Page 116 of Stone

“Please, Robert. No,” I whispered.

I felt a hand smooth my hair and Robert’s voice crooning, “It’s okay, Elise. Go to sleep. It’ll all be over soon.”

Then everything went black.

Chapter Thirty-One

Stone

I’d been back in Hambleton for eighteen-hours.

Eight of them were spent sleeping. Three of them were spent at the hospital getting my dressings changed. The remaining seven I’d spent looking for Elise.

Stevie said she’d left town months ago, and nobody had heard from her, just the proverbial grapevine saying she’d married Henderson and they had a son. Her mom was visiting relatives. The mayor was on vacation, and Robert’s friends all gave me worried looks and told me she thought I’d died and moved on.

But I still couldn’t work out why she wasn’t here. She must’ve heard I was back, and she must’ve known I was alive. Why hadn’t she come to talk to me? Didn’t she care?

I asked the brothers what they’d heard, but they didn’t go to town much and certainly didn’t socialize with the locals. They looked shifty, so I suspected they were keeping their mouths shut about something, but they all closed ranks around my dad and repeated that she’d married someone else and had a baby.

Despite being more certain about Elise than anyone else in my life, my faith in ‘us’ began to fade. Still, I knew her soul-deep and reckonedhewas keeping her away. I made up excuse after excuse, conjuring up scenarios in my head where she was trying to get to me but couldn’t. Keeping up the pretense until Stevie called the clubhouse and relayed that he’d overheard Pete andHarry discussing Henderson’s return to town while he waited in line at the coffee shop.

He’d built a new house over near the new gated community near the Country Club, and I knew that was my next port of call.

As much as I worried, I never gave up on her, not really, and in my heart, I knew she’d never give up on me, either. So, I jumped into Bessie and drove in the direction Stevie told me to.

It was time to get my ol’ lady back.

The big white house was ostentatious as fuck, and I couldn’t believe my Leesy would wanna live in it. What made me pause, though, were the big, metal security gates and the guards who patrolled them.

Why the hell would Robert Henderson need this level of protection? I knew he had money. He never hid the fact, but did he have that much that he required armed guards?

Doubtful.

I introduced myself at the gate, and within seconds, it opened for me. My gut churned as I drove Bessie through, suddenly noticing how scruffy my truck seemed when I parked it next to the sleek lines of Henderson’s black BMW and the brand-new silver Porsche parked beside it.

For the first time since I’d been home, a dark sliver of doubt crept into my mind. I couldn’t offer Elise anything like this. All I could give her was a farmhouse, a rough motorcycle club, and a small auto shop.

However, I pushed all my doubts aside, pulled my shoulders back, walked toward the huge double front doors, and rang the bell.

I knew my girl better than that. She was mine, after all.

Elise

“Remember,” Robert hissed. “Keep your mouth shut, or I’ll signal the guards to shoot him where he stands.” He leaned down to my ear, caressing it with his lips. “It’d be a shame to kill the scumbag when he’s only just risen from the dead.”

A cold shiver ran down my spine. “Don’t you threaten him.”

He grabbed my cheeks and came close. “We’ve gone over it a thousand times. I know you’re stupid, but even you can’t get this one wrong.” He pulled back slightly, smirking. “And if you do fuck up, he’s a dead man. Now, get rid of him and make sure he doesn’t come back, or your bastard daughter will suffer. She’s getting big, Elise. You should see her. If you’re good, I’ll arrange for you to get another photograph this weekend.” He nodded to the front door. “Make sure you comply.”

I stared disbelievingly up at the monster I’d married. The same man who’d taken my daughter and was using her as leverage to keep me from going back to John. The same vile human who threatened an innocent baby girl on a daily basis to keep me under his thumb and do his bidding.

It was working. For now, I’d play my part, but as soon as I could get away and meet John secretly, I’d tell him everything. In the meantime, I had to make Robert believe he was winning, at least until I could get my baby safe.

Jutting my chin up, I walked to the door, pulled my spine straight, and braced. I didn’t want to break down or lose my shit. I needed to stay strong for Constance.

The door swung open, and my breath caught in my throat as my heart gave a thud and began to beat again. I had to stop myself from reaching out and touching him, from jumping into his arms and covering his face with kisses.

He was still him, thinner and paler, but it was still my ol’ man. It was still his eyes, his hair, his smile, his heart and soul.

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