“I’m not sticking around.” The words tasted sour coming out of my mouth as I reminded him of my ultimate plan. “And I don’t do relationships.”
He kissed my forehead and hugged me tighter. “I know. You keep reminding me. Now let’s get some sleep. I need my energy so I can change your mind in the morning.”
“Yeah, and how exactly do you plan to do that?”
“I can be very persuasive when I want to be.” He turned and dotted kisses on my neck.
I grinned. I liked his idea of persuasion. “Is that so? Because I should warn you, I can be kind of stubborn. You might have to try repeatedly.”
“I’m looking forward to it.” He rolled over onto me and trailed a path of kisses down my chest.
Oh yes, I was going to be stubborn, over and over again all night long.
20
Libby
My eyes shot open in the dark room. I didn’t know what exactly woke me, but something had. My heart raced. My breath was loud in my ears as I struggled to listen for anything that didn’t quite belong.
It was quiet in the room until I heard the little girl giggles through the vents like earlier. I slid out from beneath Hugh’s hold and climbed off the bed, grabbing my crutches.
I headed for the door, easing it closed behind me so as not to wake him. I headed for the kitchen again. The laughter became louder as I turned the corner and glanced around the kitchen and then down the hall toward the stairs.
I spotted her then. Her blond curly hair bounced around her shoulders. She smiled at me in a way that indicated she wanted me to chase her before she grabbed the railing and ran upstairs.
I headed in that direction, leaving my crutches against the wall and the railing to make my way up to the second floor.
“If you haven’t noticed, I’m not quick on my feet,” I called out.
The little girl was standing at the staircase leading up to the third floor. She was giggling with her hand over her mouth as she glided up to the next floor.
I took a minute to catch my breath as I followed up behind her. She’d waited for me in front of the attic door, holding my gaze as she stepped backward, disappearing behind the wood.
“I can’t follow you. The door is locked,” I called out, agitated that this was her destination.
There was a click on the other side of the door before it squeaked open.
The little girl held my stare once more before vanishing into the darkness.
My gaze tried to cut through the darkness. I felt the switch on the wall and flicked it on, unwilling to walk into the darkness when I could just as easily shed some light. I didn’t trust this house, and I didn’t trust the spirits in it.
I stepped into the room with my hold on the door. The room was empty except for a single chest in the middle of the floor. The wooden chest looked as though it had been passed down through the ages. The edges were carved in an ornamental design. The Slaughter name was burned into the top.
My gaze swept the empty room, looking for the girl who’d vanished along with her giggle.
I used the trunk to ease down to sit next to it. The lock was sitting beside it, the latch hanging open. I pushed the top open. The smell of mothballs smacked me in the nose as the hinges creaked. A yellowing wedding dress lay folded on top. The intricate lace design was pretty enough probably for its age. I pulled it free and set it aside. Beneath it lay old file folders held closed by age-old green rubber bands.
I pulled those out and set them aside. Beneath that was a book with the Slaughter name written on the outside. I pulled that free and gingerly opened the front cover. Beyond the cover was a picture of my grandfather sitting in a chair. The Slaughter Family Bible was engraved on the first page. In the picture, Dinky stood next to my grandfather, clutching a toddler’s hand. The same little girl that I’d followed up the stairs. In my grandfather’s arm, he cradled a baby in a pink blanket that had my name on it.
My heart clenched tight as my gaze landed on Dinky’s hand holding the toddler’s. “He said he didn’t know about her. Why would he lie?”
I set the picture back in the book and flipped through the pages where there was a newsletter article from three towns away.
Maria Leslie Slaughter killed at age three by asphyxiation while she and her ten-year-old adopted cousin played hide and seek.
“Adopted?” I asked in the quietness.
“That explains a lot.” Hugh’s voice broke through the silence. “You two look nothing alike.”
“I don’t think he killed her. He wouldn’t hurt a flea,” I said as my heart tightened. “Besides, my mother wouldn’t have put me in danger.”
Hugh stepped into the room and sat down. “Maybe it was an accident.”
“Maybe,” I said, pulling out more stuff from the trunk. I opened and looked through it all. Some pictures made my eyes tear, and others made me laugh. But all the pictures of us in the house stopped when I was five. The last picture was my mother and me by the Christmas tree. I gasped at the man beside.
My mouth parted, and words failed me. The man she was looking at with all the love in her eyes was the same one that had tried to kill me.
The fog that had plagued me since returning suddenly lifted, making all the memories return and everything so clear. He was the evil in this place. The one that had tormented me as a small child.
“Is that your dad?” Hugh asked.
“I don’t know,” I whispered. “I never knew him, and Mom refused to talk about him at all. Every time I’d ask questions, she’d cry.”
“I’m sorry,” Hugh said, rubbing circles in my back. “How about we go back to bed. We can go through all of this tomorrow when it’s light out.”
“Good idea,” I said.
Hugh rose and helped me up. I’d taken a step toward the door when I turned and grabbed the Slaughter Bible that contained the picture of all of us.
Hugh turned out the light and swooped me up into his arms to carry me back downstairs.
“You know I can walk,” I said with a smile. Not that I didn’t like being pressed against his chest.
“I know. You’re just slow.” he teased with a chuckle.
We got to the third floor, and he paused, lowering me to my feet. He rested his hand against the wall, and his gaze shot toward the back of the house near the kitchen. A look of panic filled his face.
“What’s wrong?”
“Fire,” he said, shoving my crutches against me.
He moved me to the front door and grabbed our coats, shoving my arms into one. He led me out on the porch and handed me his keys. “Go start the truck to stay warm and use my satellite phone to call 911.”
“But it might be something small. I think I saw a fire extinguisher beneath the sink.”
He shook his head. “It’s not small. You remember the house and how they talk to me? Go now so I can try and salvage this.”
He didn’t wait for an answer. He’d turned to run back inside the house when I grabbed his arm, stopping him. “Hugh, no! You’ll die.”
“You can’t know that. I have to try.”
I grabbed both of his arms. “I know that like I know my own name. You go back in, and you die. Please, please don’t go.”
“The fog lifted?” he asked.
I nodded as my heart raced, hoping beyond anything that he realized I was right.
“Please,” I begged.
He shoved into his coat and took the book from my arms, leading me down the steps to where his truck was parked. He helped me inside and grabbed his cell phone from the center console just as fire rose at the back of the house.
My hand flew to my mouth as I watched the flames dance in the night sky. The house that I hated was dying before my eyes, and with it, my memories and childhood would be erased.
I clutched the book to my chest, thankful that I’d picked it up.
There were no words. If Hugh was talking to me, I didn’t hear him. The heat from the truck barely touched the ice in my vei
ns. I should feel something for the place, and yet, I didn’t. Knowing Hugh was safe was enough for me. He was all that mattered. We both could have died.
The returned clarity brought a familiar knowing. Someone was nearby; I could feel it in my bones. “Someone’s out there.”
Hugh glanced at me and then out the window. “Where?”
“I don’t know.” I saw a shadow in the tree line. “There.”
He nodded. “Has to be whoever set the fire. You stay here and lock the doors. I’m going to look.”
Hugh was gone before I could argue. He went running off in the direction I’d seen the shadow.
The little girl ghost from inside the house appeared. She wasn’t smiling or giggling this time. She stared at me and then waved for me to follow.
I shook my head.
She pointed in the direction Hugh had run, and I could hear the little girl’s voice in my head. “Hurry. He needs you.”
“If you weren’t a relative, there is no way I would be following you into the dark forest,” I grumbled and shoved the door open, grabbing my crutch. God forbid I didn’t follow the little girl in the event Hugh actually did need my help.
21
Hugh
I ran after the small, fast shadowed figure. The direction of the noises changed as if it were headed back toward the house. I took off in a run again, only slowing when I stepped into the clearing where the shadow vanished in the trees.
I rested my hands on my hips, trying to catch my breath. My gaze darted in every direction as I wished I’d thought to bring a flashlight. There was an easier way to handle this.
“We saw you. You might as well come out,” I yelled in hopes of luring the person out with no reason to hide.
A branch cracked, and I spun to find Dinky, wearing all black from head to toe with a gun pointed in my direction.
I held up my hands, surprised by his appearance and his agility in the woods. “What could you possibly gain from burning the place down? She said she was giving you half.”
The gun shook in his grasp, and his finger rested on the trigger. His gaze darted in the direction of the house as if he were debating to make a run for it where I’d left Libby.
“I hope you have a damn good reason,” I said, pulling his attention back and away from where Libby was safely waiting for the police.
Despair flared in Dinky’s eyes. “I had to. If she sells to you and not him, then I’m a dead man.”
“Okay. We can work through this, just put the gun down.”
He shook his head. “I’m in too deep. It’s too late.”
Dinky’s hand shook harder.
“We’ll all help you. Libby loves you. You’re the only family she has left.”
Even in the darkness I could see his eye twitch. “Family,” he huffed. “Did you know our grandfather wanted to send me back to the orphanage after what happened with Maria? He thought I was responsible.”
I tried to hide the confusion from my face. “Is that why your mom and her mom ran?”
“I didn’t kill her. That man did when she wouldn’t stop crying. I saw everything.”
“Dinky, you don’t want to do this,” I said.
“The name is Dwight, and I’m sorry. You’re right. I don’t want to do this, but I have no choice,” he said.
“No!” Libby’s scream filled the trees as she tackled Dinky to the ground.
The gunshot cracked through the trees as they both fell. I stood in shock, unable to move as I stared at her unmoving body on the floor. No, no, no. Not Libby, not like this. I shoved the confusion from my mind.
“Libby!” I yelled and ran to her unmoving body. Her eyes were closed, and blood was gushing from her chest. “Libby.”
My heart raced.
“Oh, Libby what have you done?” Dinky dropped the gun like it was covered in flesh-eating mold. “It was only supposed to be the damn house and you two weren’t even in there. I looked. God damn it. I looked.”
“We were in the attic,” I answered, ripping my jacket off and holding it to her wound.
The sound of sirens in the distance had Dinky’s gaze darting around the area.
“No, no, no, she wasn’t supposed to see the trunk.” The blood drained from Dinky’s face.
I launched for him, punching him in the face. He fell to his knees, his look dazed as I held his shirt, holding him up. My fist was cocked back, and I was ready to take him out for good, when Libby’s voice broke into the anger filling my head.
“No.” Her voice was weak, and we both turned to look at her. “Please, don’t hurt him. He’s my family. Please, don’t hurt him.” Her gaze turned to Dinky. “Just stop, please.”
I yanked Dinky closer to my face. “If she dies, you die. There will be nowhere you’ll be able to hide from me.”
I punched him again, knocking him unconscious before leaving him and crawling back over to Libby. I put pressure on her wound, making her gasp. “Just hang on, baby. Help is on the way.”
When the lights from the sirens bounced off the tree trunks, I left her and went to grab the paramedics. As they loaded her and Dinky into the ambulance, Clark sent one of his deputies with them and cuffed Dinky to the bed.
I hopped into my truck and watched as the firefighters sprayed water on the flames. It didn’t matter. That house didn’t matter, not anymore.
Clark stopped me before I put the truck in reverse. “I’ll let you know if they can save any of it.”
“I don’t care if the damn house burns to the ground. She needs me and I need her.” I pulled out and raced down the mountain, following the ambulance toward the next town over and the hospital where Dexter worked. I dialed my brother’s number.
He answered on the first ring. “Clara already called. I’ll meet you at the hospital.”
“Dexter, you’ve got to fix her, please.” My voice shook as tears clouded my eyes and fear for her life claimed my calm.
“I promise I’ll do what I can.”
22
Libby
My eyes fluttered open. A bright light shone down on me from above. A man stared down at me with determined eyes, wearing a face mask.
“She’s coming out of it.”
“Put her back under. I’m almost done.”
The voice was one I recognized. Dexter. The man, the mask, the scrubs. I was in the hospital.
A warmness spread through my body, and my eyes drifted closed again. Only this time, it wasn’t the darkness that greeted me. It was the doctor.
He stood in a field of daisies, still dressed in the same blue scrubs. His hands were clasped in front of him, a strained smile on his lips.
“What are you doing in my dream?” I asked as I approached. The ground was soft beneath my feet. The petals on the flowers tickled my legs.
“I’m going to fix you. There won’t be any more need to run. Hugh isn’t leaving you. He won’t ever leave you.”
“Hugh.” I whispered the name just as the darkness sucked me under.
My first thought as I woke up was that my body felt tight all over. The machine beeping in the room was loud to my ears. The scent of cleaner mixed with smoke drifted through the air. I blinked my eyes open.
Hugh was standing across the room, staring out the window. His arms were crossed over his dirty shirt. Black soot was smeared on the side of his cheek.
“You look like hell.” My voice was raspy as I spoke.
He turned and crossed the distance between us. He took my hand and squeezed it tight. “You’re one to talk.”
“I look beautiful.” I coughed and instantly regretted it at the feel of my wound.
“Beautiful like a daisy,” Dexter said as he walked inside. He sat the bouquet of daisies down on a table. “They’re from Clara.”
“I had a dream about...”
My words trailed off as Dexter winked without saying a word.
Hugh raised a brow and met Dexter’s gaze. “Daisies?”
He shrugged. “Clara told me
they were Libby’s favorite.”
“It was a dream, right?” I asked.
“Sure. Let’s go with that,” Dexter said, looking over my chart. “You know you were lucky you got shot.”
“That’s a first,” I said, trying to reach the water sitting bedside.
Hugh held it close for me to sip from the straw.
“Dinky saved your life when he shot you.”
“You’re talking in riddles, Doc,” I said, swiping at the water left on my lips.
“Hugh told me about the curse and only having five more years to live. You were only half right. It wasn’t a curse that was going to kill you; it was hardened arteries and an irregular heartbeat.”
“Is it fixable?” I asked.
“It is if it’s caught early, and you’re going to be fine. I fixed you up when I had you on the table. You’re going to live to a ripe old age. Well, if my brother doesn’t drive you insane first.”
“Neither my mother or aunt had to die?”
“Hugh told me about your mom, and Dinky filled in the rest. I’m sorry. Neither had to die, it could have been prevented.”
“Dinky,” I said, trying to sit up farther. The machines in the room increased in beeps. “Where is he?”
“He’s at the police station being booked for arson and attempted murder.”
“He didn’t mean to shoot me.” She shook her head, and the machines tripled in beeps. “I have to go tell them it was all an accident.”
“The house is gone,” Hugh said, pulling my attention. “It burned down to the studs.”
“I don’t care about that damn house. I need to make sure Dinky is okay.”
“Libby, he shot you.”
“I scared him when I tackled him. It was an accident. You heard him. He didn’t even know we were still inside the house, and besides, I’m the only family he’s got, Hugh. He needs me. I should have seen the signs. I should have figured out his investor was nothing but trouble, but the fog… Being around the house brought the fog. I couldn’t see when it mattered most.”
Destined Chaos Page 10
