Page 82 of Lacey's Fight

Plus, Merv had just given her something he hadn’t intended to.

The answer on how she was going to get these two little girls out of here.

“It’s okay, I’m not going to hurt you,” Lacey said, turning in the direction of where she could sense someone watching her. The Master had been obsessed with training her and her sisters to use all their senses, and now she could smell the faintest hint of baby powder, and hear the soft intake of air with each breath the little girl and her baby sister took.

When the girl didn’t speak, Lacey crossed the room, avoiding the large wooden table and chairs, to the fridge. She had no idea if Merv was watching her constantly with cameras but if he was monitoring her every move, she wanted to make him think she was doing as she’d been ordered.

Because she knew how anal The Master was about how the fridge was organized, she was able to quickly find the bottle of milk. Likely milk that came from a cow on the farm, but she hadn’t been given the grand tour yet.

“Quick, drink something and I’ll make you some toast, then you need to go.”

Soft footfalls indicated the older girl was coming closer. “Go? We can’t go, he’ll be mad.”

The fear in the child’s voice broke her heart. She remembered when she and her sisters had been that terrified of The Master, too scared to even attempt escaping.

Not any more though.

Now that fear had morphed into hatred.

Even knowing that he’d been abused couldn’t take away that hatred. Abuse was no excuse for hurting innocent people. Merv had chosen to do what he’d done to them because it was what he wanted to do, nothing took away his responsibility for his actions, not even past pain.

“You let me worry about that, sweetie-pie. See those keys hanging on the wall by the door?”

“Yes,” the girl answered a moment later.

“I know where the car is.” At least she hoped she did. The Master had kept a vehicle hidden a mile from the house in their Alaskan compound. It had been hidden deep in the trees where no one was likely to find it, and he was careful to always wipe away the tire tracks.

She knew this because she’d stumbled on the car one day while she was out gathering wild berries. For weeks they had searched for the keys as they secretly planned their escape. Only The Master had found them before they could drive away. They’d been punished so badly they hadn’t tried again.

Until now anyway.

“I can’t drive,” the child said, tears evident in her voice.

“Is that your baby sister in your arms?” she asked as she slotted the bread into the toaster.

“Yes.”

“You love her.” A statement not a question, but still the girl answered in the affirmative.

“I wanted a baby sister for so long, I asked Santa every Christmas, and when Mommy told me she was having a baby I hoped so hard it was a sister.”

“You’ve been taking good care of her.”

“She’s just a baby.”

“She’s counting on you, and I already know you’re not going to let her down because you love her so much. I know you can do this, but it doesn’t matter what I know, you have to know it too.”

“M-maybe I can do it.”

The little girl’s hesitation was clear, but Lacey jumped all over it. “Course you can. You’re going to take the keys and your sister, you’re going to find the car where I tell you. If you don’t you just keep going and don’t stop till you find someone. I’ll keep The Master busy. All you need to worry about is you and your sister. When you get to the car you put her down on the floor in front of the passenger seat. Gas pedal is on the right, brake beside it, all you do is turn on the engine and drive as fast as you can out of here. Can you do that, sweetie-pie?”

There was a long pause, but when the child spoke again her voice was infused with confidence. “I can do it. But how will you keep The Master busy?”

“That’s for me to worry about, sweetie-pie.” No way was she going to let the little girl know that the only way to keep The Master busy so he didn’t go after the children was to let him hurt her.

* * *

August 15th

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