Page 34 of Savage Truth

“You must be the boy who’s fucking my whore daughter.”

CHAPTER TWENTY

RILEY

Ishould go after Cole. But I won’t.

I flopped onto my back, warring with myself over what to do.His mom killed herself.It was horrible. He found her.I couldn’t even imagine. Tears misted my eyes, and I furiously blinked them away.

He’d slammed out of my room with such conviction—he sure as hell needed space. And I understood, but I couldn’t let him be alone, no matter how much I thought I should. We’d shared too much tonight, both physically and mentally. I got out of bed and pulled on my sleep shorts and a T-shirt.

I opened the door and shivered. It was oddly chilly in the house. I went down the hall to the top of the landing but paused. I heard voices. The hairs on the back of my neck stood at attention.Angry voices.

Did Lucas come back early? Are he and Cole arguing?

I took a few cautious steps down the stairs. Then I heard the sound of a fist hitting flesh. It couldn’t have been Lucas. He might have been an asshole, but I couldn’t see him hitting his kid.

“If you touch her, I’ll kill you.” Cole’s voice held so much venom that my hand shook on the railing as I raced to the first floor.

“You’ll be dead before you can try.” Another succession of punches sounded. “Stay down, punk.”

Bile climbed my throat, and I stopped in my tracks. I knew that voice, and he was close. I’d only heard it one other time. I had to get to a phone. It was the only way to save both of us. Because even if he took me, Cole would need help. I wouldn’t go there, imagining what my dad had already done to him. Pushing through the fear, I took off.

There was a landline in Lucas’s study. If I could make it there, I could call for help. I ran to his study, grabbed the phone, and pressed it to my ear. My hands hovered over the buttons, but there was no dial tone.Fuck.He probably used a cable service, and the line was dead due to the storm.

“Riley.”

White-hot fear shot through me, and I dropped the receiver, grabbed the first thing I saw on the desk, then raced around and hid under it. I didn’t dare pull the chair any closer in case it made noise or he was close enough to see it move.

I wrapped my arms around my knees, huddling in the back corner and trying to make myself as small as possible. The only good thing about the power being out was that he couldn’t turn on a light.

What I wouldn’t give for a long metal letter opener.But I’d grabbed a pen. I could work with that, but it wouldn’t be nearly as effective. Carefully, I removed the cap during one of the claps of thunder.

Every second felt like an hour, and every sound was loud as a bomb. My nerves were shredded. I couldn’t even think about what he’d done to Cole, or I would lose it. The whole thing was so stupid. If only my uncle had been there, we would have stood a chance. But with only Cole and me…Oh God, we aren’t going to make it.

How did he find us?

The fucking storm and bad omens. I should have listened to that feeling, same as that time before. But in bed with Cole, I’d been distracted.Now, we’re going to die.

I mentally slapped myself.I’m stronger than that. I took a deep breath and held it for a moment before releasing it just as slowly. A sense of control returned along with the ability to think. I calculated what would happen.

He would find me. It was inevitable. I gripped the pen in my fist. I’d watchedBourne Identitymany times. I knew how to wield a pen. When that asshole pulled me out from under the desk, I would be ready.

In small quiet movements, I turned so my left arm was facing the opening. I needed to have the full range of my right.

The door burst open and bounced off the wall with athud. I rolled the pen back in my fingers and tightened the grip, bracing for what would happen next. The chair launched back from the desk, and a small penlight was in my face. I tucked my fist close to my chest.

A meaty hand curled around my arm, and he dragged me out. I could barely see in the dark room after that LED light flashed in my eyes. I was yanked to my feet and held tightly to him. It didn’t matter. I had the outline of where I had to strike. I swung with all my might and sank the pen into his neck.

I wanted to feel the spurt of blood. If I had, that meant I’d hit an artery. Then there would be approximately thirty seconds until he bled out.

He cursed and then threw me across the room. I landed hard on my back. I couldn’t breathe. Short gasps were all I could manage, not enough to get the air into my lungs. My brain screamed along with my straining lungs. I couldn’t panic. He’d just knocked the wind out of me.I’m fine. I relaxed as much as I could, waiting it out.

I took a full breath then sprang into action. I scrambled to my knees, but he was on me. He wore a suit and stunk of cigar smoke. Pain exploded along my scalp when he fisted my hair, yanking me back. I frantically grabbed his wrist, trying to alleviate the pressure on the roots as he dragged me by my hair from the room and down the hall.

Tears stung my eyes and trickled down my face. I tried to get my legs under me, but we were going too fast, and all I could do was hold onto his wrist. He let go and shoved me to the floor in in the foyer, next to Cole, who wasn’t moving.

Is he dead?I shook as I reached out to touch him.

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