Page 81 of Love Bleeds Red
He moves toward the door, calling for Polly to clear the table. My hand is midway across it, reaching for some toast, when I feel his presence behind me.
“Your behavior for the next twenty-four hours will determine your future. Do you understand?” His voice is low and seething as he snatches the plate of toast and throws it against the wall. I watch the porcelain china shatter into hundreds of pieces, horrified.
I force myself to remain seated, frozen like a prey animal caught in a snare. “Yes, Sir. I understand.”
“Good.” He focuses on straightening his hair and jacket. “Because if you embarrass me in front of my guest, if you show even a hint of the defiance I’ve been seeing lately, there will be consequences.” His gaze strays to Polly, who just entered from the kitchen, wide-eyed and afraid, and adds, “Not just for you.”
I blink, willing myself to stay steady. “I promise, Sir. I will be a good girl.”
His face softens while I cringe. For some reason he loves that phrase. I don’t think I could hate those two words more. “Good. Polly, clean this mess.”
She scrambles forward while he stalks from the room. It takes me a moment for my pulse to slow, for my limbs to move again, for me to release the breath I was holding. I hurry over to help pick up the scattered toast and large chunks of china.
“Did you hear?” I whisper.
Her eyes meet mine, and she nods solemnly. “Every word.”
We both know what this means. What tomorrow will bring.
We’re out of time. Tonight is our last chance.
After we finish cleaning, she leads me to the study. It’s time to make a plan, no matter the cost.
The kitchen knifefeels heavier than I remember. Or maybe I’ve just grown weaker. Either way, I clutch it to my chest as we make our way down the dark hallway of the house. My heart pounds so hard I wonder if Polly can hear it.
She points past the kitchen. “The service door, back there.”
I’m trusting her. She’s gotten me this far without being spotted. When we were in the study earlier, she filled me in on exactly how many guards Sir has working for him. Many more than I’ve ever seen on my chaperoned walks. With their stealth and knowledge of the grounds, I know the chance of us getting out of here is slim.
The memory of Cat and I dashing to the woods fills my mind. How close we came… before our hope came crashing down.
No. This time will be different. It has to be.
We’ve been planning this for hours, ever since Sir left this morning. Polly managed to block the camera in my cottage somehow, and with Ms. Harrington occupied, she was able to keep the door propped open. But coming back into the house is a risk, I’m trusting she knows what she’s doing.
“What about the cameras?” I ask.
“There’s a blind spot near the old groundskeeper’s shed behind the main house. We can make it to the tree line from there.”
“How do you know?” I whisper.
She squeezes my free hand. “I’ll tell you when we get out of here.” Her voice is solemn. Whatever it is, I doubt it’s a pleasant story.
My legs shake as we reach the door. This is it. After months of being the perfect prisoner. Of submitting to every demand thatpsycho made. One more step and maybe I’ll never have to step foot in this house again.
“Ready?” Polly asks, closing her hand around the brass handle.
I nod, gripping the knife tighter.
Cool night air hits my face, sobering me. We run.
Polly leads but I stay no more than a few steps behind. It’s so dark, I’m afraid I’ll trip on a rock or a divot in the grass, but we can’t afford to slow.
Behind us, the house grows farther away. Silent, but like a living presence. Like it’s watching.
A few more feet. I’m gasping for air, my body is not used to this much exercise.
Then, not thirty seconds later, every alarm on the estate starts screaming.
