Page 77 of Psyop Kings

Terror has me immobilized. If this man wants to keep me under his thumb, he can physically do it without blinking twice. Fighting him isn’t an option. I could probably scream, but I’m not sure my voice would carry all the way to Caius’s office.

And would he come save me?

They’re all monsters.

I force myself to relax, and thankfully, Gareth releases me. Spinning around to face him, I offer my fiercest glare, though he can’t see it. He bends over to retrieve the flashlight and then shines it in my eyes, blinding me.

“Come on,” he grunts. “This way.”

I follow after him because it’s not like I have a choice not to. He’ll just force me to do whatever it is he wants. While he walks, I pull my phone from my pocket and tug off my glove with my teeth so I can type a message to Theo.

Me: Gareth is taking me somewhere. He’s angry. Come find me, please.

Theo: On my way.

This family is full of liars, but I trust Theo to come through. He’s been the closest thing to an ally in this ordeal, which is ironic since he’s the one who got this ball in motion. I stuff my phone back into my pocket and put my glove back on before my fingers fall off from the cold. Gareth steps into an opening, gesturing at a cabin. It’s the same one Caius pointed out when he brought me to his home.

Gareth’s cabin.

The quaint place is lit up, all the windows glowing with light, promising warmth inside. I’m not exactly eager to escape the snowy hell we’re in to seek haven in his home. He’s losing his cool and thinks me to be responsible for it.

We walk onto the porch and stop several feet before the window. Gareth, arms crossed over his muscular chest, stares into the cabin, an unreadable expression on his face. I follow his gaze, my heart sinking at what I see.

A young girl, no more than six or seven, sits cross-legged on the rug, playing with Barbie dolls. She wears a small smile as she pretends to make her Barbie walk to the pink plastic doll car.

“Who’s that?” I croak out, unable to tear my gaze from the girl with the bouncy golden curls and rosy, chubby cheeks.

“Kaitlyn. My daughter.”

I blink several times as I process this information. “And you leave her all alone while you harass poor women in the woods?”

“She has a nanny.”

A woman’s voice calls out, but it’s muffled, so I can’t make out what she says. Kaitlyn tenses and her smile fades into a tiny frown. This sends a ripple of anxiety down my spine.

“She doesn’t look happy,” I blurt out. “Maybe you should check on her.”

“Nah, she’s fine. She loves the nanny.”

She loves the nanny.

A full-bodied shudder makes its way through my body. I swivel around, unable to look at the child inside any longer. It makes me nauseous and worried. I have too much to worry about already.

Headlights bounce through the trees, distracting me. Thank God. Theo will find me soon. Before I can set out to meet him, Gareth stops me again, grabbing both my shoulders. I stifle a scream as he manhandles me around to face him. A manic gleam shines in his eyes.

“Family is everything to me. Dad saved me—saved all of us—from the hell we came from.” He nods toward the window. “And then I saved her. Our entire existence relies on the closeness of our family. I refuse to let some outsider wreck everything for me.”

He’s threatening me.

“What are you saying?” I demand, a challenging tone in my voice. It’s easier to be brave knowing Theo will rescue me. “That I’m going to somehow take your adopted daughter away from you?”

Although, if I ever get out of here, would it be so bad if I got the child out of here too? This family is shrouded in darkness. Nothing good can come of it for Kaitlyn, especially when they keep company with other monsters like the murdering Solomon Grayhawk.

Gareth doesn’t have to answer my question. The barely hidden rage on his features tells me everything I need to know.He’ll kill me if he thinks I’ll somehow mess up his family dynamic. Just like a territorial grizzly. No fear, no hesitation, no regrets.

“Sometimes the worst people are the ones you trust the most,” I spit out, jerking out of his hold. “I’m not the problem here.”

Thankfully, Theo has pulled up close to the porch. I hurry to the passenger side and climb into the vehicle. Gareth stares through the windshield at me, a promise of a future discussion where we continue this threatening talk.

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