Page 100 of Sutton's Shadow

Chapter 31

Bethanycouldn’tfocusonher homework. Her school-appointed Chromebook sat on the patio table in front of her. She’d thought if she sat outside on the deck, she’d be able to concentrate better. But it wasn’t happening.

There was so much from the last week crowding her mind it left no room for anything else. Kaitlyn was at home with her parents, who’d been so grateful to Bethany and Lia for stepping up for their daughter. Their fawning gratitude had embarrassed her. Sutton advised her to let them do what they needed to do, so she stoically accepted their accolades.

She and Kaitlyn had become friends, overcoming their differences. They chatted with each other every day through Snapchat. The same with Lia. The three of them were planning to get together after they’d recovered from their ordeal.

It had thrilled Bethany when Lia had met Miss Letty, who lived a few blocks away from Wyatt’s place. She’d taken her and the other girls under her wing.

A lot of good came out of what she had done. But also, a lot of bad. Lots of girls were still missing, but now that people were aware they weren’t just runaways, they were actively being searched for.

Her mother had done the right thing in the end and been shot protecting Wyatt. She would recover fully but would probably spend a lot of time in jail for her part in the kidnappings. She’s the one who’d given them the names of girls who had no families in an effort to protect Bethany from them. When Bethany had fallen into their hands and lived in that group home, she’d grown desperate and given them Kaitlyn’s name, hoping to gain her freedom.

It had worked to some extent. But Bethany thought Wyatt’s relentless campaign to find her, along with Dylan’s help, had scared Hugo and Daniella enough they’d had no choice but to return her or risk exposing their operation.

Hugo was chained to a hospital bed, recovering from the beatdown her brother had given him. Bethany was glad he’d be going to prison for a long time. She would testify at his hearing, then hoped to never see him again.

Daniella/Valeria was still missing, which freaked her out. There was no telling what that woman was capable of. The world knew what she looked like, thanks to her pictures. And if she ever came back into town, she’d be sorry.

The best thing to come out of the drama was her brother. Not only had he been granted full custody of her, but he’d also found the love of his life. Bethany couldn’t be more thrilled for both of them. She loved Sutton and couldn’t wait for the day Wyatt would marry her so she’d become her sister.

She’d been talking a lot with Sutton the past week, surprised when she’d tried to apologize for her role in Bethany’s kidnapping. She’d told her not to be stupid. There was nothing to forgive. Without her, she wouldn’t have had the courage to do anything about her suspicions. If she hadn’t acted, Hugo and Daniella would still be selling girls. She shuddered at the thought. How people could do something so evil was unimaginable.

Even though he’d been scared for her, Wyatt had told her how proud he was that she’d followed her instincts and did something. He’d made her promise, though, that next time, she’d come to him first.

A noise drew her attention away from her unfocused gaze at her computer. She lifted her head to find Melanie standing on the stairs that led down to the yard.

“Melanie? What are you doing here?” Melanie’s story wasn’t as good as everyone else’s. She’d been sent to a juvenile detention center because of her role in the kidnapping plots. How did she get out?

They called her an accessory. Bethany hated that. Mel was no more an accessory than she was. It had been either help Hugo and Daniella or be sold to some pervert halfway around the world. What else could she have done?

At least at the detention center, she could get the help she needed with therapy. Bethany hoped it would help her work through everything life had dealt her.

“I wanted to talk to you.”

“Sure, have a seat,” Bethany offered, pointing to another chair at the table.

“I’d rather stand.”

“Okaaay,” she said, drawing the word out, confused. When Melanie didn’t say anything more, she prompted, “What did you want to talk about? Are you doing okay?”

“No, bitch, I’m not.” Bethany stood, surprised by the harsh words. Mel took two steps closer. “I had a good thing going.” Another step closer. “Then you had to ruin it.” Another step. Bethany backed away until the house prevented her from going farther.

“I-I’m sorry. But Mel, they were selling young girls into slavery. Sex slavery. That’s sick.”

Another step closer, her face twisted with anger. “That may be, but it made us a shitload of money. I was going to be rich and finally be able to leave this fucking town.”

“Could you have lived with yourself, getting rich off the suffering of others?”

“Fuck yes!” Melanie took another step, and Bethany’s stomach dropped when she noticed she had one hand behind her. “I’ve been suffering for years. Years! It was my turn to get something good. No more beatings. No more rapes. I was going to be in charge and free. You destroyed it all, and they lockedmeup. How is that fair? You get to live this perfectly happy life with your perfect little family while I’m locked away in a cage.”

Melanie was shouting, her cheeks a mottled red as anger took over.

Sutton slid the door open. “What’s going on out here?”

Bethany watched it happen as if it was in slow motion. Melanie’s hand left her back, revealing the gun gripped in her trembling fingers. Sutton gasped and raised her hands. The shot was deafening, as was the scream that tore from her lungs as Sutton fell, glass from the shattered door raining down on her.

The ringing buzz in her ears muffled everything, but she could just make out Wyatt’s shout as he ran into the room. Melanie’s eyes narrowed in on her brother. Bethany cried out, convinced she’d watch her brother gunned down next.

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