Page 52 of Psychotic Nightmares

Nothing.

Pa laughs loudly and swings the knife. I jumpback. He swings again and this time I get pushed out of the way. Gustin cries out as the blade slices his arm. “You little fucker. I should’ve gotten rid of you years ago, especially when you wouldn’t stop crying forbig sis Natalie.Boo hoo.” Pa sneers. “Such a big baby.” He taunts. “Well, you’ve finally seen her, for the last time.” He faces me again, murder intent in his expression.

He wants to kill me like he killed Justine.

“Shut up.” Gustin snatches the gun from my hand and clicks something on it. Pa actually looks frightful this time, not at the gun, but at someone behind us as we feel the tension shift in the air.

“Put the gun down kid.”

Julian.

Is he really here or am I imagining things?

Gustin reluctantly places the gun into a hand that appears between us. “What do you want to do, treasure?” He holds the gun to me. “Want to try again?”

He’s really here. I step into him, my face colliding with his chest. He keeps the gun aimed at Pa and lifts my chin with the other, forcing me to face him.

“Tell me what to do, Natalie. What do you need me to do?”

“I want,” I close my eyes,what do I want?“Can you take him to the room where you took Howard?” I open my eyes to see his wide smile as he looks at me proudly.

“Oh baby. Of course.” After pressing his lips to my temple, he grabs Pa by his throat and pulls him away. Pa struggles against Julian'shold, scratching and punching the hand that is currently chokinghim. But my stalker is a lot bigger and a lot stronger than Pa, and before Julian has even reached the van, Pa passes out.

I hope Julian didn’t kill him already, I’m not finished with him yet.

“Who is that?” Gustin asks.

“They’re my friends.” I hold up a finger to Dante, indicating I’ll be a minute, then step inside. “Can you show me where Anya’s room is? I’ll pack some of her things. You do the same.”

Back in the car, we let the two kids sleep and drive quietly back to the warehouse, where Bull is waiting to check them out and stitch up Gustin's cut. Which luckily isn’t too deep. Silent tears fall, how did I not know what was happening to my own child. I always imagined her being adopted by the perfect family, her living in the suburbs playing in the garden and having loads of friends at school. Never once did I imagine her being in the exact same book as me. Every chapter of her story is copy and pasted from my own. From a broken mother to her broken daughter. I just hope I can change her ending.

“Natalie.” Gusin calls quietly.

“Mmm.” I look back at him.

“She’s going to be safe right?” He wipes away an escaped tear. “She won’t be sent back to live with Ma will she?”

“No.” I shake my head. “None of you will. We can all live together someplace and I can help you both heal.”

“Wecan help you both.” Dante adds. “I swear to you, no harm will come to any of you with me, Julian, Bull and Pea around.”

We. He really said we? I can’t believe that just a week ago I had no-one but Julian. And now I have a whole group of friends willing to help with healing my child. With healingme.

“Who?” Gustin asks.

“You’ll meet them soon. They’re lovely people.” I say truthfully, because in all honesty, they are. Apart from their jobs and their sadistic ways that is, but Gustin doesn’t need to know that. “Bull is a doctor, he will have you patched up real quick, and Peacock is, well. She’s Peacock.” I chuckle. “She’s a little cuckoo but she will keep you safe.”

Dante reaches across and takes my hand, I notice Gustin does the same with Anya, covering her back up with Dante’s jacket when it slips. I smile to myself, remembering how this young man used to follow me everywhere I went. How his four year old feet tried to keep up with mine while I played chase with them in the garden during the summers, before I was taken to my bedroom and repeatedly struck by Ma and Pa. How he used to sneak into my room at six when he had a bad dream and snuggle up beside me as I sang him lullabies until he fell asleep.

Anya groans in her sleep, her brows furrowing. She’s having a nightmare. Gustin undoes her seatbelt and carefullylays her head in his lap, shushing her back to sleep while stroking her hair. Dante watches them in the wing mirror as we stop at a red light. He squeezes my hand, bringing my attention backto him.

“She’s safe,” Dante lifts my hand and kisses my knuckles. “And she will be strong eventually, just like her mother. I meant it when I said we will help her,gattina, we will help them both.” I look back again at the two teens and nod.

“They will be alright.” I agree. “But it will take time.”

As soon as we arrive at the warehouse, Julian holds up a hand, telling us to wait. We see Bull climb into the back of the van with rope and duct tape which means they’re about to tie Pa up.

“Gusin, close your eyes bud.” Dante orders gently. A minute or so later, they emerge from the van with Pa tied up and flung over Julian's shoulder. Bullcomes over to us and opens my door.