Page 22 of Derecho

I lowered myself—with absolutely no grace—to the ground, my knees and legs immediately getting soaked in the wet grass. The hem of my dress felt heavy as it soaked through, too. But I grabbed my keys and forced myself to get back up. I would have crawled to my car if I needed to. My back twinged, pulling all of the muscles in my side and belly tight.

“Okay, little invader. I’m sorry for all this. I’m doing my best, I promise. I’m going to get us somewhere safe. For tonight.” My hand went under my belly as I slipped into the driver’s seat, my eyes never leaving the front door to make sure Greg wasn’t coming after me. “At least, I hope.”

Oh, God. Why did I have to be driving in weather like this? Everything was shaking as I rattled down the dirt road. A road that was starting to fill with more and more standing water by the second.

But I was almost there.

My stomach lurched, and I swallowed back bile. I couldn’t show up soaking wet and covered in tears and vomit. That would probably get me a door in the face and a finger pointed toward Beau and Birdie’s place. My ego would never survive letting my sister know what had been going on all this time. I’d never survive the humiliation of her looking at me like some sort of victim. Because the truth was, I deserved everything Greg said. Everything Greg did.

My toes were freezing, and I realized I wasn’t just shaking from the bumpy road. I needed to get a grip. Being this upset could hurt the baby, couldn’t it?

I drove past the well house, past the road that would have taken me up to the main barn, and finally past the road that I would have turned on if I was going to visit my sister. The rain was coming down so hard, it was difficult to see beyond the hood of my car. And that meant the turn to Lach’s place came faster than I was expecting. Even going at nearly a crawl, I almost managed to miss it. Slamming on my breaks, the seat belt pressed painfully, pressure building low across my belly. I swallowed back the tears that threatened to fall. This was no time for falling apart. It was time to be practical.

I made the turn up Lachlan’s driveway, water splashing up as I drove. God, I hope it didn’t mess up something else in this car. I was probably going to have to sell it just to have some money for when I gave birth. I needed diapers and a bassinet…and someplace to live that wasn’t the car I needed to sell to keep us afloat.

My face was still throbbing, the weight of Greg’s hand looming over my cheek as the floodgates opened and tears poured down to my chin. Lach’s house sat in front of me, illuminated by my headlights, but dark inside. He was asleep, and I was about to crawl up onto his porch and beg for help. What little pride I had left died as I shut off the engine, released my seatbelt, and opened the door.

I was absolutely drenched the second I stepped out of the car, but I didn’t care. Safety was fifteen feet away, and I was getting there come hell or high water. And from the way my feet sloshed and splashed with each step I took, high water just might be my biggest challenge. But I took off, more waddling than running, reveling in every drop of rain that washed away Greg’s hold on me.

The second my foot hit the first step, the bright lights on either side of the front door illuminated. With my next step, the door ripped open. Lachlan was there, filling the frame, his dark eyes roaming over every inch of me.

“What are you doing here?!”

“I needed somewhere safe to go…” I barely got the words out before I doubled over, searing pain in my belly stealing my breath.

Lachlan

God, the rain was fucking loud on my roof. It was really coming down now. One of the not so great realities of a house with a metal roof. It sounded like one of those relaxation tracks Sloane tried to get me to listen to after our first meeting together—only amplified fifty times. And it was keeping me awake.

No. That was bullshit. It wasn’t the rain doing that. My mind had been spinning since I got home. It took nearly all goddamn day to calm my racing heart, and the second I laid down, it was back to beating out of my chest.

Because I hadn’t imagined she would tell me no. I knew she needed an out, but I hadn’t thought she would turn me away.

And the fear that had been in her eyes the moment I spotted the bruises on her arm…I’d thought she was afraid of me, but there was shock and relief on her face before I spotted them and asked her to come with me.

Okay, asked was maybe too generous. I’d blown it with how I reacted. If Greg was hurting her…I should have been gentle. Kind.

I’d fucked it up. And now I’d probably never know if she was actually okay.

I sat up, resting my back against the headboard. Why was she so goddamn stubborn? Why was I too…oh God…I was too gruff.

And I clearly wasn’t going to get any sleep tonight. Fine. I threw the comforter off my body, huffing as I grabbed my cane and walked out of my room.

I needed to do something. Knowing I had no control over things with Lainey, that my attempt to help her had failed so fucking hard, it was eating away at me. I should have told Birdie. Screw what Lainey asked. Maybe Birdie could talk some sense into her. Those bruises were back, taunting me in my mind.

Because if Greg knew I was there, would he hurt her again? Worse than before? Would she be able to get help if she needed it? Would my offer of help be the catalyst that made Lainey’s whole world crash down around her?

My stomach flipped. Jesus. I needed to check on her again. That’s the only answer there was. I could sit out in my truck across from her house…and what? Try to spy on her from there?

God, I should have forced her to come with me. I’d all but begged. Sure, resort to kidnapping, you idiot. It was for her own good, and she was too stubborn to see that!

I paced in front of the sofa, too jittery to sit down, even if my leg was sore and pissed at me for not getting rest when I needed it. The tightness in my calf would only get worse, but I was used to it now. I’d take that over my mind being a prison any day.

Lights filled the living room. What the hell? Was I hallucinating?

A quick glance out the window had my heart tumbling through my stomach. Like a dog hearing the dinner bell, I moved as fast as I could toward the car in my driveway.

I opened the front door, shocked to see Lainey already making her way up the porch steps. Her hair was plastered to her face, clothes sticking to her body. She didn’t seem hurt, but bathed in the bright porch lights, I could see how upset she was.