Page 37 of Devils Cut

The sun was a sneaky bastard, slipping through the gaps between the curtains to paint warm streaks across my face. The realisation that I actually liked Corvus, despite his dangerous lifestyle, gnawed at me. It felt like a heavy weight pressing down on my chest, and I knew I had to get moving.

My room was just 2 doors down, but getting there felt like crossing a battlefield. The floorboards were treacherous, threatening to give away my position with every step. I made it to my own room in record time, hastily throwing on some shorts and a T-shirt before heading to the kitchen.

Scribbling a note for Corvus on a scrap of paper. "Getting my keys today. Thanks for letting me crash in your spare room." I paused, and scribbled my new address down at the bottom of the note, hesitating for just a moment before adding, "Come find me when you wake up." My heart raced at the thought of Corvus showing up, but I couldn't deny that I wanted to see him again. I grabbed the magnet off the fridge and slapped the note onto it.

I quickly gathered my belongings. Throwing them into the backseat of my car, I took one last look at the house that had been my temporary sanctuary. Slamming the car door shut and starting the engine. As I pulled out of the driveway, my grip tightened on the steering wheel, knuckles turning white. I could feel the tension building in my chest, a mixture of excitement and fear threatening to choke me. But I refused to let it show. I had come this far, and there was no room for weakness now.

"Alright, Sarah, you better not fuck this up for me," I grumbled under my breath, thinking about the real estate agent who would be waiting for me with a stack of paperwork. I needed her to believe my lies, or everything would come crashing down around me. And I couldn't afford for that to happen – not when I was so close to finally being free.

The adrenaline coursing through my veins made it difficult to think straight, let alone concentrate on driving. But I had no choice; I was on the brink of a life-changing decision, and there was no room for mistakes.

As the real estate agent's office came into view, my stomach churned violently. This should have been a moment of triumph – buying my first home, claiming a piece of the world that would be mine and mine alone.

With a shaky exhale, I stepped out into the sweltering heat, my nerves tingling with anticipation and fear. The door to the agency loomed ominously ahead as if daring me to take the plunge.

"Morning, Tempest," Sarah greeted me with a saccharine smile as I entered the office.

"Morning," I replied, trying to sound casual as I followed her to a small table littered with documents. My heart pounded in my ears as she pushed the papers towards me, each signature bringing me one step closer to sealing my fate.

"Alright, just sign here and here," Sarah instructed, tapping two spots on the forms. She paused, narrowing her eyes at me. "How does an eighteen-year-old girl born and raised in LA have such a strong Australian accent?"

"I spent a lot of time in Australia as a kid," I said, trying to sound nonchalant. "My parents had this Australian nanny, and I guess the accent just stuck." The words tumbled out of my mouth, a desperate attempt to cover up my true past.

Sarah raised her eyebrows at me, scepticism written all over her face. "Okay, Tempest," she said slowly, clearly not buying it entirely but deciding to let it go. She pointed at a spot on the form I'd missed. "You initialed that wrong. You're meant to put 'TM' there, not 'LF.'”

"Shit," I muttered under my breath, quickly scribbling out the mistake. My hand trembled as I replaced "LF" with "TM" and continued signing the rest of the paperwork. It was hard enough keeping up this facade, but every little slip-up felt like a potential disaster waiting to happen.

"Sorry," I mumbled, trying to regain my composure. "Just a bit nervous, y'know?"

"Understandable," Sarah replied, though I knew my nerves went far beyond a simple real estate transaction.

As I signed the last document, I blew out a breath I didn’t realise I had been holding.

"Congratulations, Tempest," Sarah said as she handed me the keys to my new home. "It's all yours now."

"Thanks," I replied with a forced smile, my mind swirling with uncertainty. As I left the office, I felt both exhilarated and terrified – a strange mix of emotions that seemed fitting for my current situation.

As I climbed into my car, the seat warm beneath me, I couldn't help but let out an exasperated breath, swearing under it, "Fuck." My fingers tightened around the steering wheel, knuckles turning white. The weight of the realisation that I hadn't thought about my real name, Louise Franklin since arriving in the US hit me like a ton of bricks. Louise was dead; Tempest Miller had taken her place.

The engine roared to life as I peeled out of the car park, my heart pounding just as hard. My knuckles turned white gripping the wheel, and I couldn't help but wonder if this was all worth it.

"Fuck," I muttered under my breath, trying to shake the thoughts that threatened to overwhelm me. I glanced in the rearview mirror, half expecting to see someone tailing me, but the only thing chasing me was my own damn demons.

"Pull yourself together, Tempest," I growled at myself, forcing my eyes back onto the road ahead. It was time to focus on what I could control—my new home and the life I'd built for myself here.

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The key slid into the lock with a satisfying click, and the door creaked open as if it was groaning in pain. I stepped over the threshold of my new house, inhaling the stale scent of abandonment that hung heavy in the air. It felt like stepping into a forgotten world, one where time had stopped along with the lives that once inhabited these rooms.

"Welcome to your fuckin' paradise, Tempest," I muttered under my breath, letting the door slam shut behind me.

Granted, the paint was peeling off the walls like old scabs, the kitchen looked like it hadn't been used since the goddamn prohibition era, and the floorboards creaked beneath my feet like they were begging for mercy. But it was mine, a place where no one could find me. A sanctuary from the chaos outside these decrepit walls.

"Home sweet home, eh?" I said to myself, already imagining how I'd turn this shithole into something liveable. The thought filled me with a sense of determination, a fire burning in my chest as I vowed to make this place my fortress.

The overwhelming smell of mustiness and stale air invaded my nostrils as I ventured further into my new home. It was a far cry from the life I had left behind, but it was a necessary step to survive. In a place like this, no one would find me, and that's all that mattered.

"Let's see what we're working with here," I muttered, pushing open the first door on my left. The room was small and cramped, with peeling wallpaper revealing cracked plaster underneath. "Not exactly the master suite, is it?" I scoffed, shaking my head.

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