by Jordan Ford
“Shut that kid up!” Antonio shouts.
“Why are you here?” I snap, trying to divert his attention. The wild look on his face is freaking me out.
He points at me, warning me off with a flick of his finger. “You’ve served your purpose, leading me up here, so you can shut the fuck up. This is about me and Jules…and the guy who tried to kill me.”
“Where’s the agent? Why isn’t he here?” Jules is talking quick and high.
Antonio wipes a finger under his nose, all smug. “Gave that idiot the slip. Wasn’t about to tell him about your little phone call.” His eyes darken as he glares at the baby. “Couldn’t have him messing with my business.”
“What business?” I scowl.
“The business of this bitch refusing to do what I asked. What I paid for! It could have been so easy, Julienne, but you just had to go your own way, didn’t you?”
“Antonio, please.” The words wobble out of her, high and desperate.
“You told me you were going to give it up for adoption, you lying piece of shit!” He ignores her begging and holds out his hands. “Give it to me.”
She shakes her head, cradling Ellie and backing away. “She’s not hurting anyone! Your father never needs to know about this!”
“I want to see my daughter!” he thunders.
Shit. This jerk is Ellie’s dad?
I thought it was Kade.
It should be Kade!
Oh man, I wish he were here right now. He’d pound this asshole to dust.
The tension in the room has gone from high to cataclysmic. Jules is on the verge of falling apart. I have to do something.
Jumping in front of her, I paste on a smile and try to calm the situation, giving Jules a chance to inch towards the hallway.
Antonio lunges at her.
She screams.
He laughs.
Ellie’s crying escalates to a high-pitched wail that belies the level of fear pumping out of her mother.
“Look, hi.” I step in Antonio’s way. “I don’t know the whole story, but it’s obvious she doesn’t want you to be here right now, so I think you should go before you do something you’ll regret.”
“Regret? We’re way past that now.” He tries to shove me out of the way but I fight against him. He’s strong but I’m damn determined, and with a girly kind of grunt I manage to shunt him back towards the table.
He crashes into it, the glass on the edge wobbling and smashing onto the wooden floor. Glass shards scatter. Water splashes over Antonio’s jeans.
He gives me a vicious glare and points past me, growling at Julienne, “It’s not just about the kid anymore! That asshole put me in a coma, and that’s not something I can just let go. Now I’m finishing what I started months ago, and then I’m going to find his sorry ass and make sure he never throws another punch in his life!”
“No!” Jules screams and takes off down the hallway.
He lunges after her but I manage to jump in his way, knocking him with my shoulder. He stumbles to the left, skidding on the water and landing with a hard smack.
I don’t wait to see how long it’ll take him to get up.
His howling rage has me bolting down the hallway after Julienne and Ellie. There’s a loud thud and crash, followed by a string of swear words.
“Julienne, you get back here!” he roars.
I shove the door open and scramble down the stairs. Jules is ahead of me, charging up the path and into the forest. I sprint hard to catch up with her.
“Julienne!” His holler screams across the mountains.
I flinch and trip, quickly correcting myself as I power up the hill. Julienne’s whimpering cries pull me forward while the pounding of angry feet pushes us up the hill.
He’s catching up fast, like a bullet train set on mowing us down.
Shit. I have no idea how the hell we’re going to get out of this.
#26:
Smashed Glass and A Cigarette Butt
Riley
I have a headache.
Whipping off my glasses, I throw them onto the dashboard and rub my eyes.
“I can’t believe this, man.” Kade’s still muttering about Ana’s mom being here. Asking incessant questions about how Ana got a phone, and why the hell she thought calling would be safe.
I grimace through the interrogation, keeping my mouth shut. I have to protect Caity from the guys’ wrath. They’ll be so pissed when they find out she provided the phone.
“Are you even listening to me?” Kade lightly smacks my shoulder.
“Yeah, I just… I’ll explain everything later, I promise. I just can’t…” Leaning my head back with a heavy sigh, I stare out the windshield. “I can’t talk about it right now.”
“Seriously, dude, what is up with you right now?” Kade taps his thumb on the steering wheel. “Normally you’d be analyzing the hell out of this shit. Trying to figure it all out and come up with the best way to handle this. But you’re just sitting there…looking like you’re about to lose it. And don’t tell me it’s ‘cause Trey got a punch in before you could block it.”
His snicker grates but also releases a little of the tension in my shoulders.
I roll my eyes. “Can’t believe he thought Ana and I were cheating.” Staring out the window, I can’t help a disbelieving headshake. If only Trey knew the truth. Ana and I are cousins.
That’s just…
Too bizarre.
There’s no way I can explain yet. I want to see Caitlin first. She’ll understand. Hell, maybe she can help me word it to clue the others in. I’m going to tell them everything…as soon as I work out how.
The thought only makes my headache worse.
I knead my temples while Kade starts talking again.
“You know, Trey was only riled because Ana tried to lie to him. It was plain old fear. He knew something big was going down. Maybe you guys hooking up was an easier pill to swallow than the thought of Ana in danger.”
Raking a hand through my hair, I wince. “I probably should have just told him the truth. Although, I only just found it out. I couldn’t believe it when I saw her mom in town. This day has been too weird.” I think about the strange creepy guy in the store earlier. Thank God he left. At least I hope he did.
“Do you think her mom will keep her mouth shut?”
A hard laugh punches out of my chest. “With the amount of secrets that woman’s managed to keep, I think we’ll be fine.”
Kade frowns at me. “What do you mean?”
I shake my head. I can’t. I can’t go there right now.
I just want to see Caity.
She knows more than anyone…she deserves answers first.
Maybe her calm, sweet way can help me unravel all of this…understand it.
I’ll tell the guys after that.
The truck grinds up the hill and we pull up to the cabin. I’m out the door before Kade even cuts the engine. Caity and I can go for a walk. I’ll hold her hand while we amble through the forest, and tell her everything. I don’t know how I’ll get it all out, but I’m desperate to start talking.
Taking the stairs two at a time, I pull the sliding door across and freeze.
Something’s wrong.
It’s not just the smashed glass and water scattered across the floor. There’s an eerie silence in here that’s creeping me out.
Kade stops behind me. “Are you going in?”
I glance over my shoulder and give him a worried frown.
He looks confused, then stares past me into the living room. His light expression is stolen by a stark fear. “Jules!” Shoving me aside, he strides into the house. “Julienne!”
His boots crunch over the glass like it’s not even there.
“Babe? Where are you?” He takes off down the hallway while I slowly step into the cabin. The little shelf of books by the kitchen has been knocked over. My eyes track across the floor from the shelf to the table. I’m racing to construct a quick story from this mess,
to find an answer for this eerie silence.
“Julienne!” Kade’s still calling. Doors slam open and shut as he checks each room, and then he’s back, drilling me with a look that demands answers. “Where the hell are they?”
“Maybe they just went for a walk.” It’s feeble, but I want to give the guy an answer.
“You know that’s bullshit!” Kade fists his hair. “The back door’s wide open. It’s like they ran out of this place.”
I grimace.
“Shit. You don’t think Ana’s mom was just a decoy, do you?”
I glance up at Kade’s question and shake my head. “It can’t be. She was genuine. I swear it. And why would they be after the girls when the one they want is with Mrs. Sorrentino? It doesn’t make sense.”
“I’m going to look for them.” Kade stomps out the sliding door and heads for the barn.
“What are you doing?”
“Getting the rifle!” he shouts over his shoulder.
“Don’t be an idiot, man.” I run after him and try to block his way. “They’ve got Ellie with them. You don’t want to be firing guns anywhere near your baby. Think about it!”
He skids to a stop and glares down at me. His expression is wild and desperate. “I need to protect my family.”
“And you will. We’ll find ‘em.”
“I don’t even know where to start looking. I don’t even know why they ran!”
I let out the breath I’ve been holding and will my voice to come out even. “We’ll find them. Let’s just…” My voice cuts off as I glance back at the cabin and notice something none of my family would have left behind. It’s small and insignificant but now that it’s caught my eye, it’s like a glaring intrusion.
On the ground, about three feet from the bottom of the stairs, is an unnatural splash of orange. I walk towards it, squinting at the small object that I shouldn’t have even noticed.
My eyes flash as I crouch down and pick up the cigarette butt.
“What the hell is that?” Kade storms towards me.
“A cigarette. You know anyone who smokes?”
Kade’s mystified, his eyebrows rising as he shakes his head and tries to think. “I guess, but the likelihood of any of them coming up here is zilch.”
I hold it up, studying the pale orange stub and trying to picture it between someone’s lips.
“Oh shit,” I whisper, my eyes bulging as an image comes to mind.
Kade scowls down at me. “What?”
“The creepy guy. He was smoking.”
“What creepy guy?”
I squeeze my eyes shut and shake my head. More stuff to make sense of. More things to try and understand.
“Riley!”
Kade’s shout snaps my eyes back open.
“This morning. In the store. There was a creepy sleazebag asking about the area. I thought he left. I didn’t… The whole Ana thing distracted me.”
“What sleazebag?” Kade fists my jacket. “What did he look like?”
“Uh…dark, slicked-back hair, sharp nose, brown eyes.”
The more I say, the wider Kade’s eyes get. He lets me go and stumbles towards the barn.
I chase after him. “Kade? What are you doing?”
“It’s that Antonio prick!”
“What! Ellie’s dad?” I step into the barn while Kade scrambles to unlock the gun cage.
“Don’t fucking call him that.” He flips the door open. Pulling out the rifle, he checks his ammunition and then slings it over his shoulder. “Let’s go.”
“How the hell would he have found us?” I chase after Kade as he heads for the back of the cabin.
“I don’t know, but if he hurts Jules or Ellie…” His voice cuts off, emotion obviously choking him.
I slap his arm and try to sound confident. “He won’t, man. We’ll find them before anything bad happens.”
He doesn’t respond. He’s crouching down by the back door, studying the ground.
“They definitely ran that way.” Kade points up at the trail of footprints leading away from the house.
I frown at him. “How do you know?”
“Because nothing scares Jules more than Antonio Mossa. She won’t be thinking straight. She’ll just be running for her life. We have to assume she bolted out the back because the door was wide open. And now we have to assume that she took the first available path. A straight line away from her biggest fear.”
He starts running up the path and shouting Julienne’s name again.
His cries disappear into the vast woods and it sets my nerves on edge. This forest is massive.
I’m comforted by the fact Caity knows the area better than anyone, but still. Will she know it well enough to hide? What if Ellie starts crying and gives them away?
What will Antonio do if he catches them?
What will Kade—now armed and dangerous—do?
Bile surges up my throat as I race after my brother. I’ve got more than just saving Jules and Ellie on my agenda now. I need to keep up with Kade and make sure he doesn’t do anything stupid.
#27:
Separation Anxiety
Caitlin
Feet thumping through the forest is the only sound I can hear.
The birds have gone quiet. The animals have darted away. They can sense the danger and they’re running clear.
Smart move.
I wish I could move faster, but my legs are starting to wobble as I crest another ridge and scramble down the other side.
Ellie’s still crying, which is working like a homing beacon, but thankfully Mr. Creepy is struggling to keep up with us.
Fear has turned Jules into a cheetah. She sprints into a thick clump of trees and disappears behind one of the fat trunks.
I put on an extra burst of speed so I don’t lose her, then jerk to a stop when I round the corner and find her pressed against the tree.
She’s puffing and crying, snot dribbling from her nose. “Shit, this is bad.”
Ellie’s cries settle as Julienne cradles the back of her head and murmurs something into her ear.
I don’t know what she’s saying, but I guess it doesn’t matter. In spite of her shakes, she’s putting on a sweet, soothing tone for her daughter.
“We can’t stay put,” I puff. “But we can’t keep running either. If we’re not careful, we’re going to get lost in these woods. We have to somehow circle back around and head north. If we get back to the cabin with enough time we can lock ourselves in there. Or maybe the guys will be back by now, and they can help us.”
“Or maybe they’re not.” Jules’s voice falters. “And then what are we supposed to do?”
“Lock ourselves in!” I snap, grabbing her shoulders. “He’s not Superman or the Hulk. It’s not like he can break down the door.”
I can’t help giving her a sharp glare as I let go of her and pace away.
“There’s a gun in the barn,” she admits in a tiny voice.
Whipping around to face her, I can’t help a grimace. I hate guns. And I’m not about to go shooting someone, even if he is a total psycho. I’d rather knock him out with a frying pan than put a bullet in him.
Jules blinks, her chin trembling. “I was an idiot. I don’t remember saying Legacy. It must have just slipped out without me realizing.”
Closing my eyes with a heavy sigh, I shake my head. “I never should have gotten you that phone. I’m the idiot.” I rub my forehead, scrambling to come up with an escape plan. It won’t be more than a minute before we hear Antonio charging down the hill towards us. “Maybe we should split up. I’ll distract him, lead him east, while you head back to the cabin. It’ll give you time to lock yourself in.”
“Julienne!” Antonio’s roar makes us both flinch.
Ellie starts to fuss, her feeble cries sounding like a blaring alarm.
Jules tries to smother the sound with her hand, but it’s not working.
“Let’s go!” I snatch Jules’s wrist, ready to pull her in the direction
she needs to go.
“No.” She yanks her hand free and gives me an agonized look before unstrapping Ellie’s carrier. “You take her.” She holds Ellie out to me, her lips wobbling as I scoop the girl into my arms. “Take her and run. I’ll distract him.”
“What?” I nestle Ellie against my shoulder. “This is crazy. I can’t separate you from your kid!”
“You have to! If you run into view alone he’s not going to care. He’s after me…and Ellie.” Her voice breaks. “Please, get her to safety. Stay hidden until Kade gets back. Just make sure she’s safe. I need you to do this for me.”
“But…”
“Go.” Julienne shoves my shoulder, pushing me around the clump of trees.
Ellie cries against me, her drool painting my jacket.
“Go!” With eyes full of fire, Jules grabs one of the broken branches at her feet and dashes out from hiding.
I want to chase after her, make sure she’s okay, but Jules needs me to look after her baby.
“Dammit,” I whisper as tears blur my vision.
Jumping over the roots at my feet, I track back to the path as quickly as I can. It’s a mission while holding a baby but at least she’s light.
By the time I make it to the top of the ridge, I’m a panting, aching mess, but I can’t stop now.
I have to get back to the cabin.
Seeing the path in the distance, I veer away from it and decide staying parallel is the safest bet. I don’t want that psycho finding me and Ellie.
Shit, I hope Jules is okay.
If he catches her…
I blink my burning eyes and pick up the pace. The sooner I find help, the better. All I can hope is that Kade is back at the cabin by the time I get there.
#28:
A Bloody Mess
Riley
Thumping feet and puffing breaths.
That’s all I can hear as we charge up the hill. We stop on the top of the ridge and scan the area.
“I think they went that way,” I pant. I’m kind of hoping that Antonio will be a lot slower than us. We’ve been living up in this high altitude for a hell of a lot longer than him. Our bodies have adjusted. Hopefully it’s a small advantage that will help us catch him before he reaches the girls.