Page 95 of Beautiful Exile

It was so faint my ears could barely make it out. A whimper.

I moved toward that faint sound, heading down the hall toward the kitchen and living room. I heard it again.

Stilling, my gaze swept the room. And that’s when I saw her.

Arden had shoved herself between a tall hutch and the wall in the far corner of the room, Brutus standing guard, his hair bristling at his owner’s state.

As I strode across the room, Brutus growled. I muttered a curse, racking my brain for the terms Arden had used. “Freund, Brutus. Freund.” I’d probably butchered the pronunciation. I’d taken one term of German in college, and that was it. But Brutus eased a fraction.

My hand dropped to his head, giving him a pat. “You did so good. But you gotta let me in there now. Okay?”

Brutus stared up at me as if considering my words and then subtly shifted back. I sank to the floor, moving in as close as I could to Arden. Her face had turned a stark shade of white, and her beautiful, gray-violet eyes were too wide. Her whole body trembled.

I wanted to kill whoever had put this sort of fear into her. And I wanted to do it slowly.

I didn’t touch her. Not yet. I didn’t know if she truly knew it was me. “Arden, can you hear me?”

She kept staring straight ahead, unblinking, as if seeing something other than what was right in front of her. “They’re coming.”

Agony twisted in my gut. “You’re safe. I promise they’re not getting anywhere near you. Deputy Allen is out there. I’m right here. You’ve got Brutus.”

“They killed her,” Arden croaked. “So…much blood. It’s everywhere. It’s seeping into the carpet. She’s not breathing.”

I scooted closer, my hands running up her calves and squeezing. “Arden, look at me.Seeme.”

She blinked a couple of times as if trying to pull herself out of it, but she couldn’t quite get there.

I squeezed her calves again, trying to give her something to anchor herself. “You hear my voice? You feel me? Come back. Come back to me.”

She blinked again, faster now. Then her head moved, trying to find me. Finally, those beautiful, tortured eyes met mine. “Linc?”

“That’s my girl. I’m right here.”

“It’s dark,” she whispered.

“I know. But you’re not alone in it. Not anymore.” I swept the beam across the room to demonstrate that there was light, even in the dark.

Those beautiful eyes filled, and then she threw herself at me. I caught her, cradling her in my arms as huge, racking sobs took over. I held her to me, giving her the time to let it all out—everything she kept bottled up all the time.

“It was so real,” she choked out. “Like I was back there. In that closet. Watching it all happen.”

“I’m so sorry, baby. You’re safe.”

She shuddered against me and burrowed deeper. “So cold.”

I moved then, grabbing my phone and shoving to my feet with Arden still in my arms. I might not be able to erase the memories that haunted her, but I could fix this.

Keeping Arden cradled against me, I headed in the direction of the bathroom, hoping the water heater was gas and not electric. I was just glad that I remembered Cope telling me the well water system had a small generator to keep things running during power outages. Brutus started to follow, but I held out a hand. “Stay. I’ve got her.”

Brutus stared at me for a moment and then plunked his butt down.

At least I wouldn’t be battling a dog, too. I navigated the furniture the best I could with only the light on my phone as Arden trembled against me more. Each vibration stoked my rage, building it into a fiery inferno. She’d been through too much. Had been traumatized. Threatened. Was living in fear.

I would’ve paid any price to take it all away. To end this for her.

Moving into the bathroom, I set the phone and Arden on the counter and started to release her, but her hands fisted in my tee and held tight. “Don’t leave me.”

Fuck.

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