It felt wrong saying that when there was an array of fires happening all across town, but I refused to let Cameron haunt me anymore. Between therapy and my pack, I tried not to let guilt hit me.
These were his actions, not mine.
As the guys liked to remind me, stress wasn’t good for the baby, so I’ve been doing my best to keep myself on task, burying myself in work, and keeping things normal at home for Phoenix.
I had an appointment today and I knew seeing my baby on the screen and hearing that heartbeat going strong would chase away everything else.
It was just a normal check up, but the guys insisted on coming. Honestly, I loved how invested they were in my pregnancy and our family.
They were just the right mix of overbearing, the kind that made me feel loved and seen without suffocating me completely.
“Hey, Bea! We’ve got those books in you were waiting on,” Taryn called out.
“Yes!” I shouted, rushing back to the front of the shop. I’d ordered a new set of teen books for Phoenix that I’d heard about online. I hoped she loved them. All the reviews were fairly positive and people were gushing about it.
As much as Phoenix lost herself in music lately, she also always had time for reading. It quickly became our thing after dinner. We’d sit by the firepit and read a few chapters together.
Every day she was here, she seemed to bloom a little more. Her snarky, but playful, personality shined through now. She wasn’t afraid to voice her opinions and argue when she felt something wasn’t right. She had a voice now and I hoped she never lost it again.
Both of us had a lingering fear that Dee would show back up, but we simply couldn’t borrow trouble. Something I had to remind myself of, often. I had a backup plan regardless.
“The covers are even more beautiful in person,” Dani gushed as I walked in. She spread them out on the counter so we could appreciate all of them together.
“Oh, wow,” I breathed out, taking in the vibrant colors and foil accents. The cover art was perfect.
“Tell me you ordered extras for the shop,” I said. “You know these are going to go fast.”
“Of course, I did,” Taryn said with a smirk. “I even snagged a set for the twins’ future shelf.”
“Your guys better build onto that old farmhouse,” I teased. “You’re gonna need an extra library just for them.”
She rolled her eyes but didn’t argue. We both knew it was true.
A loud, metallic clink had us looking at each other in shock. We all turned to the front doors, trying to figure out what happened. Dani and I were already moving when something shiny reflected in the afternoon sun.
Then a figure in a hoodie sprinted off, giving us a glimpse of his build and nothing more.
My stomach sank as I ran towards the door, trying to push it open, only to realize I couldn’t. Whatever was shining in the light was now wrapped around the door handles.
Chains. What the fuck.
“No, no, no, no,” I said before yelling out to the others. “Go check the back door.”
Dani ran to the back while Taryn grabbed her phone, speaking frantically into it. Holt had only walked down the street for lunch, we were alone only a few minutes. How could this happen?
The sick part was I knew that answer.
“Somebody’s chained the front door,” I croaked out, trying not to panic.
Dani walked back in, her face pale now. “Not just the front,” she admitted, her voice shaking. “The back door won’t budge. Something’s blocking it.”
I took a deep breath, trying to calm myself when an awful scent hit me. It had that burning smell of a gasoline fire.
“No, no, no,” I whimpered as realization sank in. It took everything in me not to let the awful memories hit me. The ones I spent years burying away.
My fingers shook as I pulled my phone out, calling the emergency line. I’d have to call the pack after, we had minutes and we were trapped.
They barely gave me the usual greeting when I started spilling out details.
