Page 41 of Before the Bond
Instead, I found myself thinking about the manor.
There was Jake, and his exceptional ability to make me laugh no matter the time of day. It didn’t matter that he was struggling with his own problems. He always made sure I was having as much fun as I could taking care of him.
There was Donovan. “A pain in the ass” as Stella remarked one time, but always responsible. For all his prickliness, I never got the sense he did it out of trying to hurt me or anyone else. He was operating in the way he knew best, and that was making sure things stayed in order.
And then there was Caleb.
I could be frustrated with Caleb as much as I wanted. I could hate that I had to guess his looks, how much he said was true,how something about him and his family’s history was as locked as the door he found me at.
But instead, I thought about everything good he did.
How he welcomed me in the kitchen on the second morning. How he always made space for me in the fireplace area, never wanting to be a bother. The apologetic look in his eyes that told me he knew where he was coming up short.
I told myself I would never get attached to people in my work.
But here I was…
And it didn’t feel as scary as I expected it to.
Something flickered in my headlights.
I looked up. Movement blurred across the front of my car.
My breath tore out of me.
The car lurched hard to the right, tires scraping against gravel. For a second, the slope beyond was only feet away from me.
I wrenched the wheel with both hands and all my weight and every instinct I had. The car shook violently as it veered off the road.
I slammed the brakes. The car jolted and then dropped hard.
“Oh god,” I whispered. “Oh god, oh god, oh god.”
I sat for one second with both hands locked on the wheel and my breathing loud in my own ears.
Footsteps padded in the distance.
I checked my rearview mirror. More movement.
I saw dark silhouettes, darker than the shadow of the trees, emerge from the fog. They moved closer. Together.
Howls split the dark. My blood ran cold.
I turned the key in my ignition.
The car hissed.
“Come on,” I said.
I tried again. And again.
The engine lights blinked and flickered. The car let out a dying screech.
The howls were now accompanied by growls.
My breathing narrowed. I reminded myself that I couldn’t freeze. Not in a time like this. I had to get the hell out of here.
The shadows went from walking to a full sprint. I kicked my car door open, heels off, and ran. My feet slammed against the asphalt. My stockings ripped. Sharp rocks cut across my soles, but I didn’t care.
