Corrupted Union

18

Please God, no. I didn’t want to believe him capable of allowing this sort of atrocity, but what if I was wrong? This poor girl would still be stuck, and I had no clue what that would mean for me. Ro, you did not think this through properly. You’re not helping! I couldn’t risk it. What about calling the police? I could tell them anonymously that a girl was being held captive. Would that give them enough cause to search? Would they show up right away? If so, wouldn’t Stetson know that I was the one who called them? What if they only did a cursory look when Stetson told them it must have been a prank, which he undoubtedly would do whether he knew the truth or not? I wasn’t sure what was best, and I didn’t have the time to think it through. This is some dangerous s**t, Rowan. You need to be careful. I know, but I hate to leave her. Just go tell Keir, then he can help you get her out safely. Getting yourself stuck along with the girl won’t do her any good. I hated this so f*****g much. “I can’t get the chain, but I’m not leaving you, okay? I’ll come back with help. I promise.” Two fat tears plunged down her cheeks as her entire body shook. She stared at me helplessly through wide blue eyes and whispered what sounded like a mix of pleas and prayer. In the midst of heartbreak, inspiration struck. I took out my phone, noting a slew of missed messages and calls from Keir. I didn’t have time to text him yet. Instead, I opened the memo app and began to record, showing her what I was doing. I wasn’t entirely sure what I hoped to get—an explanation, or maybe a name? Whatever she was saying, I’d translate later. Then it was time for the hardest part. I started to back away, but she clamped down on my wrists. “No, honey. Please, if I’m going to help you, I have to leave.” Her head whipped back and forth in frantic denial. A trickle of panic swelled into a flash flood, soaking my blood in a new wave of adrenaline. I pulled at her fingers, shaking my head just as adamantly. “You have to let me go,” I hissed with tears welling in my eyes. But she couldn’t hear me. Not through her desperation. She was a woman drowning and would use anything or anyone to keep herself afloat. If I had any chance of saving the situation, I had to act fast. Whipping my arms around in sharp circles, I twisted her wrists enough to loosen her grip, then thrust my hands down against her hold. The second I broke free, I scurried backward. My eyes begged for her forgiveness. “I’m so sorry, but I’ll come back for you, I promise. I promise,” I whispered hoarsely, emotion clogging my throat. Legs giving way, she crumpled to the floor, sobbing, taking a piece of my heart with her. “I’m so sorry,” I breathed one last time before closing the door behind me. Each step I took away from that room was physically painful. I hated leaving her—hated it more than she could ever know—but I had to do it. Saving her was the only thing that mattered, and the only way I could be sure to accomplish that was by getting the f**k out of that house. I placed a foot on the first step on my way back downstairs when I heard my name. Stetson was calling for me. Goddammit, couldn’t I catch just one break? He probably has no idea she’s up here. What happens if he tells his dad I was wandering around, though? What then? I can’t let him see me. Yeah, but you have to get your ass downstairs. I know! You’re not helping. Using every ounce of stealth I possessed, I crept down to the bottom of the stairs. Before I could take that last leap of faith and step into the hallway, sirens grew loud, stopping at the front of the house. Not two seconds later, a fist pounded on the front door down below. “What the hell?” Stetson’s voice carried to me from the top of the main stairwell winding down to the entry. A breath I hadn’t realized I’d been holding whooshed past my lips. He was going down to answer the door, and I was free to escape. I hurried into the hall and ran to grab my things from the TV room before heading downstairs. “Look, maybe someone got the address wrong. There’s no emergency here,” Stetson said, arms wide. “What’s going on?” I asked as I hurried down the last few stairs. “I heard sirens, so I grabbed my things.” A pair of firemen stood fully decked out in gear across from Stetson. “There you are. I was just about to come look for you. These guys say a call was put in for the house, but it must have been a mistake. These things happen, you know?” One of the firemen shrugged. “Mind if we take a quick peek around, though, just to be safe?” “Of course not. Take your time.” Stetson smiled, totally unbothered. The sight of him so unruffled helped ease some of my worry. If he knew what was stashed on the third floor, he would have at least attempted to dissuade them. Would they check the house that thoroughly? I had thought it was too dangerous to call the police, but now that the authorities were already here, it seemed like the perfect opportunity. But not in front of Stetson. I needed to get outside and find someone I could tell in private. The men wandered off on their walk-through, and Stetson stepped closer. “Where were you? I got out of the shower and couldn’t find you.” I clutched my stomach and grimaced. “Not sure what happened, but my stomach started to cramp. I wasn’t sure if the den bathroom had been fixed, so I was using the one in the spare bedroom. Guess with the doors closed I didn’t hear you.” His brow furrowed. “You okay?” “I think so, but between that and our guests, I think I’m going to head home.” “I’d offer to take you, but I need to stay here.” “Yeah, of course,” I assured him. He leaned down and placed a kiss on my lips. It was just like the hundreds before it, yet somehow different. I had to force myself not to flinch away from him. What did it mean? If he was innocent of any wrongdoing, would it still change the way I viewed him? Or was this how I’d felt the whole time and never realized? Ugh, too much uncertainty and confusion. I’d figure it out later. Right now, I needed to get to one of the firemen outside and tell them what was going on. “I’ll see you tomorrow.” I flashed a thin smile and slipped out the front door. The giant red truck still had its lights flashing out front, though the siren no longer wailed. I forced myself to walk calmly to the sidewalk then around to the back of the truck where I couldn’t be seen from inside the house. “Excuse me!” I called to the back of a fireman.