tricky. Add in the sudden deluge of rain, and I was lucky I didn’t drop either of the fragile things I had in my hands.