Page 37 of Single Mom’s Undoing (Lucky Lady Reverse Harems #1)

CLARA

S lowly, I poke my head through the kitchen door and breathe a sigh of relief. None of the guards was anywhere near enough to hear Elizabeth’s scream before I caused her to pass out. I glance back at her, briefly feeling sorry for the bright red splotches on her face, neck, and chest.

Quietly, I sneak down the main hallway, hiding behind a grandfather clock when one of the guards passes by.

The entire space is cluttered with antique furniture and decorations, statuettes, and Chinese vases overflowing with flowers, an overwhelming array of details that makes it easier for me to go unnoticed.

I wait for the guard to pass through and watch him head down the hallway, praying he doesn’t stop by the kitchen, then I cross the lounge area and slip into another corridor. It’s narrower, leading to the east side of the villa.

Bill’s voice reverberates from one of the doors to my right.

I stop just outside and listen, holding my breath .

“Sheriff, I don’t pay you to just warn me about these things, I pay you to keep them away from me,” he shouts into the phone.

“I don’t fucking care if it’s the White Collar Division.

I don’t care if it’s the Feds or anyone else.

You don’t work for them; you work for me.

And you need to get those fools at the DA’s office in line, too. Get Judge Kacy to cooperate.”

The noose must be tightening around his neck.

Glancing over my shoulder to make sure no one is coming, I stick around and try to listen some more.

“I know my son has already been poking around, looking for her,” he continues.

“I hope you sent him off in a different direction. Good; throw him off my scent. Margot’s been loyal so far, and something tells me she’ll stay that way, now that she knows I’ve got Matthew lined up for the inheritance. Yes, I’m at the summer house.”

The summer house. I remember Carter mentioning it more than once.

It’s where the entire Lockwood family would retreat for the months of July and August. There should be a huge peach orchard just half a mile down the road.

Matty and I could go through there to reach the interstate, where I can flag down a car down and ask the driver to let me use their phone and call the state troopers.

“I don’t care what the Feds want!” Bill shouts. “They’ve got nothing on me. Just don’t let them get anywhere near the judge. I’ll handle the rest.”

I hear him slam the phone down. It’s my cue to leave.

Making my way to the end of the corridor, I come upon the service stairs. They lead up to the first floor, where my room is. But there’s also a glass door here, at the bottom, giving me direct access to the garden. I turn the knob and realize it’s unlocked—an oversight perhaps?

Or are they really that confident I’d be unable to escape their clutches that locking every door is simply unnecessary?

It doesn’t matter.

I step out and look around as the morning sun hits my face and warms my cheeks. For a moment, I’m tempted to smile. It would be nice to wake up to something like this every day—the honeysuckle bushes blooming, their scent filling the air with a familiar sweetness.

Three guards are in the garden, including Laura.

I could sneak along the fence and use the flower bushes for cover in order to reach the back side of the property. I would need to be careful with the surveillance cameras, though.

With a deep sigh, I go back inside and rush up the service staircase until I reach the first floor. A guard walks along the hallway and away from my position. Carefully and quietly, I move toward Matty’s room.

I find him awake, looking around in slight confusion.

“Hey, baby,” I say as I close the door behind me. “How long have you been up?”

“I just woke up, Momma. Where are we?”

“Do you remember last night?”

He nods slowly, still groggy from sleep, his hair an adorable mess. “Yeah, a little.”

“We moved to another house with a pretty garden and a huge peach orchard,” I reply, smiling softly as I put his things back in the go bag, checking his inhaler in the process. “Would you like to see it?”

“Peaches?”

“Yes.”

His eyes widen with excitement. “Can I eat them?”

“Sure you can.”

“Yay!”

“But we have to be quiet,” I whisper. “No one can know, okay?”

Matty gives me a confused look. “Momma, are we doing a secret mission? You’re whispering.”

We used to play this game a lot whenever we were in the doctor’s waiting room.

Matty would get fussy around other people and crying children, so I’d get him to play pretend, imagining that we were on a secret mission and that nobody could hear or see us.

It would keep him busy for a handful of minutes, at least.

I wonder if we can pull it off and escape Bill Lockwood’s clutches.

“It’s a secret mission, yes. Can I count on you, little man?” I ask him with a serious tone, and he nods enthusiastically.

“Yeah!”

“Cool. Then let’s get you dressed. We’re sneaking out of here and going to the peach orchard.”

Five minutes later, I’ve got Matty clinging to me like a spider monkey, the go bag hanging from my shoulder.

Deep breaths, Clara. You’ve got this. You can do this .

Yet no matter how many times I tell myself that, I still feel afraid.

Courage was never the absence of fear, though.

My life and my son’s entire future depend on what I’m going to do next.

Suddenly, the door opens, and Margot walks in.

I freeze in the middle of the room, and she gives me a hard look.

“What the hell are you doing, Clara?” Margot asks.

There’s no right answer here to get me out of trouble. It’s obvious that I am about to escape, and Margot is standing in my way. As much as I’ve tried to shield Matty from the violence that has been threatening us for so long, I fear that the only way forward for us now is through.