Finally, just before lunch, there was a knock on the door and an unfriendly demand that he appear in his father’s office immediately. Relieved that the waiting was over, he followed the dour-faced servant downstairs and into the office. He sat down in a chair opposite his father without being asked, his sullen attitude not all an act.
He resented being treated like a child, always had and always would. “What do you want?” Dillion asked, before his father could speak, hoping if he kept him good and mad, he’d forget about Natalie.
“I asked, you here for two reasons,” his father said, not taking the bait. “First, I want to make sure you understand that you, like your sister, have a duty to me. I’ve arranged for you to marry a very suitable woman and I expect your cooperation on this.”
Dillion opened his mouth to tell him what he could do with that plan, but his father held up his hand. “Secondly, I’d like to know once and for all what that little chirpy upstairs means to you. She could be very useful to me if she means nothing to you. I could settle a few old debts with her, clear a couple of things off my plate that have been hovering around for a while. Of course, I might have to sample her a little myself first; it’s a bit distasteful, but she is a tight little package.”
It took all of Dillion’s control not to come up out of his seat and strangle his father right then and there. But he managed to control himself, kept his face blank as his father said those awful things about the woman he loved.
“It doesn’t matter to me,” he said, but inside he was boiling.
“I could give her to you as a wedding present; she wouldn’t be as valuable once you’re done with her, and of course I wouldn’t touch her then,” he said, a lecherous grin on his face.
Dillion nearly fell for his father’s ploy, nearly said yes, that he wanted to keep Natalie. But instead, he shrugged, “I don’t want her anymore; I’m done with her.”
His father laughed. “See, son, you’re more like me than you know. Shall we tell her the good news together? They tell me that she’s sick, but I don’t believe that for one second; she’s just avoiding what she asked for.”
Dillion tried to laugh with his father, but it only came out a sharp bark. Then he shrugged. “Fine with me,” he said calmly, but inside he was anything but calm.
By the time they got to Natalie’s room, Dillion was so nervous, he could barely follow what his father was saying. His heart pumping in his chest, he watched as his father pulled out a key from his pocket and unlocked the door.
“Natalie, you have visitors,” his father said, in his sweetest voice, making Dillion grind his teeth in frustration.
When the door swung open all the way, the sight that greeted them made Dillion want to laugh out loud. His father stopped just inside the door and stared at Natalie, who looked like she’d been dragged behind a bus. Her hair was sticking up everywhere, she had dark circles under her eyes, and her eyes and nose were red and dripping.
She sneezed twice, then blew her nose loudly, then croaked, “I think I’m sick.”
His father got a look of distaste on his face, then turned to Dillion. “Are you sure you don’t want her? I certainly don’t,” he said, shuddering.
Dillion was still trying not to laugh, wondering how she’d done it. “She’ll get over it,” he said, waving his hand at her. “Give her a few days.”
“Uhhh, it’s going to take more than a few days,” his father said, then turned around and walked out of the room.
Dillion watched him shut and lock the door again, “I’ll have that lock changed,” he said. “Now let’s go talk about your fiancée; she’s a very beautiful girl, and she’ll make the perfect wife for you.”
Chapter Eighteen
***Natalie***
As soon as Dillion and his father walked out of the room, and the door shut, Natalie jumped out of bed and ran for the bathroom. She splashed cold water on her face, and sucked it up her nose, hoping to flush out all the pepper. When the burning finally began to ease, she turned off the water and pressed her face into a clean towel.
When she looked in the mirror, she grimaced, then smiled. She’d pulled it off; Gordon wouldn’t want to come anywhere near her for at least a few days. Even if they couldn’t get away today, she’d bought them some time, and it was a relief to know that she was safe, at least for now.
It was still going to be a few hours before Dillion would be coming to get her, so she laid down on the bed after pushing all the dirty tissues to the floor and closed her aching eyes. It would take a few hours for the pepper to wear off, but if she was lucky, by the time he came to get her, the worst of the swelling and redness would be gone.
After only a few minutes, she drifted off to sleep, the stress and effects of the pepper leaving her exhausted. When she woke a few hours later, the sun was sinking in the sky, and she felt better, and best of all, her eyes were clear, and her nose had stopped running.
Shedding the nightgown, she got dressed, then washed her face once more, then waited for Dillion. When she heard the light tapping on the hidden door, she opened it, relieved to see Dillion grinning at her from the darkness.
He pulled her inside the passageway and into his arms, then kissed her like they hadn’t seen each other in months. “How did you do that?” he said, looking at her for signs that she was really sick.
Natalie giggled. “Don’t worry; it wasn’t real. It was pepper from my breakfast tray, a little makeup, and a lot of hair gel.”
“Well, it was brilliant,” he said, grinning at her. “You’re a smart woman, Natalie.”
Natalie beamed at him. “Thanks,” she said, basking in his praise.
But then Dillion got serious. “We’d better get going. Are you ready for this?”
Natalie nodded. “You bet; let’s get out of here. I can’t wait to get home.”
Dillion hesitated, then said, “Natalie, I don’t know if we can go back to Gypsum Creek right now. That’s the first place my father will look for us.”
“What are we going to do then?” she asked, her heart falling.
“I don’t know; we’ll find someplace to hide until we figure it out,” Dillion said.
Natalie shook her head. “No, Dillion, let’s go back to Gypsum Creek; there are people there who will help us. You can’t keep running, especially now that you have Bethany. We’re going to have to face your father, but we won’t do it alone.”
She could tell that he wasn’t convinced, but he didn’t reject her idea outright. “We’ll talk some more; we need to get going, or we’ll be off schedule. We have to be crossing the yard in twenty-eight minutes or we’ll get caught.”
They quickly made their way to Bethany’s room, where they found her with an overstuffed backpack, pacing the room. “I thought you were never going to get here,” she said, then saw Natalie’s still puffy and red eyes. “What’s wrong?”
Natalie smiled at her. “Nothing, I’ll tell you about it when we’re safe,” Natalie said, pulling her into the passageway.
Dillion grabbed his sister by the shoulders and looked her in the eye, “I need to know right now if you have any doubts about coming with us; once we do this, it’s going to change everything,” he said, searching her face for any doubts.
“I’m ready to get away from here, Dillion. I hate being locked up all the time, I hate our father, and I don’t want to marry that old man. Any life would be better than the one I’m living now; I want to live like a normal person.”
Natalie felt tears spring to her eyes; there was still so much she didn’t understand, but there would be time for explanations later. She hated to interrupt, but time was ticking away. “We’d better go if you’re ready, Bethany,” she said.
They quickly made their way through the secret passageway, each knowing that this was the easiest part of their escape. When they stepped out of the house, the sun was just sinking, and just as they’d planned, there was no one guarding the east side of the lawn.
“I told you he wouldn
’t be here; he always leaves five minutes early. I’ve heard him fighting with the other guard,” Bethany whispered.
They took off over the lawn, running as fast as they could, but Bethany wasn’t used to that kind of exertion and by the time they reached the safety of the trees, she was breathing hard.
“I don’t know if I can do it,” she said, panting and holding her side.
“We’ll just shift,” Natalie suggested, gathering her strength.
There was a long silence, then Bethany said, “I can’t shift. I’ve never been able to.”
Natalie stared at her for a second, trying to understand how that was possible, then pushed it aside. “Then Dillion will carry you; jump on his back,” she said.
Bethany looked relieved. “Good thinking,” she said, smiling at Natalie gratefully.
Dillion let Bethany climb on his back, and then they set off through the woods, headed for the gate in the wall. It was right where Bethany said it would be and after only a little pushing and shoving, it flew open and they were free.
As soon as they were a few blocks from the mansion, Dillion set Bethany down, and they slipped into a convenience store to wait for the ride Dillion had arranged for them. When the car pulled up a few minutes later, they climbed inside, and for the first time in days, Natalie felt safe again.
***Dillion***
Dillion slid into the back seat next to Bethany, who was sitting in the middle, and closed the door. He gave the driver directions, then opened the bag from the store and handed out drinks, snacks, and a brand-new cell phone for each of them.
Bethany squealed with delight, then said, “I bet I’m the only eighteen-year-old to be getting her first cell phone.”
Natalie leaned forward and looked at him, but he shook his head and mouthed, “Later.”
She nodded her head, then turned her attention to helping Bethany with her phone. When they stopped at the bank, she sent him another questioning look. “I’ll be right back, I just need to get us some traveling money.”
When he came back with a fat manila envelope, he grinned at her. “Have you ever ridden a bus across the country?”
“Are we going to Gypsum Creek?” Natalie asked, still sure that it was the best plan.
“I don’t know, right now I just want to get us out of town,” Dillion said, then told the driver to take them to the bus station.
It was late evening when they finally got to the bus station; they were all tired, the rush of their escape finally wearing off. Standing in front of the map of the country, they were all silent, their next move still undecided.
“There are only three more buses leaving tonight, and none of them are going the right way,” Natalie pointed out.
Dillion nodded. “Here’s what I think we should do: take this bus going to New York, and then when it gets there, we’ll change to another bus heading toward Nashville. It’s going to take us about three days, but at least my father won’t be able to track us,” he said.
“Do you think he’ll send someone to Gypsum Creek to look for us?” Natalie asked, thinking about her brother whom she hadn’t talked to for a few days.
“Probably, so you’d better call your brother; he’s going to kill me,” Dillion said, dreading talking to David, but knowing it was the best plan they had.
Natalie reached up and kissed him on the cheek. “It wasn’t all your fault,” she said, waiting until he looked at her. “I was as much to blame as you were.”
Dillion shook his head. “I don’t think your brother is going to feel that way.”
Natalie waited until they were safely on the bus before she called her brother, knowing that it was going to take a while to explain the situation. She’d only been on the phone for a few minutes when she handed him the phone. “He wants to talk to you.”
Dillion took the phone from her, dreading the conversation that was to come. “What the hell have you gotten my sister involved in?” he demanded before Dillion could say a word.
Knowing that he had to get the story out fast, he rattled off the events of the last few days, leaving out the parts that David didn’t need to hear. “We’re fine, but we need some help,” he finished, then waited while there was a long silence on the other end of the phone.
“Put Natalie back on the phone now, but just know that you and I are going to have a long talk when you get back here,” David said.
Dillion handed Natalie the phone. “He wants us back there,” he said, feeling like a little kid caught breaking the rules.
***Natalie***
When they finally made it back to Gypsum Creek four days later, they were all exhausted. All Natalie wanted was a hot shower and her bed, but David was waiting for them on the porch of the store, and she knew that neither was in her near future.
When she got out of the car, he came over and hugged her, then pulled back and studied her. “Are you sure you’re okay?” he asked, his face full of concern.
“I’m fine,” she said, “Dillion wouldn’t let anything happen to me.”
David looked doubtful. “I’m not so sure about that.”
Dillion stepped up behind her. “I’m sorry, David, I had no idea this would happen.”
David narrowed his eyes at him. “I’m trying really hard to believe that,” he said.
Natalie was getting tired of the two of them and their little war. “Enough, you two. We have more to worry about than whose fault it was. I didn’t behave very well myself, but we’re home now.”
Just then Michelle came bursting out of the store. “Oh my God, you’re finally here. I’m so relieved,” she said, hugging Natalie. Then she saw Bethany standing nervously by the car. “Is this Bethany?”
Natalie nodded, and Michelle rushed over to her. “Welcome to Gypsum Creek; come inside, and we’ll all have something to eat while we talk. I’m sure you’re all tired, but before you rest, you need to eat.”
Natalie was relieved to follow Michelle upstairs to the apartment where she had a mountain of food laid out. “That’s a lot of food, Michelle,” she said.
“Everyone is on their way for a family meeting now that you’re home,” Michelle said, fussing with something on the stove.
Natalie’s heart sank. “Everyone?” she asked.
Michelle nodded. “Your cousin Jessie thinks you all should go stay with him and Sophie up on the mountain, and I agree.”
Natalie was suddenly nervous. “I didn’t think, I mean…”
“Don’t worry, everyone is coming to figure out how to help; no one is mad at you, although I think your mom might have a lecture brewing,” Michelle said, patting her on the back.
Natalie groaned. “When she gets going, she’s worse than David,” she said.
Michelle laughed. “Where do you think he gets it?”
Bethany, who’d been silent through their discussion, finally spoke up. “If I’m going to be meeting a bunch of new people, I’d like to get cleaned up a little bit.”
Michelle turned to her. “That’s an excellent idea,” she said, then handed them both a cookie. “That should hold you over until we eat.”
Chapter Nineteen
***Dillion***
Dillion stood nervously in front of the room; all eyes turned to him. He found Natalie in the crowd and the smile she gave him warmed him and calmed him at the same time. He cleared his throat and began to explain.
“My father is a wicked man. I know that sounds ridiculous, but I don’t know how to describe him any other way. I grew up thinking that he was a great businessman, but when I turned sixteen, I discovered that his wealth came from bullying and hurting other people. He’s the kind of man who doesn’t care who he hurts if it means he gets what he wants.”
There was some murmuring from Natalie’s family, and he heard George’s name mentioned. “On my birthday that year, he took me to work with him,” Dillion said, using air quotes when he said work.
“I expected to go downtown to a big office. Instead we ended up in a little corn
er grocery store, bullying an old man for what my father called an insurance policy. When the man refused, he ordered me to shift and show the man what would happen if he didn’t pay.”
There was more murmuring in the room, but he went on knowing they needed to hear the rest. “I refused and ran from the store. I spent the next two years avoiding my father and did my best to stay as far away from his business as I could. But on my eighteenth birthday, he told me that it was time for me to take on my responsibility. I refused and left.”
He saw some heads nodding and knew that he was getting through to Natalie’s family. “I lived a good life for a long time after that, learned construction, opened my own business. But about three months ago, my father found me, demanded I come home, and when I didn’t, he destroyed my business, had my bank accounts frozen, and my contracts canceled.”
“That’s why you came here,” David said, from the back of the room where he was leaning up against the wall, a scowl on his face.
Dillion shrugged. “That was part of it, I wasn’t really planning on staying, but then Millie begged me and I, well… met Natalie,” he said, striving to be as truthful as he could.
Natalie stood up then and came over to his side and took his hand in hers. “Dillion and Bethany need our help; it’s time they got their freedom from their father.”
“And once that happens, what are you going to do?” David asked.
Dillion looked down at Natalie. “I’m going to finish Millie’s house and hopefully marry the woman I love,” he said, his face serious.
He heard Natalie gasp, and then she said, “I love you too, Dillion, and I’d love to marry you.”
It hadn’t been part of his plan to ask Natalie to marry him right then; he’d been envisioning a more romantic setting. But it had seemed like the perfect moment to make it clear that he wasn’t going anywhere without Natalie. Grinning at her, he pulled out the ring he’d been carrying in his pocket since he’d gone to the bank and slipped it on her finger.
Restoration (Wolves 0f Gypsum Creek Book 4) Page 11
