by India Kells
Catriona shook herself back to the present and grabbed the grocery bags so that Hazel could remove her scarf, coat, and boots.
“Put everything on the table. I’ll put the food away and start the most delicious beef stew you’ve ever had. I hope you weren’t bored. I tried to be as quick as possible.”
“Not bored. It was nice to have a few moments of tranquility. However, I heard a strange noise, a knocking or scraping sound. I don’t know if it’s coming from inside the house or what.”
Hazel shrugged. “Don’t mind that, my dear. The furnace is an old whiner in winter. I know I should upgrade the entire system, but since retiring from teaching, money has been tight. And why fix something that’s not broken? I can deal with a moaning furnace for the time being.”
Moaning wasn’t the descriptive she’d have used, but Catriona dismissed it and instead, helped her hostess prepare dinner. As she discovered, Hazel filled every single second of silence with chatter, to the point of making her dizzy. The only advantage was that time flew in her company.
After dinner, they cleaned the kitchen and relaxed in the living room, enjoying tea and cake. When Hazel finally suggested that they both go to bed, her face was aching from smiling and nodding at her host.
It took only a moment to wash up in the bathroom, say goodnight to her host, and close the door of the guest room behind her. Her entire body ached as she sat on the bed and pulled her bag close. Out of habit, her fingers found her cell, but put it down. It was so natural for her thoughts to go to Liam. How could a man she’d only known a few days have insinuated himself so deep? Could her attraction to Liam mess with her common sense so badly? For the first time since she’d fled the apartment, Catriona felt peace descend upon her.
She closed her eyes and bowed her head as her hands joined. She had to find her way again, to straighten her mind so she could decide on what to do next. Still, Liam was never far from her mind. Once the initial shock had passed, it had been obvious that she needed to get away from the apartment and the brothers. However, now, in the calm of night, doubts arose.
The evidence seemed so obvious, so real. Experience told her always to trust numbers. They couldn’t lie, they couldn’t cheat. Only the humans behind them could, and for her, it was the only sure way to uncover the truth.
There hadn’t been any other option, had there?
After changing into her pajamas, Catriona lay in bed and stared at the ceiling. In the distance, she heard faint sounds, probably Hazel getting ready for bed herself, and then nothing.
The sudden silence made her ears buzz until it lessened, and sleep took her under.
It was impossible to know what woke her, but when she opened her eyes, Catriona knew that it had been a sound, but which one?
Immobile, she waited for it to repeat, but nothing came. Wide awake, she got up and padded out of the room, mindful not to stir Hazel.
The place was dark, apart from a little glow coming from the streetlights and softly diffusing through the front windows. It was so peaceful, she almost convinced herself her imagination was at fault, and only a dream had woken her when a shadow moved across the front door window.
Her entire being froze, waiting to see it again, and as if on cue, it moved. It was pacing. With a look at Hazel’s closed bedroom door, Catriona decided to check it out before alerting the older woman. After all, if an intruder were lurking, she wouldn’t put Hazel in the line of fire. Still in the shadows, she quickly grabbed her phone and switched it on as she tried her best to remain as noiseless and invisible as possible.
As she crouched by the front door and peeked out, it took an extra second to realize that it was Hazel she was looking at, in what seemed to be a nightgown with her coat and boots thrown on. What was even weirder was that she had a cigarette in her hand, gesturing and talking on the phone. The words didn’t make it through the pane of glass, but the tone was annoyed, even angry. Why was she on the phone in front of her house at this time of the night?
It was the first time she’d seen her smoke too. Catriona slowly made her way back to her room. After all, the woman had every right to talk on the phone whenever or wherever she pleased, but it was out of character on so many levels. So why did it feel so strange to her, even wrong?
Slowly making her way back to her room, the stomping sound resonated again. One glance at the front entrance confirmed that Hazel was still pacing. The stomping repeated, followed by a moan. Hazel had said it was the furnace, but no equipment could sound so human, could it? Where was it coming from?
Luckily, there weren’t many doors in the quaint house, and Catriona found the only one that probably led downstairs, and it was locked. More questions entered her mind, and that didn’t help the suspicious feeling blooming inside her chest.
With another glimpse at the front of the house, Catriona hesitated to force the door open, after all, she could be imagining everything, especially with what had pushed her to run from Liam.
Testing the door again, it rattled, and the thumping sound amplified. Could someone be trapped in the basement? The possibility that someone was in distress so close to her was all she needed to act.
The house was old, old enough that the door frame wasn’t as sturdy, and with the dry wood, it only took one hit from her shoulder to pop the lock open. Catriona checked the front door. She probably only had a few minutes before Hazel came back so there wasn’t a minute to lose. If she found nothing but the furnace, she’d look like a fool, but at least, she’d see for herself.
The staircase disappeared into the darkness, the perfect setting for a horror movie. Fiddling to find the flashlight app, a deep moan came from the dark hole. A scream clogged in her throat, and Catriona felt her body fall backward. The only thing that kept her from dropping on the floor was the sudden click of the front door. Adrenaline spiking, her being lurched forward, her fingertips gripped the knob to close the door.
Blood whooshed so loudly in her ears Catriona didn’t know if Hazel had heard her. Had she closed her bedroom door? Time stretched, each second turning into an hour of anguish until her body couldn’t take anymore and calmed down as the door remained closed and Hazel’s footsteps halted. Had she returned to her room, or was she listening for noises?
Slow breathing, sending a quick prayer to keep her head, Catriona braced herself and pointed her flashlight toward the end of the stairs. The beam was bright enough for her to notice the concrete floor. One step at the time, mindful of not making any noise, ears peeled for any sign of Hazel coming, she was tempted to run the other way and not bother to see what was there.
One thing she was sure; despite the fear, she knew that she had to go downstairs and see for herself.
The basement was quite barren, but as she turned, the furnace came into view. Nothing. All the tension accumulated seeped away.
How big of a fool she had been? Berating herself, she turned to go back, trying to find an excuse for the broken door when a form shifted under the staircase. Catriona yelped and dropped her phone, scrambling away until her back hit the wall hard. The moan returned, but the form remained under the stairs.
The phone had fallen exactly in between her and the shadow, pointing straight up. Two eyes shone in the darkness: human eyes.
Tentatively, on her hands and knees, Catriona prayed for courage and started moving forward, never leaving the person fixed on her. As she reached her phone and snatched it, she turned the light toward the stairs.
It was a boy, or more accurately, a teenager chained under the stairs. Seeing the frightened look on his face and his trembling body, she could have wept in misery. Why was he there, trapped like an animal, chained like a beast? And the most frightening question was, who could have done that?
“I’m Catriona. I mean you no harm, I promise. I didn’t know you were there. Did Hazel put you there?”
She thought she’d see fear at the name, but instead, the young man was animated with anger. It was then that she saw a harness covering hi
s mouth.
“I’m gonna help you. I promise on my life, we’re going to escape this place.”
The hesitation was undeniable, but the boy nodded, nonetheless.
Catriona didn’t waver and crawled under the stairs. The harness was unbuckled in less than a second. His first full breath was almost a sob.
“What’s your name?”
“Lucas. Lucas Somersby. I don’t know any Hazel, but if you’re talking about that red-headed psycho, that’s her.”
She tried to pull at the short chains, but apart from it making the noise she’d heard earlier, nothing budged.
“That won’t work. Believe me, I’ve tried.”
A quick look at her phone told her that she didn’t have connectivity, probably due to the thick cement foundation. Beaming the light over their surroundings, it was obvious Lucas was right. Slipping back out, she checked on the opposite side and there wasn’t a toolbox, hammer, or chainsaw, not that she’d know how to use those.
“Come on, angels and saints, I need help, lots of it. Please, please, please.”
As begging was only half of the work, Catriona examined every nook and cranny, hoping she could find something to free Lucas.
The only thing she found was a pipe barely long enough to act as a lever. Better than nothing, she immediately returned to try it out. Only Lucas’s foot was chained, and at the other end, it was bolted into the wood using a U-shaped industrial clamp.
It was apparent that the young man had tried to free himself by pulling at it, but it didn’t move much. However, it may loosen the clamp enough to release him. Catriona gave her phone to Lucas and asked him to light the clamp.
The pipe was too thick to be inserted inside the clamp or into a chain link, so instead, she put the end of the pipe by the clasp, against the wood, and twisted the chain around it as tight as possible. One nod at Lucas made him grip the pipe with both hands, and they started pulling it down, using the pipe as well as their combined brute force. It took no less than a full minute to feel a slight movement. It was working.
Sweat trickled down her back, and she could hear Lucas breathing hard; after all, it was their only chance to escape. If Hazel, or whoever she was, realized what was happening, it could fast become dangerous. There was no way to know what she was capable of.
Once the clamp was half undone, Catriona quickly repositioned the pipe, and they worked at it for a few more minutes. When the piece of metal finally fell to the ground, Catriona almost let out a victory cry.
Keeping the pipe in her hand, she helped Lucas pull the chain and get to his feet. He was wobbly, but a few steps steadied himself enough. His pants were torn at the knees, and his sweater was stained, but he looked good enough to walk. At least he still wore socks. With her bare feet, running in the snow wouldn’t be fun at all, too bad there was no other choice.
Lucas wrapped the chain over his forearm to keep the noise to a minimum, and with one last sharp nod, they made their way up the stairs. At the top, Catriona pushed the door open and came face to face with Hazel. The shock blocked her scream, and the older woman’s face contorted with rage. She barely comprehended the knife in her grasp when Lucas passed her in a yell and tackled Hazel. The shock was brutal as her body slammed into the wall. Catriona was fixed in place until Lucas stood, grabbed her hand, and started running, pulling her behind him.
It took at least a yard until she registered the burning cold under her feet that transformed into a searing pain, and still, she ran.
Lucas turned his head back a few times and kept her hand firmly in his. The neighborhood was sleeping, Christmas lights twinkling, and the street was empty.
“Wait, Lucas. We need to call the police, anybody.”
Her breath almost morphed to frozen crystals in the winter air, and Lucas slowed down and stopped.
“She isn’t following us but make it quick!”
They were now both shaking from fright and cold. Her fingers were almost as numb as her feet when she finally unlocked her phone and started to dial 911.
“Shit! No!” Lucas’s panic made her look up and she saw a car speeding in their direction.
The boy retook her hand and pulled, but her legs felt like they were fused to the icy road. Survival made her move even though she started feeling sluggish.
A second car came behind the first one at the same speed, and as she and Lucas were about to jump into a snowbank, a voice sounded.
“Catriona!” The male shout registered immediately.
Before she could yell back, Liam was out of his vehicle, Cary on his heels. The boy was in her arms before she had time to react. In the second car, she saw Aleksei exiting his vehicle, gun in hand, and scanning the area while another man jumped out of the car and yelled Lucas’s name. The young man let go of her hand and ran into the man’s embrace.
Completely lost, Catriona closed her arms around Cary. “I’m fine, Cary. What are you doing here? How did you find me?”
Liam touched Cary’s shoulder. “Hey, buddy, we need to go. She’s barefoot in the snow. Go open the passenger door for me.”
Craving some heat, she forced herself to take the few steps to round the car when Liam scooped her into his arms. It was only for a few seconds, but when his warm breath fanned her cheek, her body collapsed as it was unconsciously certain it was safe again.
Once settled in the passenger side, Cary scrambled into the back, sitting on the edge of the back seat to remain as close as possible to her. When Liam sped away, Catriona looked behind and could’ve sworn she saw a silhouette in the middle of the street looking at the two cars before vanishing in the shadows and the snow.
Chapter Fourteen
Everything happened so fast, Catriona wondered if it was the same feeling someone had when standing in the eye of a storm. From the moment Liam had put her in the car, she’d had no control over the situation.
However, as people talked around her, she gathered some useful bits of information, while allowing herself to thaw with each passing minute. Lucas Somersby was Zoe Blackwood’s younger brother. The same Zoe that was married to Archer. It now made sense why the young man had launched himself into Archer’s arms. Lucas had been at a hockey camp for a week and been snatched by that madwoman at a gas station in the middle of the night while on his way home. Somehow, his sudden disappearance hadn’t been noticed either by the coach, who thought Lucas had already gone home, or by Zoe, who believed her younger brother had stayed on at camp.
From what she’d heard, it hadn’t been the only attack on the group. Someone had tried to force their way inside Lazarus’ hospital room, and Kai and Sam had their hands full, keeping the area secure. Kai’s girlfriend, Isabel, had been followed from her office home. Only her quick thinking and Kai’s intensive evasive courses allowed her to escape and seek refuge with Archer and Zoe.
The brothers were in an uproar, and Catriona was fascinated seeing Liam transform from stoic to ruthless, Chewy on one side, and Cary on the other.
The only time Liam had spoken to her since they’d returned was to tell her to pack her things. He’d snapped out the order before disappearing again.
It took only a minute to gather her belongings, but what mattered more than filling a simple bag of clothing for her was to take care of young Cary. The boy had gripped her hand, never leaving her side, but when Liam came back to tell her that they were moving, going undercover with his other brothers and their families in a secret place set up by Archer, Catriona made a request: to have Cary and his family come with them.
The exasperation she saw in the man’s eyes, and how he clenched his jaw was a sure sign that he was about to deny her demand, however, after one look at Cary followed by a sigh, he agreed. Soon, Catriona realized that Cary Paylor’s family comprised of only his younger brother, Ted.
It broke her heart to see the two brothers, how they only had each other. The young brother Ted had big soulful eyes and only looked at his brother, and he wouldn’t say a word or acknowledge h
er. The only one who seemed to get through was Chewy. The scraggly animal had attached himself to the young boy the moment they had entered the car and hadn’t left either boys’ side since.
The entire cohort fled through the night in a convoy of cars until they got on a big boat. There were talks of Canada or something, but she couldn’t be sure. The brothers didn’t share information with anybody.
Familiar faces and several new ones surrounded Catriona, but there wasn’t time for introductions and instead focused on taking care of Cary and Ted while keeping an eye on Chewy. Fear weighed heavily on the group until they stepped off the boat and hopped into a new fleet of unmarked cars, driving them to what looked like an immense mansion, deep in the forest. Beyond the striking sight of this location, it was the armed men all around that reminded her that they were on the run.
How she found herself in this situation was beyond reason. From the calm serenity of the convent, she’d traveled the world, helped people decipher numbers and caught criminals, but she’d never been in the line of fire. Or more accurately, she’d never allowed herself even to do work where there might a risk to her existence, but when the friend who’d saved her life a long time ago asked her to risk her life for a family of men who were far from knights in shining armor, Catriona didn't question it.
Now, in a strange room, in the dead of night in the middle of nowhere, she watched two lonely kids huddled under the covers, sleeping like it was the first time they’d felt safe enough to close their eyes together and rest in a long moment. Maybe they were the reason for her going through what she had—saving them and Lucas.
Silently, she retreated, making sure the boys weren’t going to wake up any time soon. They had been installed in a separate bedroom, which led to a living room, much like a hotel suite. The living room led to two more rooms; one she knew was hers. Archer had told her that her stuff was in there, but even if she were in dire need of sleep, Catriona knew it would be impossible to close her eyes.
