Page 142 of The Sea Witch's Son

“You were quite occupied that night.” Calista gives me a pointed look, “I wouldn’t be surprised if you missed something.”

I mull over her words, thinking about the minuscule details that tend to get lost so easily.

“My little saint arrived with Freya, but do you know who she drove home with?”

The answer is on the tip of my tongue and I am waiting for Calista to catch it.

“Did you hear me? I asked who picked up Melody from the-

My words draw to a halt. Green eyes are staring at me with something I have not seen in a long time.

“You’re going to want to see this.”

She pushes the tablet across the table. Her eyes are locked on my face as I glance down at the video playing out on screen.

For one blissful moment, I do not register what is going on.

“When was this taken?”

Glass scrapes across my throat, ripping apart my vocal cords until they sound nothing like the voice I used to know.

“It’s a live feed.”

I can’t find the strength to suck in the oxygen from the molecules around me. The darkness is closing in, the years of breathing control slipping away as I watch the video play out on screen.

I can’t fucking breathe.

“I’ll handle this.” Calista goes to grab the tablet, but I grab her arm.

“No.” My grip tightens until she winces, “This one’s mine.”

Rage unfurls inside of me, crashing waves of tumultuous emotion wreaking havoc on my nervous system. Nerve endings spark to life while my mental capacity begins to shut down.

I cannot see anything except the screen. I cannot feel anything except the fury bursting through my skin.

“I’m curious. What happens when someone touches Marlin Seaborn’s favourite pawn?”

My body is a live wire, my brain a useless socket. I stare at her, feeling my hands tremble when I reach inside her jacket sleeve and extract the hidden blade.

“Keep watching and you’ll find out.”

Her grin is the last thing I see before I start running.

Hold on, little saint. I’m coming.

Chapter 51

MELODY

I jab my thumb in his eye socket.

The man howls with pain, his grip loosening so I can shove past him. My heart is in my throat as I lunge for freedom, desperately reaching for the edge of the forest when he catches me again.

“Get the fuck off me!”

I’m screaming and clawing at the disgusting hands ripping apart my clothes.

Blood drips from his injured eye onto my face, giving me a fleeting moment of satisfaction before he slams my face down on the hood of the car. The blow sends stars dancing behind my eyes, my brain rattling around my skull when he pins my hands behind my back.

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