Page 33 of Reckoning

Meyer

Madeline took off across the grass, faster than I had ever seen her move. I didn’t even realize at first, still dazed from the looks she’d given me, that it was Eva. Her mother. She must have seen Madeline at the same time I recognized her.

We both broke for Madeline at the same time.

I reached her just a moment before, grabbing her around the waist and spinning her away as her mother’s arms reached to grab her, hug her, steal her back. Joshua had Eva a moment later, pulling her arms behind her body. Madeline kicked and screamed as I lifted her off the ground. I tried to keep us both upright as I lurched toward the house, but she threw everything she had into her fight.

“Let me go!” I could hear the tears in her voice as she strained back toward her mother, her father now trying to overtake us only to be torn down by two more security. I didn’t waste my breath with words; there was no point in it anyway. There was nothing I could say to her now that would make this better.

Somehow, I got her into the house. She fought me every step of the way, aiming her nails for my face and eyes until I finally threw her into the bathroom and locked the door from the outside using the flimsy key.

“Let me out of here, Meyer!” Her fists beat against the door with incessant force; the door was heavy and thick, but it still shook from the force of her fight. She pulled on the handle with everything she had. The hinges trembled, but they weren’t going to give. I was less sure about the doorknob. Ignoring her screaming, I left the bedroom and locked that door as well for good measure.

Pausing at a mirror hung in the hallway, I examined my reflection. My lips and face still felt warm from the exertion of her fight, and my hair was mussed from where she had grabbed it. I smoothed myself as best I could.

The scene outside had barely subsided. The security had their Tasers out, aimed at both of Madeline’s parents, who were still fighting even though they were both on the ground with their arms pinned behind them. I crossed my arms, adopting the most intimidating stance I could manage, but I never got a chance to speak.

“Was this all that needed to happen for you to come back?”

Madeline’s mother froze on the ground, but her father fought even harder. Conrad appeared out of nowhere and walked over to Eva and motioned to Joshua to let her up. He offered her his hand, which she ignored while she rolled away from him, rushing to her husband. Even with a knee in his back, he was putting up a fight. There was dirt on his face.

Eva and I locked eyes. If she had looked sad before, she was devastated now. I grabbed that warped piece of emotion deep inside me and twisted it, gloating in the pain entrenched in her features.

You will never live through this.

She opened her mouth, and I braced myself for her fury. But when she spoke, her words weren’t what I expected.

“I’m sorry, Meyer.”

I took a full step back, reeling. I felt like I had been slapped.

Her husband’s head whipped around to look at her, snarling. “Don’t apologize to him, Eva.” The brute pushed his head into the ground again.

“Joseph, quiet.” She was crying, ugly, tears and snot running down her face in torrents. She turned her attention back to me. “I’m so sorry, little lamb. I abandoned you.”

The ice in my veins cracked. Not because it was warming. Because it suddenly froze deeper than ever before. It was straining against my capillaries, tearing me apart from the inside.

“Don’t fucking call me that,” I growled. Madeline was suddenly the furthest thing from my mind. I wanted to destroy Eva, beat her face to an unrecognizable pulp. I felt my short fingernails digging into my palms as I struggled to hold myself back.

“You lost that right long ago.” My head turned so quickly my eyes followed seconds later to focus on my father standing only a few feet away. Eva and Joseph were both still now. Conrad walked to Eva and twirled a finger through her dark hair. She looked sick. Joseph was shaking with rage.

But me … every ounce of anger was gone. I was vibrating with something else.

Conrad grabbed Eva’s face and kissed her, nothing soft. She tried to jerk away but was completely immobilized. Joseph was bleeding as he thrashed on the ground.

My father stepped back but still held Eva’s face, studying her. “It’s been too long, my dear.”

“A million years wouldn’t be long enough.” The words sounded forced; he was holding her jaw so tight I was surprised it didn’t snap. My brain rocked with a million flashbacks, vision blurring and fading to black. I coughed, trying to regain my composure.

Conrad walked away, circling the intruders. Eva desperately tried to follow him with her head, but Joshua didn’t let her move much. Conrad kicked up dust as he studied first her, then her husband, and finally me.

“How did you find this place, Eva?” He was looking at me but spoke to his former mistress. “It wasn’t built when you lived here. And I don’t think you found it just driving around.”

When she didn’t answer, he spun around quickly and slapped her. Joseph screamed epithets.

“Will you shut him up?” Conrad looked at Joseph like he was something distasteful, roadkill crawling with maggots. One of the brutes released him to gag him with a cloth pulled from his back pocket. As if he just walked around with gags on his person.

Turning his attention back to Eva, Conrad ran his fingers tenderly over the red mark on her cheek. Her hair was just as long as Madeline’s.

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