Page 39 of Hunter's Trial

I strain to see where Liz has gone off to. I think she’s developing quite a crush on Henry. He’s been doing such a great job taking care of her all evening. Where did they go?

Ah, there they are. Henry’s guiding Liz by the hand into the elaborate hedge maze just behind the party.

How cute.

I just know that she’s going to be talking about nothing but Henry for the next few weeks. Just the moon eyed way that she’s watching him is so telling. She certainly doesn’t talk about any of the little boys from school in that way. I bet the conversations at the breakfast table are going to be riveting.

I start to head to the entrance of the hedge maze that Henry and Liz just went into. I'm just making sure that there’s an adult within reach if they need anything.

Then, I hear Liz scream.

I would know her voice anywhere. I swear I run right out of the heels that I’m wearing. I don’t care about the fact that I’m going to have grass-stained feet as I tear off into the maze without thinking. Panic pumps into my blood as I blindly move around the hedge maze with nothing but the moon to guide me. Where did it come from? Where is she? Is Henry still with her? Are they okay?

“Mommy!” She yells and I turn in the direction that I hear the scream.

Fuck. What if I’m not fast enough? That’s not a scream from falling or hurting herself. That’s a bone chilling sort of terror. My stomach clenches as bile rises at the back of my throat.

I spot her, the hem of her dress and one of her white buckle shoes moving around a corner and I race after her. “Liz!” I scream after her as the maze opens up into a clearing that I didn’t notice before and I see who has her.

Billy.

Of course it’s Billy.

Liz is kicking and screaming at him as he throws our daughter up and over his shoulder. “Stop squirming you little bitch.” He growls at her over her shouts of protest.

She sees me now. I can see it. She screams and reaches for me and I think that I’m going to be sick.

Liz bites him. She bites her father and he shouts in pain before dropping her to the ground. I try to make it to her, to scoop her up into my arms. He can do anything to me so long as he leaves her alone. That’s the only thing that matters. But Billy is faster than I am.

He snatches Liz by the arm. “Stay back, whore.” Billy hisses.

It’s the first time that I really see how fucked up he is. Nikolai messed up his face. His jaw and left eye are so swollen that he can barely open it. His jaw is so swollen that he’s slurring his speech and he’s got stitches over his left eye from where Nikolai’s fists must have broken his skin. No doubt there’s plenty of bruised or broken ribs under there as well.

A wounded animal is always more dangerous.

I freeze exactly as he commands me to.

“I knew that you were going to be here.” Billy laughs, spittle flying out of his mouth. “They told me that you were going to be here.”

They? Who are they? I can’t tell if asking that question is what he wants me to do, or if it will only piss him off more.

“Don’t you want to know who?” Billy grins as if it’s just some big joke that our daughter is sobbing and her small hand is reaching desperately for me. How does this not tear his heart in two? He’s her father!

“You’re not the only one who can play around with the mob, darling.” Billy chuckles. “Di Gennaro’s clan scooped me up after your little boyfriend did such a fucking number on me. What a coward, jumping people in the fucking dark. As if he has any right to get in between us!”

“That’s not… Billy… please… just let her go and we can talk.” I beg. I hate how weak I sound. In the past, he used to be somewhat reasonable if I could just talk him down. He just needs to say his piece and then he will calm down. Maybe. If I’m very, very careful.

“Who was he, huh, whore?” Billy asks, demanding information that I can’t give him. That I don’t want to give him. I knew he would never give a damn about the restraining order I have. “You left me and took my property away from to move on that damned quickly?!”

Everything has to be about him. Always.

“No!” I lie. “No, never that.” I will say just about anything to make sure that Liz and I walk away from this. Somebody is going to come looking for us. Maybe Henry has already run to get help.

“Do you think that I’m fucking stupid?” Billy snarls, yanking on Liz’s arm and making her yelp.

Something in me snaps.

He doesn’t care about us. He never has. I have to protect her. I have to get her away from him. Right now. No more placations. The longer he talks the more that he’s going to talk himself up and the more likely that he is to do something.

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