Page 44 of Otto: The Hawthornes

“It’s really more of a cabin,” Esther replied shakily. I nearly groaned.

“Cabin, then,” Dragon said, inclining his head. Then he just watched her.

“They were under the floorboards,” Esther said. Stronger men than her had spilled their guts when Dragon looked at themlike that, I was actually surprised by the few seconds she’d sat there in silence. “There was a trap door in the floor.”

“Who put them there?” Gramps asked.

“I don’t know,” Esther replied, lifting her hands and dropping them again. “I’ve been at the cabin since Thanksgiving and I never even noticed that therewasa trap door in the floor. Yesterday my uncle and aunt picked me up and took me to the doctor.” She paused and took a breath. “Which was actually pretty surprising because I hadn’t seen or heard from anyone since I moved in. Anyway, they took me to the doctor and we stopped for more supplies,” she said, looking around at the men. “You know, food and water and more propane for the stove. Then we drove back to the cabin and that’s when I noticed the door.”

She stopped talking suddenly like she’d finally realized that she’d been rambling on.

“You open it?” Dragon asked.

“Well, yeah.”

“So you saw what was inside.”

“One of the crates was open.”

“You weren’t surprised? Didn’t think to call someone and ask them why there were guns underneath your floor?”

Esther stared at him, nonplussed. “My dad said I could only use the phone for emergencies. I didn’t think it was an emergency.”

“You didn’t think it was an emergency that there were a bunch of rifles in your house that you didn’t put there?” He held up his hand to stop her from replying. “Cabin,” he clarified.

She looked at each of the men in turn, gauging their facial expressions, and I knew the moment she realized exactly how things looked and how serious her situation was. It was as if the rosy sheen she saw the world through was suddenly gone.

Her neck muscles tightened as she swallowed.

“He said only emergencies,” she replied quietly. “And since I wasn’t hurt and the cabin wasn’t on fire, I didn’t think it qualified.”

“You didn’t call anyone on that phone since Thanksgiving?” Cam asked, his voice nearly as quiet as hers. “From what I hear, you were livin’ pretty rough.”

“No,” she said, shaking her head once. “No one.” Her voice was hoarse when she spoke again. “He said that he’d be watching the account, and if I called anyone, he’d take it back.” Her hand went to her belly under the shelter of the table. “I didn’t want to take the chance and be out there without a phone.”

That motherfucker. The thought of her stranded in the middle of nowhere with no way to reach anyone made my stomach clench. Instinctively I reached over and put my hand on her back. The movement wasn’t lost on anyone at the table.

“What I can’t understand is why you were livin’ out there in the first place,” Leo said.

“I—” She glanced at me. “I—uh.”

I rubbed my thumb lightly between her shoulder blades, ignoring the little zap of attraction at the firm muscle under my fingertips.

“They sent me there when I told them I was pregnant,” she said finally. “They said I could come home after I’d had the baby.”

Leo stared at her in confusion.

“Fuckin’ assholes,” my gramps muttered.

“I knew they’d be mad,” Esther said, her voice soft.

“Did you tell them who the father was?” Uncle Casper asked, watching Esther intently.

She met his gaze, wide-eyed. “They never asked.”

Chapter 7

Esther

---