Page 102 of In Hiding

“You thought you could escape me?” He shook his head, tut-tutting as he dropped one more step. “Stupid girl.”

“Am I worth your freedom?”

He frowned, pausing as his head tilted to the side. “You over-estimate yourself.”

Sarah shook her head and pointed at the house. “The alarm is monitored and the police will be here soon. You’ll be back in jail and they won’t ever let you out again.”

He bared his teeth. “Never.”

“You’re a fool if you think I hadn’t planned for this.”

His head jerked backward. “Look around you sweetheart. It’s just the two of us, here on this cliff. I killed your lover and when I’m done with you, I’ll kill that weasel son of mine.”

She swallowed at the thought. “He’s my son.”

Ryan’s jaw tightened as he pointed the knife at her. “You think you can take him away from me?”

“I already did.” She nodded with a smile. “He chose me over you. He chose good over evil. He’s a smart kid, the best kind of son anyone could ask for.”

A strangled sound escaped from between Ryan’s tight lips. His entire body shook and the rage in his eyes threatened to burn her.

“If you kill me now, I die knowing he’s safe and loved. I die satisfied that you will rot behind bars, never to taste freedom again.”

Ryan threw his head back and roared. Behind him, further up the hill, figures appeared but her focus was solely on the man holding the knife. When he glared at her, she felt his loathing course through her veins.

Out of nowhere, a figure dressed in black careened down the path toward them. Sarah didn’t need more than a second to recognize the shape of her son. The moonlight lit the anger in his eyes as he raced toward them, picking up speed with every step. Sarah’s heartrate took off at a gallop and dread poured through her body. In a blink, William leapt off the embankment to land between her and Ryan.

He stood, gasping for air, axe in hand ready to protect her.

Ryan let out a long, maniacal laugh. “You think you’re going to stop me, kid?”

She heard William swallow, before he barked, “We don’t want you here.”

Ryan pointed the blade at him and made it to the bottom step. “You’re my son. Changing your name doesn’t change a thing. I made you.”

“You aren’t good enough to be my father.”

The wail of sirens filled the air, momentarily catching Ryan’s attention. He glanced up at the house, indecision clouding his expression briefly before he glared at them. Lunging forward, he slashed with the knife, slicing William across the arm. Undeterred, the young man pushed against his father’s chest. Ryan tripped on the uneven surface and stumbled toward the wire fence. His legs jerked against the wires as the top half of his body leaned dangerously over the edge, teetering for a blink before momentum tipped him and carried him into the abyss. With a shout he disappeared into the darkness. Silence filled the air and she waited to hear him land.

It never came.

The sound of her heart filled her ears. William stepped closer to the barricade, peering over the edge of the cliff before turning to her. Blood seeped through his clothes, jolting Sarah into action. Racing forward, she dragged him into her arms.

“It’s alright, Mama. I’ve got you,” he whispered, as his arms went around her and held tight.

Sarah blinked, glancing at the cliff where Ryan had gone over. Two silhouettes moved in to look over the edge. When they stepped back, they removed their face coverings and turned to her. One of them, an older man she’d seen around town before, joined them. He smiled kindly at her as he patted William’s shoulder. Sarah stepped back and a thick jacket was draped around her shoulders.

“Is he...?” she couldn’t bring herself to even think it.

The old man nodded. “I’ll have someone retrieve his body. You won’t have to worry about him ever again. You’re safe now.”

Hearing the words didn’t make them real. “His men?”

“We have them. No one is going to hurt you, Sarah. You are free.”

Free?

Was that even possible?

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