Page 27 of Big Gruff Owner

Before I can even process what’s happening, I hear heavy footsteps, and then he’s there—my father. The air in the room seems to get sucked out, and I’m frozen in place as his eyes lock onto mine. The sight of him is like a punch to the gut, and all the air whooshes out of my lungs.

“There you are,” he says, his voice low and menacing. “Thought you could run away from me, huh?”

The blood drains from my face as everything inside me turns to ice. My mouth opens, but no words come out. How did he find me? I was so careful. I did everything right—at least, I thought I did. Before I can move, he grabs my arm, his grip like iron. Pain shoots through my shoulder as he yanks me toward him. I try to pull back, but he’s so much stronger than me, and fear paralyzes me. I’ve had nightmares about this moment, but this is so much worse.

This is real.

“You thought you could just leave?” he growls, his face twisted in anger. “Run off to thisNathan?”

“I didn’t–I don’t…how did you get here?” The tears are already welling in my eyes, my vision blurring.

“Did you really think I wouldn’t come for you?” he grinds out, his hot breath fanning over my face. “You left your email logged into the home computer. It was only a matter of time before I figured out where you ran to.”

“Please, don’t—”

He slaps me across the face, the impact sending me stumbling. Pain explodes in my cheek and I can taste blood in my mouth. The tears finally spill over, hot and fast.

“Shut up and pack your things,” he snaps, his voice cold as ice. “We’re leaving.”

I’m trembling all over, my heart racing so fast it feels like it might burst. I want to scream, to fight back, but I know better. This is the man who controlled every part of my life for years, who made sure I knew exactly what would happen if I ever disobeyed. And here I am, facing the consequences of daring to escape.

“Please, I don’t want to go,” I whisper, my voice barely audible. But he hears me.

“I don’t care what you want,” he spits, shoving me toward my bedroom. “You’re coming home, and you’re going to forget about whatever foolishness you’ve been up to.”

I stumble up the stairs and into my room, the place that was supposed to be my sanctuary, now feeling like death row. My vision swims with tears as I start throwing clothes into a suitcase, my hands shaking so badly I can barely hold onto anything. I can hear him breathing behind me, heavy and angry, and the sound of it makes me sick.

How did this happen? How did everything go so wrong so fast? Just this morning, I was safe and happy, wrapped in Nathan’s arms. Now, it’s all falling apart.

“You think you’re an adult now, huh? Living on your own, doing whatever you please?” His voice drips with sarcasm. “You’re just a child, Sadie. You don’t know anything about the real world. You need me to keep you in line.”

I choke back a sob as I shove more clothes into the bag. The idea of going back to that house, back to the suffocating control and constant fear, is unbearable. But what can I do? I’m alone. Nathan doesn’t even know what’s happening. My stomach twists at the thought of him, the one person who made me feel safe, being completely unaware of the nightmare I’m living right now. God, he’ll probably think I just left him.

“Faster,” he barks, and I flinch, hurrying to zip up the suitcase even though it’s barely half full.

My mind races, searching for a way out, a way to delay this. But all I see are dead ends. He’s not going to let me go. He’s never going to let me go. He’s kept my mother under him for twenty years, why did I think I’d be any different?

“What the fuck do you think you’re doing?” My head snaps up at the voice that makes my heart pick up again. My father’s grip tightens on my arm, and I can see the fury flare in his eyes as he whirls around to face whoever dared to interrupt him.

And that’s when I see Nathan, his face hard as stone, eyes blazing with a fire I’ve never seen before. He’s here. He’s here and he looks like an avenging angel.

Chapter Seven

Nathan

Something was off. I knew it when I hadn’t heard from Sadie in hours, and it was gnawing at me like a dog on a bone. She’s usually good about texting, even just a quick message to let me know she’s okay, but when I knew she’d gotten off work—nothing. My gut told me something was wrong, and I’ve learned to trust my gut.

Thank god I did.

When I’d swung into our duplex’s parking lot, I’d seen the car, I’d seen the open door, and I knew without a doubt something was wrong. That old training kicked in without me even thinking about it. I’d moved quietly, slipping inside like I was back on a mission, every step measured, every sound noted. I didn’t even make it all the way through the front door when I heard her. The sobbing, the male voice screaming over hers. The living room was a mess and I knew they were upstairs.

What I didn’t expect was the scene I walked into.

She was tossing clothes into a suitcase like she was trying to get the hell out of dodge. But that’s not what had made the blood drain from my face and then boil over in fury. The handprint on her cheek, the split in her lip, the raw fear in her eyes.

I’m seeing red. Pure, unfiltered rage like I haven’t felt in years. No one fucking touches what’s mine. Sadie is mine, and whoever did this is about to learn just what a fucking mistake they’ve made.

“I’m going to ask again. What the fuck do you think you’re doing?”

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