Page 17

CHAPTER 17

L awson's house was dark when Nathan dropped me off at home that night. I desperately wanted to go see him and know he was okay, but I could feel eyes on me as Nathan walked me up to the door and planted a hard kiss on my lips.

"I hope you enjoyed our special night," Nathan told me.

"I did," I lied. "Despite the rough beginning."

Nathan frowned as if he didn't even remember, but then apparently decided he didn't care to ask. I was pretty sure it was an act; Nathan was smarter than he let on.

He gave me another kiss, then reached to open the front door. When he closed the door behind me, it felt as if he were sealing me in.

I turned to find Rose reading on the couch right under the picture window. Her book was open but she had a familiar guilty expression as if she'd been eavesdropping.

I backed away from the door, letting out a shaky breath now that Nathan wasn’t staring at me.

"Amelia, what really happened to Curtis?"

"I don't know. He probably ran off."

"Did Nathan hurt him?"

I debated, realizing that if people suspected Nathan had killed Curtis, no one would ever investigate the paths that could lead them to Brennan. "I don't think so. He's... possessive...but I don't know why he would kill Nathan."

She looked dissatisfied. "Curtis wasn't a good man."

I didn't want to answer, not when the memory of Curtis’s bloody throat rose in my mind, but she already knew what I’d thought.

"Do you love Nathan?"

I shook my head.

"Then why are you marrying him?"

If Lawson was still going to follow the plan, then we'd leave late tonight. But I didn't know for sure. He might have backed out after tonight's beating.

He might not be able to help me after tonight’s beating. My stomach twisted, desperate to go to Lawson and check on him, but I needed to stay away for both our sakes.

"Life is complicated," I told my sister, sitting beside her on the couch. I wanted to hug her goodbye, but if my mother caught us, she might be suspicious, so I had to be careful. "Sometimes it's hard to find our way to a happy ending. But we have to try. Even if it's scary."

She stared at me. "You make no sense."

"I know.” I dared to hug her, and she seemed perplexed but she still wrapped her arms around me, then patted my shoulder.

That night at one o'clock, Aiden tapped on my bedroom door. I met him in the hallway, my heart already pounding with anxiety.

"Have you talked to Lawson?" I asked, glancing through the window at the empty house.

He nodded. "He's still in. More than ever... he wants to protect you from Nathan. I think he still loves you, Amelia."

That was more than I could cope with at the moment.

As we reached the front door, Aiden eased it open carefully. Headlights swept past us: the car that was always watching was pulling away down the road.

"Brennan texted that he sent some of his pack to patrol along our pack territory," Aiden explained briefly. "He hoped it would pull them away."

I stepped outside, and was surprised to see Lawson waiting.

His face looked puffy and swollen, and I gasped, but he tried to smile. "Time to go. Are you ready?"

“I’m going to stay here to distract them if they come back,” Aiden told me. “Good luck, sis.”

I hugged him goodbye, but he barely squeezed me back before he pushed me away. “You’ve got to go,” he said, his voice rough. I would’ve taken it badly but I knew my little brother, knew how he sounded when he was choked with emotion.

“Good luck,” I told him too, then I followed Lawson, my heart pounding in my ears.

I was barely aware of the cool night air on my face as we rushed through the woods, fearful to avoid any eyes that might be watching us.

The farther away from pack territory we got, the safer I felt, until finally Lawson and I stopped at the edge of the highway. I looked up at the stars twinkling above us and suddenly felt free for the first time in weeks.

Lawson smiled at me, his face illuminated by the silvery light of the moon. "We made it this far."

It was only then that I realized how scared I had been; tears pricked my eyes and streamed down my cheeks without warning.

Lawson took me into his arms and held me tightly while I sobbed against his chest. After a few minutes, he tensed, then let go of me.

A car was coming down the road, its headlights sweeping down the cement.