Page 78 of Sutton's Shadow

“I’m here. There’s a padlock on the door. I’m going to see if I can find a key.”

“O-okay. Hurry.”

Bethany turned on the flashlight app on her phone and looked around her. The walls of Kaitlyn’s makeshift prison were cheap particle board. She bet Wyatt could just kick a wall out. Unfortunately, she wasn’t as strong as her brother and would need a key to free Kaitlyn.

Scanning the walls, she stopped when something shiny reflected the light. It couldn’t be that easy, could it? Sure enough, a little key hung on a hook. Bethany grabbed it and reached for the padlock.

“I found it, Kaitlyn. I’ll have you out of there in a sec.”

“Hurry.”

Bethany held her phone with her chin and slipped the key in the lock. It had just snicked open when her phone slipped and fell to the floor. The clunk it made sounded deafening in the quiet basement, and she hoped those upstairs were too busy with their game to hear it.

She picked it up and slipped it into her pocket as she removed the lock. With her camera ready, she swung the door open.

Once again, she was frozen in shock, but she shook herself out of it and took a few pictures. Kaitlyn sat on a cot in the corner, and a lone lantern on the floor gave the room enough illumination for Bethany to see her. Her hair was greasy, there was dirt on her face, and there was a rip in her shirt. She was thinner than Bethany remembered, but that could be from what she’d gone through.

Kaitlyn shot to her feet, swayed, then lurched for Bethany. She dropped her camera, allowing the strap to hold it, before she caught Kaitlyn in her arms.

“Oh God. Thank you. Thank you.” Kaitlyn sobbed into her shirt so that Bethany could barely make out the words. But she worried they didn’t have time for this. They had to get out of there before they were caught. She hoped she could grab Lia on the way out and then run as fast as they could to the police.

“Shh. Come on. We gotta go. But you have to be quiet.”

Kaitlyn sniffed, then nodded. She turned to help her out of the room and nearly jumped out of her skin.

“Mom! Thank God. Help me get Kaitlyn out of here.” Bethany’s brain caught up, recognizing that her mother shouldn’t be here. There was no way Ronnie could know where Bethany was unless... “Mom?”

“Sorry, Bethie. Can’t do that.”

A strange, icy calm flooded her insides, freezing every system solid. The shock she knew she should feel was trapped like a scream that couldn’t build up enough power to escape.

“What did you do?”

“What I had to,” Ronnie replied as though she hadn’t just betrayed her daughter in the worst way imaginable.

She let the ice in her veins strengthen her, allowing it to numb her to all emotions. She narrowed her eyes at her mother while wrapping an arm around Kaitlyn. Squaring her shoulders, she took a step forward. “Come on, Kaitlyn. We’re getting out of here.”

Approaching her mother, she tried to step around her, only to have Ronnie shift to block her way. “I can’t let you go.”

“I’m not giving you a choice,” she spat, her confidence building. She was stronger than ever, thanks in part to Ronnie’s neglect. She would not let anyone stop her from getting Kaitlyn out of here, especially her mother. She was done being pushed around by her.

She stalked forward, intending to walk over Ronnie if she had to.

“No, Bethie. You don’t understand.” Bethany cringed; she hated the name her mother used for her. “They’ll kill me if I let you go.”

She knew she should care, and maybe someday she would, but not now. “Don’t care. That’s your problem. I’m getting out of here.”

She shoved Ronnie aside with her free hand and quickly made for the stairs, but it was too late. Hugo stood at the top. The two girls froze in their tracks. Kaitlyn whimpered. Bethany stared at the man, and her stomach roiled as the ice melted into fear. Her limbs shook as she attempted to hold Kaitlyn’s weight. The girl had slumped against her in defeat.

He moved down the stairs, his intense eyes pinning her in place. She wanted to run but couldn’t make her limbs obey. He stopped directly in front of her, his gaze slowly roving over her from head to toe and back again. He’d always given her the creeps, but the way he studied her at that moment freaked her out.

His dark hair was slicked back, as always, into a ponytail at the nape of his neck. As his gaze moved downward, a section of hair slipped out of the band to hang in front of his face. His clothes were impeccable. He always dressed as if he was going to work at an office somewhere, but he’d barely left the house when she’d lived here. The dark slacks and starched white dress shirt seemed out of place in the musty basement.

“This is her?” he asked, flicking the strand back over his head.

“Yeah, honey. This is my girl, Bethany. She’ll bring in a lot, right?”

“How fortuitous she should join us. Welcome back, little one. Our profit will be substantial with this one.” he crooned, reaching out to run the backs of his fingers down her cheek. Bethany suppressed the repulsive shiver that wanted to rack her body, refusing to show weakness. She jerked her head away from his touch.

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