Page 44

CHAPTER 44

REDLEY

My eyes open slowly, and a warm sense of peace surrounds me. I don’t question it at first because I’ve never felt as comfortable and safe as I do right now. Slowly, I realize the bands around me are Wolf’s arms, the moving platform beneath my cheek is his chest as he breathes, and that even rhythm soothing me like a lullaby is his heart.

I don’t know what it is about Wolf, but he overwhelms all my senses and my reason, leaving me a mix of things, but none of them strong. He’s only got one hole left to fuck, and somehow I don’t think it will be long before he pushes that boundary too. Revelations about my parents’ death and memories of our time in the closet fill my mind. It’s hard to believe that one person can be responsible for such a range of emotions, but he is.

My eyes flick over Wolf as he sleeps beside me, and he’s so peaceful as he rests. He’s hardly the same man, and it’s especially hard to see him as a killer. The light from his alarm clock casts enough of a glow to see by. It’s almost one a.m., and the outline of the numbers reveals the most disturbing beauty. I want to stay beside him, touch him, maybe run my fingers through his hair, but that’s not our relationship. That’s not why I’m here, and I’ll certainly never be in this position again, so no need to get a taste for something I’ll need to live without.

He said he was serious about marrying me, but how could he be?

I climb out of bed slowly, inch by inch, careful not to wake him. It’s hard to determine what I can get away with, not knowing how deep a sleeper he is, but I just move slow and take my time. There are a lot of things I’ll do to feel as good as he makes me feel, but he’s crazy if he thinks that I’m just going to stay here and do his bidding. As I stand beside him and stare down, I worry that he could be faking sleep just to watch me hang myself, but I’m willing to take the risk.

I grab the gun and slowly open the door to the closet. Closing it behind me, I take a deep breath and turn on the light. If he catches me, at least I’m armed, but I’m quiet enough that I don’t think a small flash of light under the door will disturb him. My clothes lay in a pile on the floor. My boots and socks are the only part of my outfit he didn’t ruin.

Well, he didn’t leave me any option but to rob him, so that’s what I’m doing. The problem is that he’s well over a foot taller than me, but that’s okay, I’ll make do. Opening a few drawers, I find slacks and jeans. Those are a lost cause. There’s no way I can even walk in them, and I can’t leave here in just a shirt. Eventually, I find something perfect—a brand new pair of long johns with the tags still on.

I climb into them, finally, mercifully covering my naked body. The arms and legs are far too long, and the crotch sags so far I look like a kid, but I quickly fold them up and stuff my feet in the boots. That will have to work, seeing as I don’t have any other good options. I turn off the light before I open the door and silently pray he isn’t awake in the dark watching me as I sneak out. His bedroom door closes, and I’m standing in the hall where he spoke to his father.

By the time I close the second door gently behind me, I'm sure he’s not messing with me. I stand outside Wolf’s wing. The air not only smells different out here, it feels it too, and I can’t explain other than Wolf’s space is a lot more comfortable. The stairs he brought me up are to the right, I think, but instead, I go left. I’m not sure what my plan is exactly. Despite everything I learned today, a part of me still wonders about the electric company.

Is Wolf lying? Is it his father, and he just doesn’t know? I don’t know why I think I’m Sherlock Homes all of a sudden, but I found the address today, didn’t I? I never expected it to lead me here, but it did. The entire house is dark with the exception of a few night-lights. There aren’t any gas lamps or creaks in the floor. Everything here is immaculate and beautiful. It doesn't even make sense to have this clean look on the side of a mountain, but heck, it isn’t mine.

Wolf and I have lived far more different lives than I could have imagined, and his being a murderer is the least of it. Maybe there’s another reason I’m looking. Maybe after some rest, when I’m not feeling like I’m ten years old anymore, I’ll be up to ending things. The gun is steady in my hand, and for once, I feel like the stalking predator in the woods. I’m invading their territory for once, and I like it.

Wolf doesn’t work as far as I know. Most people out here have a trade or a hustle rather than steady employment, so maybe he does something with his time other than killing people and stalking me. I know so little about him that it’s impossible for me to say. After all this, I still don’t even know the man’s last name, but I plan to change that as I stop at the kitchen where a shelf of mail sits. A few letters reveal both their names. Carver Badgley and Wolf Badgley—I’ve never heard of either, and this is a very close-knit community. How strange .

Clearly, something is going on here, but why do I get the feeling it constantly circles back to me and my family? I know it's a federal offense, but I stuff the mail in my boot just in case they can help me later.

I pass through a dining room, open the door to a kitchen, and finally come to an ornate door very similar to the one Wolf took me through. My heart beats halfway out of my chest as I try the door and find it locked. I breathe deep before letting go, giving up, and turning around.

I’m disappointed, but I decide that failure is probably for the best, given I’m not sure I would have succeeded. Plus, I’m still not sure where Wolf’s loyalties really lie. Do I really need to watch him turn on me? Do I need to add that pain to all the others? I’ll get my revenge, but maybe I’m too afraid right now to bust a door down.

I turn back around and leave the way I came. My sense of daring has faded and given way to a deep unease that makes every step worse than the last. My self-preservation seems to have woken up quite a few minutes after I did, and now it’s getting my ass to Penny a bit too late.

I shouldn’t have wasted my time.

I pass Wolf’s wing and find the door cracked. Crap , I close it, not realizing I was foolish enough to leave it open. The stairs he carried me up sweep through the house with a dramatic curve, more important than my whole damn cabin. My heart beats painfully as I reach the last step.

The front door comes into view, and I simultaneously breathe a sigh of relief and choke on my fear. The entryway is grand, and there’s no choice but to expose my back to the dark as I head to the door. I’m going to make it. I’m going to get the hell out of here. My hand reaches for the knob, twisting, and finding this one unlocked.

“What are you doing in my house?” a terrifying voice asks me from the darkness.

I jump and yelp, turning to find the outline of Carver Badgley. My first instinct is to run, but then I remember I’ve got a gun in my hands, and this man killed my parents and my brother. He isn’t confusing like Wolf, who’s sweet, gentle, and cruel all at once. This man is everything I’ve hated and everything I want to kill.

I hold it up and cock it, wasting no time in my effort to finally bring justice to the man who ruined my life. Their family might have been doing this for a long time, but the man I’ve personally got a problem with is right here, and no legends, vendettas, or feuds matter but this one.

I pull the trigger, fully set on ending this. At the exact moment that I fire, Wolf hits the side of the gun, forcing the spray of shot off course. A masculine shout of pain comes from the space where Carver waited in the dark.

“She fucking shot me,” he grits, but it’s clear I haven’t had the impact that I wanted. The sound of his pain is so exciting, the chance to finally finish this too tempting to deny, so I hold the gun up to finish the job.

“Are you fucking crazy, Red? What are you doing?” Wolf shouts, getting between his father and me. Strong hands grip the weapon as he tries to pry the gun from my hands. He wrestles me until he pulls it free, and for a moment, I think that I’ve underestimated the situation so badly he’s going to use it on me right in front of his father.

Instead, he shouts, “Get the hell out of here!” at the top of his lungs. “Leave now!”

It's then I realize he’s not only defending his father. He’s also furious with me. His rage fills his eyes as I finally crossed his line. Wolf is officially my enemy. There’s no way in hell he’ll leave me without a way to defend myself. So rather than letting him take my gun, I kick him in the balls as hard as I can. Because I finally mean it, I don’t miss this time. My foot connects with the soft flesh, and he crumples to the ground. I grab my gun, not wasting any time listening to him and getting the hell out of his house.

It really pisses me off that I’m always listening to him.

My breaths come in pants as the front door slams shut behind me. I run into the night like my life depends on it because I’m sure neither Wolf nor his father is interested in giving me a painless death now. If he thought his father was going to torture me before, I’ve ensured that’s exactly what he’ll do if he gets his hands on me.

The manicured lawn gives way to the forest, and thankfully, the trees close out the ultra-revealing light of the stars. As far as I can tell, no one is following me yet, but I know that won’t last for long. It’s dark as hell as I move through the trees, and I’m glad I thought ahead and left the keys in the truck. I wouldn’t have them right now if I didn’t.

I’ve been getting myself into a lot of shit lately, so it seemed wise to plan for a hasty escape. Well, relatively hasty. In the dark, with the rough terrain and the multiple stumbles, it takes me about forty-five minutes to jog back to it. It reminds me of so many nights in the forest with Wolf, but this time is entirely different. This time, his kind gestures and surprisingly soft hands are meaningless.

When I get to the truck, I’m beyond relieved to find everything exactly how I left it. Jumping inside, I thank my lucky stars and quickly start her up. Time to get the hell out of here and figure out how I can survive long enough to take them down.

The long johns smell like Wolf’s cologne, and I memorize the scent because I’ll never enjoy it again.