Hetaughtme. Spent time with me. Investedinme. I’ve never…had anyone do that before.
Never felt wanted. Until them.
For fucks sake, I need to stop overthinking this.
I lead Bruno out by the reins, careful, avoiding the crunch of gravel. Every step feels like walking through wet cement, like something is trying to drag me back. I make it to the edge of the property, where the thick trees gather like guardians. Because they know this place is…sacred.
I pull out the compass. North. It was the direction Vincent and Seth took with the truck toward the city. North is freedom. North is away.
I mount up, my legs trembling so hard, I nearly miss the stirrup. Bruno huffs, sensing my nerves. I click my tongue, guiding him to the narrow trail just beyond the outer cabins. My mind screams with visions of Raphael prowling the woods, ready to rip me right off the horse and throw me back in the pit. Especially since I stole his cap. It secures my hair in its messy bun, keeping my curls out of my face.
No, he won’t care. Why would he? Amusement can’t last forever. He’s still a psycho. Devoid of empathy, of love. It’s his Kinship Law. He can break it at any time. He can break me anytime.
Crickets chirp, distant owls hoot, and branches crack all around me. Every sound feels sharper. I press my thighs into Bruno’s sides until he walks, steady. Once I’m far enough, I ease him into a trot, finding the trees thinning after about twenty minutes. The trail splits off into multiple others, and there is one dirt road…with old tire tracks.
But the farther I go…the more my stomach knots. My lungs struggle for breath. It’s like every step away from those cabins isn’t pulling me toward freedom, but shoving me closer to something else. The open world feels bigger, darker, lonelier.
I should feel lighter. I should feel wild and victorious. Instead…I feel hollow.
Like freedom stayed back there.
I clench the reins tighter, my throat burning.You’re just scared. You’re free now. You’re free.
It doesn’t feel like it. My insides feel rotten. Maybe the cage isn’t the cabins.
Maybe it’s me.
40
Vincent
“WE WILL HUNT HER DOWN. AND REMIND HER.”
Citizen Soldier Playlist
“I Hate Myself”
“Letdown”
“Figure Me Out”
Shitfuckingshit!
I scrub a hand down my face while clutching Briella’s note as Pew Pew waddles around my cabin after crawling out of the box. A controlled rage heats my blood because part of me wants to find her, throw her over my shoulder, and chain her to the main cabin bed.
Another partunderstands. I would get the same way between fights. Itchy. Restless. Like something inside me was ready to snap…and break. So many times, I considered running, but I couldn’t. Not with mouths to feed. My foster brothers, my family.
It’s not light outside. The skunk woke me up with his snuffling. I don’t know how far she’s gotten, how long she’s been gone.
Throwing on my hoodie and a pair of quick jeans, I charge out of the cabin, then hear the sound of whinnying from the barn. Oh no. Shit, no. Please, fucking no.
Guilt rips through my chest when I find Bruno gone. “God, this is all my fault.” I rake my fingers through my hair, digging into my scalp. I never should have taught her to ride.
“It’s not your fault.”
I snap my head up, finding Raphael’s silhouette standing in the doorway of the barn, already dressed. Except, he’s not in his vintage gangster outfit. Oh, hell, he’s wearing hishuntingclothes.
“Raph, I can go.” I gesture to our mare, Angel, ready to saddle her up at any moment. “Let me bring her back.”
