No matter what I did over the years, the dreams wouldn’t go away.
If anything they got worse. More frequent. I’d had the same dream every night this week. And I knew why. I thought I’d seen someone in the woods again. A woman this time. A woman with brunette hair.
I knew what Miller thought. That isolation was leading to paranoia. I looked down at him sleeping. He looked so peaceful when he slept. Not a single nightmare plagued his slumber.
He thought we were safe. We had been for years. There was no reason Isabella would come now. But…what if she was coming? Or what if she was already here? Or maybe she sent one of her minions to off me?
I swallowed hard. It was just a dream. But it was easy to be paranoid. Before we left the beach house, we were on lockdown because my dad swore Isabella thought I was alive. What if he never swayed her opinion? What if she’d been looking for me the whole time? I remembered how easily she’d killed her own dog. The way she so easily dispensed death haunted me. Everything about her haunted me.
It was just a dream. Miller was here with me. I was safe. I leaned over and kissed Miller’s temple.
He groaned in his sleep.
I snuggled back into his side and closed my eyes.
But then I heard a noise from outside. I sat up with a start. And this time it wasn’t just some nightmare in my head. Because Miller sat up too.
I grabbed his arm. “Did you…”
Miller put his hand over my mouth. “Shh,” he whispered.
We were both quiet for a moment as we listened and heard another branch snap.
Miller lowered his mouth to my ear. “Grab the go bags.” And then his hand was off me and he was climbing out of the bed. I was completely frozen. But he’d sprung into action. He opened up the closet and put in the code for the safe. I watched him pull out his handgun.
I scrambled out of bed to follow him. He’d made us pack go bags years ago, that first time I freaked out about the man in the woods. Just in case we had to leave at a moment’s notice.
Just in case. Miller always seemed so calm. But I knew he must worry too. Or else there would be no need for just in case.
I heard another branch snap and put my hand over my mouth so I wouldn’t scream. Fucking hell, who’s out there?
I grabbed the two backpacks I kept in the closet and shoved my feet into my sneakers even though Miller was still in his boxers. If we were making a run for it, it was good I had all the stuff in the backpacks. But I knew he was more focused on what was outside than if we were actually leaving. I ran after Miller as he left the bedroom.
We crept down the hallway slowly and Miller put his hand back to stop me as he peered into the great room. Miller turned back to me and put his finger up to his lips to remind me to stay quiet. I didn’t need reminding. All I could hear was my own heartbeat in my ears. Panic rising in my chest.
I knew what it meant if there were people out there in the woods watching us. Even if Miller didn’t want to believe it. Someone knew we were here. Surveilling us. Watching our every move. I could see Isabella waiting. Plotting. Figuring out the perfect way for vengeance. The best way to torture me.
“Stay here,” Miller whispered.
“But…”
He put his hand on my shoulder and squeezed it. And then he left me standing alone in the hallway before I had a chance to figure out what to do. It had been years since my last panic attack. I would have thought being on the run from my dad would have made them more frequent. But Miller had a way of making me feel protected. He always had. But as soon as he left me? It was like the panic had wound its way around my chest, spreading up into my throat. I couldn’t breathe.
I put my hand on the wall trying to steady myself. If someone was out there…how were we going to make a run for it?
And what if I’d been alone? We only had one car. It was like I was just sitting here. The perfect bait. Waiting. Always waiting for something to go terribly wrong.
I watched in horror as Miller lifted his gun in front of the back door.
That meant someone was on the other side. It meant he’d seen something. It meant we’d been found.
I felt my back sliding down the wall as my legs gave out. As my lungs refused to inflate with air.
The back door opened and I waited for the sound of gunshots. I tried to push myself back up, but I couldn’t. Everything was quiet, except for my own heart beating. Louder and louder. I grabbed my throat as it felt like my windpipes were collapsing.
But then I heard the most beautiful sound in the world. Miller’s laughter. It echoed around me, making my heart slow down. Making my lungs fill up. Making my body stop shaking.
“It’s just a deer,” he said as he crouched down next to me. “It’s okay.” He pulled me to my feet and into his arms, making all the tension and fear evaporate from my limbs. “We’re okay. We’re safe.”
I sobbed into his chest.
“Take a deep breath, Brooklyn.” He ran his hand up and down my back. “In and out. Slowly.”
I listened to his words as my heart slowly stopped racing.
“We’re okay.”
I held on to him like he was my life raft. God, I didn’t know what I’d do if anything ever happened to him. We’re okay.
“I’ve got you,” he said, kissing the top of my head. “It’s just a deer. No one’s out there.”
I peered over his shoulder. The back door was still open. And I could see the deer clearly in our backyard. It was leaning over my garden…eating my tomatoes! “What is that evil deer doing?”
Miller laughed.
“It’s not funny. He’s eating my tomatoes! Shoot it.”
“You don’t mean that.”
“He’s killing Henry Juniors! He’s a terribly behaved deer. Off with his head!”
Miller started laughing harder.
“I’m serious. Go get ‘em!”
It was like Miller couldn’t stop the laughter erupting from his chest. I understood. It was how the tension was draining off him. But I was livid.
“If you’re not going to do it, I will.” I put my hand out for his gun.
He moved it away from me. “No shooting innocent deer. You’re not thinking clearly.”
I glared at him. I was thinking perfectly clearly. Isabella was… Wow. Okay, fine. I wasn’t thinking clearly. I’d just called the deer Isabella. Just because the deer was a demonic tomato killer didn’t mean it was Isabella. I’d been having a nightmare about her before I woke up, and thoughts of her were just colliding in my head. It was so easy to remember the words she’d written in blood on the wall. “You’re next.” If Isabella somehow knew I was still alive, I had no doubt she’d make good on her promise.
Miller looked down at his gun. “But yeah, you should probably learn how to handle this thing. Just in case something happens to me and you need it.”
I scowled at him. “Nothing’s going to happen to you.”
“Just in case.” He held on to it tightly, like he was afraid I’d grab it and shoot the deer.
Which definitely sounded crazy. I’d never hurt an animal.
“Please, Brooklyn. It would give me peace of mind. Just in case something happens and you need to use it while I’m at work.”
“Yeah, fine. But nothing is going to happen to you.” I stood up on my tiptoes and kissed him. “You said it yourself. I’m not bad luck.”