Page 39 of Single Mom’s Undoing (Lucky Lady Reverse Harems #1)

CLARA

“ P lease, Margot, you have to let us go.”

I try to plead with her. Maybe she’ll come through for us, for once. Bill told the sheriff that she’s loyal, but maybe she’ll choose a different path.

“You don’t have to tell anyone that you saw us,” I add.

“Don’t be silly,” she says. “No one knows I’m up here.”

I stare at her for a moment. “What?”

“This is our summer house, Clara. I know every way in and out of this place. Carter and I used to slip in and out all the time, especially during his high school years. He’d sneak out in the middle of the night to hang with Jace, Damon, and Stephan.

And I’d piggyback because I had such a crush on your brother. ”

Suddenly, a different image of the whole dynamic comes into focus .

Margot no longer strikes me as an extension of Bill Lockwood but as the doe-eyed girl who fell in love with Stephan. They were thick as thieves growing up. There was a time when I was actually fond of her.

“What are you trying to tell me?” I ask with a trembling voice as Matty quietly clings to me.

“Are we still on a secret mission, Momma?” he whispers.

Margot gives him a weak smile. “We sure are, kiddo.”

“Okay, I’m confused. You left us hanging the other day?—”

“I didn’t know how to react,” she cuts me off. “He’s still my father. I couldn’t just turn against him. I didn’t believe you at first.”

“And now do you believe me?”

She nods. “I’m sorry. And I will make it up to you and Matty, provided we get you out of here first. So come on. Let’s go before his goons notice my face on the security cameras.”

“I thought you said you know every way in and out of this place.”

“I do, but I couldn’t evade every single camera,” she says. “The old man beefed up the security measures this past year, it seems. But it’s okay. I can still get you both out before the Feds get here.”

“The Feds?”

Margot grins broadly. “Did you really think Carter would take any of this sitting down, Clara? The guys are coming, but we need to make sure you’re off the property when SWAT comes banging down the doors and things get hairy. ”

“Matty, honey, our secret mission is on,” I tell my boy. “You need to hold me tight and not let go, no matter what. Okay?”

“Okay, Momma.”

“God, he is such a good boy,” Margot sighs, smiling.

She exits the room first, and I follow. We move through the hallway, light on our feet and quiet as mice as we head for the service stairs.

“Through here,” she whispers as she opens a door to our left just before the staircase unwinds ahead.

“What’s this?” I ask.

“Our father didn’t build this house. It’s a late-nineteenth-century construction,” she explains. “Used by bootleggers to smuggle wine and port through the county.”

I follow her into the guest room.

It’s quaint. Rustic plaid textiles are splayed across the bed. The walls are white, with elegant ceiling lights and a tasteful mishmash of country chic that works well with an abundance of natural light. But it’s the antique dresser that’s got Margot’s attention.

“Problem is, I haven’t used this hatch in a while, so I don’t know if it’s still in good condition or not,” she says, then opens the dresser and yanks the clothes out, throwing them on the bed.

“A hatch?”

“See?” She points to a secret door mounted at the back of the dresser. She removes the small bronze latch and pries it open to reveal a second door—a simple thick layer of wood mounted into the wall. “It leads downstairs into the basement.”

“Oh, wow,” Matty mumbles. “A secret door!”

“Does your father know about these secret routes?” I ask Margot.

“He knows about some, but not all of them,” she replies. “This room hasn’t been renovated since before Mom died, so I’m guessing he’s not aware of this one. Let me see if I can still open it.”

As she struggles with a much older latch, I can’t help but express my gratitude. “Thank you so much for this, Margot.”

“Don’t thank me yet,” she grunts as she pulls the pin out of a rusty wall ring. “Ah, finally. Damn, that hurt my fingers.”

“I was wondering where you’d gone,” Bill’s voice booms across the room.

It startles Margot, and she jumps away from the dresser, while I hold Matty close, turning around to face our monster. Bill stands in the doorway, looking darkly confident in his slacks and grey shirt. Behind him, I see Laura and Wyatt, his trusted goons, throwing cold glares at us.

“Dad,” Margot manages, caught off guard and shaking like a leaf all of a sudden.

“You’ve been a very bad girl, honey,” Bill says.

“What are you doing up here?” she asks.

He narrows his eyes at her. “Well, I saw you sneaking onto the property a few minutes ago. The CCTV system is hooked with motion sensors and alerts that get sent straight to my phone,” he pauses to show us his smartphone.

“These things are fantastic, I swear. Technology is moving so damn fast. What are you doing up here, Margot?”

“Just moving Clara to a better room,” she replies.

We both know he’s not buying it, though.

“I had higher hopes for you,” Bill grumbles and shakes his head in disappointment. “Take them all downstairs,” he tells his henchmen.

Laura and Wyatt come into the room, both of them stiff and dead-eyed as they approach us. Margot steps in front of Matty and me.

“Dad don’t do this. Come on, it’s gone too far. This isn’t right and you know it.”

“Bring them into the living room. It’s time for Clara to make her decision and tell us if she’s leaving this house on her own or with her feet pointed upward,” Bill decrees.

I want to fight them, but Matty is already trembling in my arms, quiet and intimidated by Wyatt and Laura. He’s afraid of them, and I can’t blame him after how these two picked us up in Baker City to begin with.

“It’s going to be okay,” I whisper in my son’s ear.

Margot yanks her arm back from Wyatt’s grip. “I can walk on my own, thanks!”

I feel as though I’m being unkindly escorted to my own execution. There is no sympathy in Laura’s eyes. No hesitation on Wyatt’s part either. I see their holstered guns. I notice the speed with which they obey Bill’s orders .

As we walk past him and out the door, I can feel his hateful eyes on me.

“And get the property administrator on the phone,” he shouts from behind us. “There are some holes that need patching up, it seems.”

“It’s not over yet,” Margot whispers to me.

But as we’re unceremoniously escorted down the service stairs and into the main living room, I can’t help but wonder how much time I’ve got left on this earth.

Once we’re in the living room, the entire atmosphere shifts.

I stand close to the sofa, where Matty sits. I’m ready to whisk him up and bolt out of here if I have to, and I know that it’s precisely what I might end up doing.

Margot stays by my side, determined to make herself heard. “You can’t do this, Dad! It’s not right!”

Laura and Wyatt remain by the open archway connecting the living room to the foyer, giving Bill a pair of respectful nods as he joins us.

“Yet here I am, doing it,” he tells Margot. “I am disappointed in you, child. I thought you had a lick of sense left in you. I’m guessing Emmanuel’s departure rotted the rest of your brain. You’ve never fared well with abandonment.”

“This is kidnapping,” she reminds him, but I can tell that his words cut her deep. “Carter is on to you. He knows you’ve got Clara and Matty. ”

“Momma, what’s happening?” my son asks.

“We’re going to be okay, honey,” I whisper and gently pat the top of his head. “Just keep quiet and let Momma handle this.”

“You’re past handling anything,” Bill says to me. “Laura here has prepared your parting gift. Just take it and leave. A driver is waiting outside to take you out of state.”

Laura smirks and holds up a black duffel bag. She opens it for me to see the wads of cash stashed inside. It only serves to roil my stomach and make me want to puke.

“I’m not taking your money. And I’m certainly not leaving my son behind,” I tell him. “Get that out of your delusional head.”

“Dad, please,” Margot insists. “For the love of God. Just let them go. The Feds are coming. Take the kidnapping charge off, at least.”

“I know the Feds are coming,” Bill snarls.

“And I know Carter is in the loop. I figured that much the moment I caught you trying to sneak this stubborn woman and my grandson out of here. Keep your mouth shut, Margot, for once in your goddamn life, and do as you’re told.

Otherwise, I will cut you out of the will entirely. ”

“Screw the will, Dad. This is unconscionable.”

“You forget who I am,” Bill replies. “I always get what I want. No matter the cost. Don’t be part of that cost, Margot. You’re my daughter, but if you stand in my way?—”

“You’ll do what, Bill? Whack her over the head like you did my brother?

” I cut in. “How’d that work out? Here we are, on the verge of an avoidable tragedy, and you still think you’re calling the shots.

If Carter knows you have us, you bet your saggy old ass he’s on his way over here.

Tell me you don’t know what that entails! ”

The sound of heels click through the hallway, and my blood runs cold.

“Leave now, Clara, or I will make you leave,” Bill insists through gritted teeth. I know he can hear her coming, too.

“What the…” Margot mutters as she sees Elizabeth.

Elizabeth storms into the living room, her face and neck red from the tea burns. Her eyes are round and fiery with rage as she holds up the kitchen knife, eager to pick up where she left off.

“You fucking fat bitch!” she snarls as soon as she sees me.

“Elizabeth, what are you?—”

“Shut up, Bill!” she cuts him off. “This is personal!”

“Momma!” Matty screams, terrified as he jumps from the sofa and into my arms. “Momma, I’m scared!”

“Drop him and let’s finish this!” Elizabeth sneers.

Laura and Wyatt move to flank her, but Bill smirks and motions for them to stand back. Margot notices and steps in between us again.