Page 20 of Fear the Reapers

“It’s what I want.”

“Tomorrow we’re going to go back to Loraine’s trailer and see if we can find anything more.”

“Okay,” I responded.

“You’re not going to come?” Hunter asked.

“Nope,” I replied, emphasizing the p.

After all the chaos, I just wanted to feel the silence, the stillness of being alone. Even though, deep down, I knew I shouldn’t be. As such, I tried and failed to convince them all that I would see them in the morning.

Even Brax stayed, which I hadn’t expected at all.

Then again, things seemed to be evolving.

Or maybe they had changed while I was gone?

The fact of the matter was, I really shouldn’t be alone right now.

Which became clear when I awoke from a nightmare thirty minutes later. I could feel the sweat on my skin and the panic in my chest. Even though I heard their soft breathing in the darkness, I couldn’t shake the feeling that I was alone in the room.

I had to take several deep breaths before I could make myself believe I was safe in my own home, not trapped in that dank, dark basement.

ChapterFourteen

HARLEIGH

“We needto talk about what happened.”

I gave a definitive answer, “No,” while averting my gaze. After my panic attack, I felt so overwhelmed by my surroundings that I couldn’t bear to leave the comfort of my room.

“You’re going to find it difficult to deal with the trauma until you admit that something happened.”

“We both know something happened, but I’m not ready.”

“If you don’t want to talk about what happened,” Hunter pushed. “Then could you at least explain what the fuck occurred just before they grabbed you?”

After I recounted my experience at the trailer park, all three of them had a look of murderous intent in their eyes.

“So what’s the plan?” Hunter asked.

“Besides stringing Dirk up by his gonads?” Dimitri added.

“Are you okay?”

I nodded.

“You don’t have to lie to make us feel better, Angel.” Brax gently guided my chin up to look me in the face. “I want to see your eyes when you tell me just how okay you think you should be.”

“Really, I’m fine.” He opened his mouth to say more, but I cut him off. “I’m not saying I won’t break down tomorrow, but right now I’m not.”

“What went on while I was gone?” I finally asked. “I need to take my mind off everything.”

“Other than scrambling to figure out where you were? Absolutely nothing. Some guys were contracted out, but the work never lasted longer than a day. The Prez wanted us to stay close, just in case we got news of your whereabouts and had to take off in an instant.”

“So piddly, little shit.” I tapped my chin. “What did you guys think happened to me?”

“We didn’t know what to think. You vanished. Hell, we didn’t even know you went over to Loraine’s place. We’re lucky Brax even thought about checking there.”

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