Page 79 of Sutton's Shadow

His eyes darkened and his jaw twitched. In one swift move, he tore Kaitlyn away from her and shoved the whimpering girl at Ronnie. “See her back to her room. I will deal with this one,” he ordered.

Bethany saw Ronnie hesitate out of the corner of her eye; a flare of hope hit her stomach, even though her brain told her to suppress it. Her mother had never once fought for her; why would she start now?

“You won’t hurt her, right?” Ronnie asked, a barely perceptible tremor in her voice.

“Of course not,” Hugo answered, his gaze never leaving Bethany. “We can’t damage the product.” Her heart sank as all her fears were realized. If she couldn’t find a way out of this, they were doomed. She sent a fleeting look to her mother, hoping she would do something, anything, to put a stop to this, but Ronnie dropped her eyes and did as ordered.

The blow came so fast she didn’t see it coming. Hugo’s backhand that knocked her to the ground stunned her so badly she didn’t feel the pain. At least not until he grabbed her chin in an iron clasp. She couldn’t help the whimper that slipped from her lips as he squeezed her jaw until her teeth cut the inside of her mouth. She stared at that strand of hair that hung in front of her, tickling her nose.

“You will learn your place. It will be better for you if you learn it now.”

He used his grip on her jaw to shove her away from him. She fell, landing hard on her hip. “Lock her up with the other. When that is done, have the third one join them. The clients will want their merchandise soon.” He turned to head up the stairs, flicking that greasy strand of hair back again. The slamming of the door resonated deep inside Bethany, as if a manacle had just twisted around her heart.

Ronnie knelt beside her and grabbed her arm. “Be a good girl, Bethie. Do as he says, and you’ll be fine.”

Bethany covered her burning cheek with one hand as she got to her feet. She met her mother’s eyes and didn’t bother to hide any element of her disgust, anger, or hate. She let the rage boil through her veins. It would give her the strength she needed to face an uncertain future.

Their earlier words came back to her. They intended to make a profit off her. Her stomach churned at what that meant. They were going to sell her to some sick pervert. The thought made her feel like retching, but she swallowed down the bile.

She would figure out a way to escape before that happened. She would not become another statistic. She would not become another girl who would be labeled a runaway. She still had hope. She still had people who would fight for her. She would remain strong until the battle was won.

Aswashishabit,Wyatt woke early. It was still dark outside, but he knew he’d have to start the day soon and get Bethany ready for school. But for now, he enjoyed the sensation of having Sutton’s lithe body curled up next to him.

She was intoxicatingly beautiful, even sleep rumpled, and he could hardly believe she was his. He ran his fingers through her flaxen hair, then down her spinal column. She let out a soft sound and arched into the caress. He loved how she responded to his touch. So sensitive.

She rolled into him, her head landing on his shoulder, arm across his chest, and a leg thrown over his as if she wanted to hold him in bed a little while longer. He chuckled and kissed her forehead.

“Hey, shutterbug. I gotta get up. It’s a school day.” A disgruntled groan was the only response.

His phone alarm went off, and the beautiful creature in his arms growled. He laughed as he slipped out from under her and turned off the alarm. His shutterbug was not a morning person.

After doing his business in the bathroom and throwing on some sweats, he reluctantly left the room and the sleeping angel in his bed. The house was quiet, which surprised him. Bethany was usually up by now and in the shower, but there was no sound of the water rushing through the pipes.

Thinking she’d overslept, he knocked on her door. “Bethany. Time to get up for school.”

No reply. He knocked again, louder. “Bethany? Get up.”

Still nothing. He turned the knob and pushed the door open. Bethany’s bed was empty. Strange, but he wasn’t worried yet. She was either just getting into the bathroom or had gone to the kitchen first, for some reason.

But when he found the bathroom empty, his pulse picked up.

No need to panic yet. She’s in the kitchen.

But that was empty too.

“Bethany?” he called out, his voice echoing through the house. Receiving no answer, he started a methodical search of the house, starting with the garage. Room after room turned up empty. With a now racing pulse, he called for his sister again.

Sutton came down the stairs, rubbing her eyes. She’d thrown on his T-shirt, but he hardly noticed with the worry for his sister clouding his mind.

“Wyatt? What’s wrong?”

“Bethany’s gone.”

“Gone? What do you mean?”

“She’s not anywhere in the house.” With that, he whipped around, intending to search outside. Sutton stopped him at the slider to the deck.

“Put some shoes on first.” He nodded and shoved his feet into the boots Sutton handed him.

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