Page 41 of Come Alive
My worst fears were realized. “Izzy?” My subconscious had already known it was her, but I hadn’t wanted to accept that fact.
“Yara?” Izzy’s confusion was clear in the single word.
“Fuck, why did he take you too? Why are you here?” Crippling sadness lathered its way inside my body. Why would my father take her too? What did she possibly have to do with him? Or any of this?
“Who? Who took us?”
The devil himself made his appearance before I could answer her. Making his way into the room to Izzy. I wanted to shout athim to leave her alone, but I refrained myself. Knowing it would only incite his anger.
“Ladies, now that I have you both. It’s time for the reunion to begin!” He ripped her hood off.
“Him,” I snarled with all of the anger I could muster, tugging at my shackles.
Izzy turned to me in her chair, surveying me. I could see her worry as she took in my injuries, the fact that I was shackled to the wall.
“My dad is back,” I explained as her eyes turned unfocused.
She twisted back to him. "Steve?"
Huh? Steve. Why was that name so familiar? "How do you know my dad, Stephen?" I asked.
“How?” Izzy’s tone was scaring me even more now.
“How indeed?” My father stepped closer to her. I fought against my restraints as he placed his finger on her lips.
“I needed a family to settle in this town. To go unnoticed.”
What the fuck does that mean?
He swooped his hand towards her, and again, I wanted more than anything to escape. To protect Izzy from this monster. I still couldn’t understand, though, why thefuckshe was here in the first place.
“Why did I want to settle here? To keep an eye on my dear old daughter, of course. Make sure she didn’t forget my trainings, my teachings. She is my flesh and blood; therefore, I have a duty to watch over her.”
What?!
I fell back against the wall, shutting my eyes.
This entire time. I had never escaped him. But where had he been?
What did he mean,settled here?
“But Hallie? Is she Yara’s—”
Hallie? Izzy’s stepsister, what is even going on?!
I couldn’t continue to watch him as he stared down at Izzy. Shutting my eyes, I deemed to listen and try to figure it out.
“No, that bitch is a falsified adoption. I needed a good cover, easier to lure a wife in with a daughter of my own. Though, I don’t think your mother would have cared either way. I told her to teach you better. To whip you into shape. But you always were a cow. A disgrace. I was almost at the point of discarding you, but then you left town, saving me the time.” It was the sound of the slap that caused my eyes to spring back open.
But it was his words that landed even harder. At what they meant.
Steve was Stephen. Steve was Izzy’sstep-dad.Stephenwas Izzy’s step-dad. The monster I grew up with had lived under the same roof as my best friend foryears.
And I hadn’t even known.
I am a fucking idiot.
Even in death, I should have known I would never escape this man.
