by Mia Sheridan
Mason’s gaze moved from one direction to the next, weighing his options for escape. Clarence Dreschel was a good shot. He’d been an avid hunter, just like many of the guild members, before the accident that had hurt his leg. Perhaps his skills were rusty though. Would Mason have time to drop, retrieve his weapon, and get a shot in before the old guy did?
“Let him go.” Mason’s head swiveled to the right where Georgia had just stepped around a hallway wall. Georgia. No.
Clarence turned too, whipping the gun in her direction. He let out a huff of breath, shaking his head. “Georgia. You should have stayed hidden. Goddammit, girlie. I might have helped you.”
Georgia laughed and Mason heard the edge of hysteria laced within. His hand moved slowly toward his weapon. “You might have helped me? Is that right? Well fuck your help, old man. I’d rather get shot in the face than accept anything from you,” she hissed. “I’d rather die than let you lay a finger on me ever again.”
His lips stretched. “They were right. You’re an abomination. You all are.”
Even from where Mason stood, he could see the angry red spots that rose in the man’s face. Without wavering, he turned the gun on Mason. Everything slowed. Mason saw Georgia’s mouth open in a scream as she dove toward him. He saw the old man squeeze the trigger. He felt the impact of her body as both he and Georgia went flying backward, hitting the floor, the jolt stealing his breath and resuming time in a loud, painful rush of air and screaming nerve endings.
Mason yelled, struggling to make sense of what had happened, pulling himself out from under Georgia who lay on top of him. Blood. So much blood leaking from a hole in her chest. She’d jumped in front of him. She’d been shot. She’d taken the bullet meant for him.
She turned her head to where Clarence Dreschel stood, the gun still pointed at them. “You’re the abomination,” she said, and then the sound of two more gunshots exploded, causing Mason to yell out, falling, his ears ringing. He watched the old man hit the wall behind him, screaming as one hand came over his groin, blood soaking his khaki colored pants, spreading rapidly, and the other clamped over his neck, more blood spurting through his fingers. He slid down to the floor, his screams fading to gasping, gurgled whimpers, curling in on himself, the gun he’d dropped skating far across the floor.
Mason tried desperately to orient himself, his head whipping back and forth. Georgia had taken the gun from his waistband as they collided, and then she’d shot the man who’d shot her. Her tormenter. One of many. A pool of blood spread out around the old man’s dying body, soaking into the floorboards of Lilith House as his pitiful cries grew weaker, so faint they could hardly be heard.
Georgia fell backward, the gun in her hand clattering to the floor. He bent over her body, pressing on her wound. “Georgie,” he breathed. “Georgie. You’re going to be okay.”
She smiled up at him. “I’m okay now.” Her smile twisted and her face grew paler.
“We’ve gotta get you help. I’m going to carry you—”
“Mason,” she grabbed his shirt, pulling him closer. “It’s okay. This is right. It’s how it was meant to be.”
“What?” He moved to stand so that he could pick her up, carry her to his car, drive her to a doctor in town. “No, Georgia. No.”
But she shook her head. “There’s no one to treat me. They’ll let me die. I’d rather die here with you. Stay with me, Mason. Please.”
“You’re not going to die. No way—”
“Mason, I told on her.”
He pressed harder on her wound. “Told on who? It doesn’t matter. We have to get you out of here.”
“Kandace. I heard them talking and I told the guild her plan. They didn’t drink the poison. It’s my fault. I was jealous.” Her voice cracked and a tear rolled down her cheek. “I thought . . . she’d come back and take you . . . away from me. You. Cam. You were . . . all I had. All I’ve ever had.”
Oh God. Oh, Georgia. He swallowed. “It doesn’t matter, Georgie.”
She shook her head and it appeared that the small movement pained her, her expression turning into a grimace. “It does matter, Mason. It does. All this time . . . I hated them for what they did to me but I . . . hated myself more. The fire . . . all those girls . . . it wouldn’t have happened if not for me. I did all . . . of that. Me, Mason. It was my fault. And in the end, you were taken away anyway. And I was left with him.” She tilted her head minutely toward where Dreschel lay unmoving. “But maybe I deserved it.”
“Oh, Georgia, no. You were just a young girl. You were confused, hurting. You had no way to know what they’d do, or how it would all end up. None of us did. I’ve always loved you, Georgie. I always will. There’s nothing you could ever do to lose me.”
Her lips tipped into a smile and she brought her hand to his face. He leaned into it as she gazed at him, seeming to really see him for the very first time, though they’d known each other all their lives. “Oh, Mason. Always living in someone else’s shadow. I did that to you, didn’t I? I’m so sorry. You deserve more. You always did.”
“We all did, Georgie. Don’t leave me. Let’s find out—” He choked on his words as her hand fell from his face and her body went limp in his arms.
CHAPTER FIFTY
Scarlett stopped, letting go of Haddie’s hand and reaching out to grab Millie’s arm. The girl was a few steps ahead of her and she came to a halt, turning. Scarlett put a finger up, indicating they should take a minute, bending over and placing her hands on her knees for a moment as she caught her breath. Even in the dim light of the moonlit forest, and despite that her shoes were soaking wet from having waded in the stream for miles, she could see that blood had saturated the cushioned fabric, turning it pink. Her wounds had opened. She didn’t dare take the time to stop and attempt to re-bandage them though. She needed stitches, but she didn’t think she was at risk of bleeding to death, and so they’d keep moving.
“What’s wrong?” Millie whispered.
“Nothing. Just a quick rest.” She swallowed, looking behind them, her eyes moving through the shadowy trees. It’d been hours since she heard the gunshots echo off the canyon beyond them, mixed with the brief bout of lightning and thunder, two hours that she’d been whispering prayers that Camden hadn’t been hit. She had a sinking feeling in her gut though. There had been so many shots, and soon after, they’d seen the lights moving in the other direction. That couldn’t be good.
No, don’t think that. You have to stay hopeful. For the girls. For them.
She’d heard the dogs barking a short time after they’d split up with Camden, and fear had nearly made her double over. They were being tracked.
Walk in the water. The dogs can’t track you there. Royce’s seemingly nonsensical words came back to her then. She didn’t know what it meant, didn’t know how his inebriated rantings could possibly be connected to what was actually happening to them, but nonetheless, she’d led the girls to the stream, and they’d walked in the water.
“Let’s go, Mommy,” Haddie said, taking her hand again. She drew strength from the solid feel of her daughter’s hand in hers, the warmth, and Scarlett stood straight, nodding at them both as they continued on through the trees.
She was so incredibly proud of Haddie and Millie. So proud. They’d traveled miles and miles—through water when they’d heard the dogs—over rough terrain, under deeply stressful conditions, and they hadn’t complained once, neither of them. And here she was, the one asking for a rest. They needed it though. They needed a few deep breaths to complete the last leg of their journey.
God, she hoped they were close. She hoped she’d followed Camden’s instructions properly. If she had, they should come out of this thick blanket of forest at the edge of a trail. And somewhere on that trail was an emergency phone that would bring help.
“Let’s go,” she said.
They began jogging again, Scarlett’s feet screaming with so much pain she wanted to cry out from the agony of each step, but she didn’
t. She wouldn’t let them know. She wouldn’t put her burden on them as they were burdened enough as it was. They moved as fast as possible through the dense woods, but not so fast that they couldn’t see objects in front of them. It would do no one any good to trip and break an ankle.
“Mommy,” Haddie said, pointing ahead where the trees opened. Deep relief fell over Scarlett when they stepped out of the tree cover onto a hiking trail. She pulled both girls to her and let out a soft laugh of triumph. They squeezed her and rejoiced under the light of the moon.
After a few moments, they began walking, traveling on the edge of the trail so that if they needed to seek cover again, they could do so immediately.
“There,” Millie said, and when Scarlett looked where she was pointing, a small sob came up her throat. It was a tall pole next to an enormous pine, an emergency satellite phone box attached to it.
They ran for the phone, Scarlett’s hands shaking as she opened the box, lifting the receiver. A dial tone sounded in her ear and she let out another quiet sob. Scarlett dialed 9-1-1, tears streaking down her face as she told the operator where she was and what she needed. She forced herself to speak clearly, not to give in to the hysteria bubbling inside of her, and to explain that the operator must not alert anyone from the Farrow Sheriff’s Department. State police. Only state police, and on a private channel.
The operator asked her to hold on for a moment and when she came back, she said, “Ma’am, there’s an overturned logging truck on the highway leading to Farrow, and the spot where you are. I’m going to have our officer take the back road. He’ll be there as quickly as possible.”
“Hurry, please hurry.”
Scarlett hung up, taking a few steps and lowering herself carefully to the ground, holding her arms out for Haddie and Millie. They rushed forward, each curling up to her, their heads on her shoulders, hidden in the shadows of the massive tree.
They waited that way until a light cut through the darkness, a person approaching on the trail from below. Scarlett stood quickly, pulling the girls to their feet, and holding her finger to her lips and then indicating they should follow her behind the trunk of the tree.
They huddled there together, Scarlett peeking out, watching as a man in uniform walked closer, squinting up the trail, his flashlight held out in front of him. Haddie pulled at her shirt. “It’s okay, Mommy,” she whispered. “He doesn’t want to hurt us. He’s going to help.”
Scarlett released a gust of breath. “Okay, baby.” They stepped out of the trees and began waving to the officer.
When he caught sight of them, he hurried forward, his eyes moving over the three of them, lingering on Scarlett’s feet for a beat. He put an arm around her shoulders, holding her up. “Don’t worry, ma’am. I’m going to get you three help. Are you able to walk to my car? It’s just about a quarter mile from here. I couldn’t drive any closer.”
She leaned on him. “Yes. Yes. We can walk.”
They began moving down the trail, when a noise sounded in the brush. The officer let go of her, pulling his weapon out and pointing it at the sound. No. No. We’re so close. Please, God. Please. Scarlett stepped back, her heart drumming, drawing the girls close to her side as they took cover behind the officer.
A second later, a man came stumbling out of the trees, his arm wrapped around another man as he supported his weight . Scarlett let out a strangled gasp. “Camden!” She rushed toward them and he opened the arm not around his brother, the ghost of a smile tilting his lips. His brother blinked at her.
“Oh my God! You’ve been shot.” She ran her hand over his chest. So much blood. So much blood. “Oh my God.”
“You made it. You did it,” he breathed, and even through the exhaustion evident in his voice, she also heard the pride.
Tears streaked down her cheeks as she took them in. They both looked half dead, one from his injury, one from fatigue. Cam was shirtless, with his uniform button-up wrapped like a tourniquet around his chest. His brother had a brown leather satchel strapped around his body. “So did you. You both did. Oh my God. Hold on. Hold on for us.”
Camden looked at the man he was leaning heavily on. “His name is Alonzo. He saved my life.”
They’d walked miles and miles. That had to mean Camden would survive his wound. Please. Scarlett reached for Alonzo’s hand and brought it to her cheek. “Thank you, Alonzo. You did so well.”
The deputy swept in, shooting the man in the fur and horns a curious look before ducking and putting his shoulder in Camden’s armpit so he could support him as Alonzo stepped aside. “Come with me,” he said, and the six of them staggered the quarter mile to the squad car.
Alonzo got in the front seat and the officer lowered Camden into the back and Scarlett, Millie, and Haddie piled in on the other side, Scarlett wrapping her arms around Camden and holding him tight as the car drove off. Camden reached forward and put his hand on his brother’s shoulder, leaving it there. Alonzo turned his head and Scarlett saw the curve of his gentle smile.
She put her head on Camden’s shoulder, Haddie’s body pressed against her, Millie right on the other side. The lights of the squad car cut the darkness as they turned onto the main highway, heading in the opposite direction of Farrow.
They were going to be okay.
They were all going to be okay.
Never had Scarlett believed her life would lead her to this moment and all that had unfolded since she’d first bent down on a city street and retrieved a fallen flyer. But now, with her fatigue pulling her under, with all she loved tucked into her sides, Scarlett clung to the tenuous hope lying just beneath the deep-seated exhaustion and fear.
Her purpose had been bigger than she’d ever imagined. She was too tired to wrap her head around it now, but somehow she sensed, deep inside, that Kandi had been part of all that had come to pass. She moved her eyes upward, out the window where the trees of the forest whizzed by, the miles between them and Farrow ever growing. “Thank you,” she whispered. “Rest now, my brave friend. We’re all together.” She laid her head on Camden’s shoulder and Scarlett rested too.
EPILOGUE
In the Aftermath
Haddie smiled, running her hand over the cat as it arched its back and rubbed itself against her leg. “Good boy,” she said, scratching his head until he purred. After a moment, Haddie stood, squinting off into the distance, hoping to see Alonzo at the edge of the woods. The light shifted, but it was only the trees swaying in the autumn breeze. Alonzo had come to live with her, her mommy, her new daddy, and Millie too, but the big, gentle man spent as much time in the forest as he did at Lilith House with them. Haddie knew it was because he had been raised there and it was where he felt most at home, but Haddie still missed him when he was gone. Her heart would always leap with joy when she saw him step from the woods, often with a hurt baby in his hands, his compassionate eyes filled with concern as he handed it over. “Hat hep bobby,” he would say. Haddie help baby.
And then together, they’d take the tiny thing to her mommy, whose eyes still widened as she brought her hand to her chest and laughed that laugh that meant you have got to be kidding me. Then she would sigh and say, “Well then. Let’s see what we can do.”
Or if she was in the middle of baking or decorating one of her cakes, or getting ready for a bridal party to arrive, she would call Camden and he’d take the creature to the pretty little shed at the edge of the woods that he and Haddie and Millie had painted together. She and Millie even made a sign that they proudly hung on the front: Ruby Sugar Baby Animal Rescue Center.
Her mommy’s business had opened the year after they escaped the men in the forest and had become very busy over the last few months. Her mommy said it was because all her advertising was finally paying off, but her daddy said it was because her mommy was the most talented person he knew, and she’d made Lilith House into a magical place any bride with good taste would fall in love with. Haddie agreed with her daddy. Her mommy’s cakes were so pretty they made Ha
ddie gasp every time she saw one. And Lilith House was beautiful with all its new paint and floors and balconies, and shimmery lights. Every time a bride entered, her eyes got big and she’d look around like she’d never seen a place like it before.
Haddie loved the brides. She loved their dresses made of white lace and shiny satin. She loved the way sparkles glittered around them and their grooms the same way they did around her mommy and daddy. She and Millie—who was her sister now—would peek at the brides from around doorways and out windows as they took photographs in the gazebo and walked through the flowers and trees, holding hands and smiling at each other.
Lilith House must love them too. The screams in the walls had faded. The rooms felt light. The house was happy that love lived there.
Haddie knew that there was lots of dark in Farrow. She’d felt it that first day. But now, many places felt light, as if the darkness had been swept away. Mommy said that her new daddy had become the biggest sheriff, and that he was finding all the bad and making them leave Farrow. Her new daddy was very tall, so that’s maybe how he did that.
A man appeared at the edge of the forest, large and horned, and Haddie’s face broke into a grin. “Alonzo!” she called, grasping the hem of her dress and rushing toward him as he whooped with joy and ran toward her.
**********
Camden grinned as he watched Alonzo race toward Haddie, that deep, snorty laugh filling the air as he picked her up and twirled her around, her yellow dress flying out around her. They were close. Even closer than he and Alonzo, but that was because Haddie understood him on a level no one else did. Haddie had a gift that surpassed his understanding. She confounded him. And awed him. He couldn’t wait until she was old enough to explain the things that went on inside her extraordinary mind. She didn’t have the words yet, but perhaps, in the same way she’d learned to speak to Alonzo, that was a language she’d need to teach them when she was able.
