Page 27 of Beyond the Cottage

Trying not to think about what waited in the murk, she pushed on, past the clearing. Just a few more yards…

A shove sent her to the dirt. Before she could crawl away, a boot pressed into her back.

“You better pray her face doesn’t scar, sugar.”

Not Lab Coat.

J.

He hauled her to her feet by the collar. Twisting, Gretta screeched and impaled his bicep with the stick. J yelped, his face whipping to her then to his arm. The stick didn’t go deep, but it jutted from his flesh, tilted. He ripped it out and backhanded her.

Gretta reeled like a newborn colt. Head fuzzy, she processed the flavor of wet iron. A roar came from the path, followed by a tall figure barreling toward her.

No, not to her. To the bulky guy with blonde hair.

Lab Coat was coming after J.

When he reached them, he cocked his arm and smashed his fist into J’s face. J didn’t go down, but he stumbled. He sluggishly righted himself, both hands flying to the fountain pouring from his nose.

Like Seven, he looked at his palms with awe. His were soaked in crimson.

“You broke my nose, fucker!” he whined nasally.

Lab Coat’s chest heaved. “I warned you not to touch her.”

The viciousness in his voice shriveled Gretta’s pores. Her latest gambit had clearly pushed him too far. She backed away on unsteady legs.

Lab Coat growled, “Get back here, pixie.”

Her plan was shot, but the set of his shoulders revived her instinct to run. Before she could decide what to do, heabandoned J and prowled toward her. He scanned her cheek, fists balling, and Gretta shifted from foot to foot, ready to bolt.

“Go back to the compound,” he said to J without taking his eyes off her.

“She stabbed me, man.” J stopped mopping his nose to inspect his arm. “You better fucking deal with her.”

“I will.”

What didthatmean? Had she been hasty in believing he wouldn’t beat the shit out of her?

J skulked off with his head tipped back. Lab Coat came closer, arms wide as though corralling a wild animal. Far from cold, his expression radiated ferocity.

Gretta trotted out of reach. “Are you really going to follow me if I run?”

“Have you failed to notice the color of the sky? And yes. I will follow you.”

As if he conjured them, fat drops smacked the leaves overhead. A brief delay, then they dribbled on their heads. Thunder rumbled in the distance, and the sky got darker until only the glowing swamp lit the path.

All Gretta’s frustration condensed like the storm. “I’m not going back with you! I’mdone.”

“You continue to misunderstand our dynamic. While your bravado is commendable, I’m a great deal bigger than you. I’m afraid physics wins.”

Gretta inhaled. He was actually going to beat her?

Fine, she couldn’t stop him. But hell if she’d cower before him, bawling and pleading for decency he wasn’t capable of. She braced her legs in a defensive stance, lifting her face to his. “Do it, then. I fucking dare you.”

“You don’t think I will?”

“Oh, I do. But I won’t make it satisfying. I’m not going to make a goddamn sound.”

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