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“I’m not going to hurt you,” I whispered. “I’m going to…save you.”
Those words beat like a drum inside my chest. I tugged the tape free, then moved to her hands, untying the bonds.
“I’m going to take you to someone who can help,” I murmured as she turned on her side and tried to pull her knees to her chest.
There was a lot of blood on the sheets. The sight of that made me goddamn rage. I pulled my cell free and pressed the contact.
“Who’s this?” Caleb answered on the second ring.
“It’s me.” I fixed my gaze on her. “I’m in…but first I need a favor from you.”
“What kind of favor?”
“A damaged one.”
SEVEN
Helene
A creak woke me instantly. I opened my eyes, my pulse booming from a nightmare I couldn’t quite remember. Somehow, I was glad for that, knowing whatever waited for me in the darkness wasn’t something I wanted to face…not yet, at least.
Creak.
The sound came again. I sat up, leaving the warmth of Riven’s bed behind. He was still snoring, deep in that faraway place. But there was a nagging feeling that called me, forcing me to climb out of bed and make my way to the bedroom door.
The moment I cracked it open, I saw him. Thomas, slowly making his way up the stairs. I moved out of the doorway, quietly closing the door behind me.
“Thom?” I whispered, my barely focused eyes fixed on the bright red blood splattered over his face and across the white clerical collar hanging from his shirt. “What happened?
He froze, almost at the top of the stairs, and lifted his gaze. Those once warm brown eyes were haunted, fixed on mine. Still, he said nothing, just held my gaze for what felt like forever until he climbed the last stairs to stop in front of me.
“You don’t have to worry about me anymore.” He lifted his hand, the edges of his nails stained with blood. Still, I didn’t move as he grazed the back of his fingers down my cheek. “I found my calling. I know what I have to do.”
Those words scared me. That and the emptiness in his stare made all the fear resurface.
“They have to pay,” he said quietly. “They all have to pay.”
He turned away then, leaving me behind, and went to his room. It wasn’t until the door closed that I moved. I jerked my gaze to the door as that darkness inside my mind crept closer.
Memories came with it. Like a terrifying storm that rolled in carrying all the horror I tried not to remember. Hands reached out. Fingers clawed, desperate to drag me back to that nightmare. The one that waited, lurking in the shadows.
I forced my gaze away, my knees trembling as I reached for the railing and slowly made my way downstairs and into the kitchen. I needed to keep myself busy. I needed to do…get her on the table. I closed my eyes and gripped the counter as the terror pushed in.
“Coffee,” I whispered. “That’s what I need.”
I pushed away, wrenched open my eyes, and spun around to find the filter and the coffee, then set to work filling the pot. Steam rose seconds later, filling the kitchen with the heavenly scent. I poured a cup, splashed in some creamer, and lifted it with a shaking hand to my lips.
I know what I have to do.
They have to pay.
Thom’s words rose as I swallowed.
They all have to pay.
But when a face rose from my memory, it wasn’t Thom’s…it was my father.
They have to pay.
