“Sit tight, Petal. Be there soon. Love you.”
“I love you too,” I tell him before ending the call. I sit there for a minute, unsure of what to do now. It dawns on me suddenly to check the news. I rush over and turn the TV on. I flip through the guide till I find a news station.
I’m not surprised to see that the compound is breaking news. I watch as women and children are led out by officers. A few of the buildings are on fire. They are reporting over a dozen men have been found dead so far. Familiar faces of men I’ve hated for so long flash across the screen. They only seem to be showing the ones that have been identified so far.
Tears pour down my cheeks when the news anchor switches over to another screen. This one shows Senator Jacob Berhard being led out of a building in handcuffs along with a few others. I feel an enormous sense of relief that he didn’t get to take the easy way out. That he’ll have to face a judge and jury for the crimes he committed against the women in the compound.
I know that man played a big part in covering things up. Him having to admit that to the public will help shine a light on what is happening. As for the others, none of my tears are for them. I know it’s only the start for some of the women, but it’s one in the right direction.
I drop on the sofa and watch the news already condemning these men. Still, two are left. The two most important. They have to be found. I know them. They’ll only start over. As much as I don’t want to let Sully go to chase them down, I know it’s the right thing to do. I can’t be selfish even if I want to keep him all to myself now.
All my life, all I ever wanted was to escape that compound. I felt lost out in the middle of nowhere. Now here I am again in the middle of nowhere, but I’ve never felt freer in my life. I grab one of the little pillows on the sofa and lie down. I leave the news on in the background, but I mute it. I drift off to sleep until I hear the sounds of a vehicle outside.
I jump up, forgetting that Orion was sleeping on top of me. He lands gracefully on his feet, but he doesn’t dart toward the door. His back arches along with his head before he runs to the other side of the living room to peek out the window.
It’s not Sully. I know it. I rush over to the phone and hit call as I hear my father's words boom from the front porch.
“Open the door, Orchid.”
“Petal, do not open the door. Go to the bedroom. The closet. I showed you.” My feet start to move to do as Sully instructs but stop when a scream I know all too well comes after I hear a hand hitting flesh.
“Mom.” I walk toward the front door and peek out the small hole to see my father standing there. Jeremiah is next to him. My mother holds her cheek that is already turning red. Her lip is cracked but not bleeding.
“Don’t you do it!” my mom shouts.
“Shut the fuck up.” I watch as my father grabs her by her hair, raising a knife to her neck. Mom turns her head to look up at my father, their gazes meeting.
“Do it,” she challenges him. He presses the knife in harder, making a small cut. Blood drips down her dress, but she doesn't even flinch.
“Open the door, or I’ll kill her, and that will be on you, Orchid,” My father demands.
“I love you,” I say into the phone.
“Petal, no!”
I end the call, not wanting Sully to have to hear what might happen next. I set it down on the entry table and grab the gun and knife he gave me earlier. I tuck them in the best I can to the jean shorts I have on before I disengage all of the locks and pull the heavy door open to face the devil himself.
23
SULLY
“Shit!” Reeve braces himself against the dash as I veer hard off the highway and onto the winding country road that leads to my place. “What did she say?”
“Those abusive assholes are there. They have her mother.” I grit my teeth and slam my foot onto the gas, tearing along the narrow lane. “She’ll do anything to protect her mom, and they know it.”
“How’d they find her?” he asks.
“I don’t know.” Then it hits me. “She has a laptop. I did a basic check on it and sent it through the VPN, but they could’ve put a hardware tracker on it somehow.”