to do to me when we were finally together. I didn’t get a say in the matter. I was scared to death, and no one would help me or listen to me. Every single second of every day, I wished I still had Huck. I missed him so badly. I stopped eating and could hardly function for months and months. I found out that Sawyer was always watching me, that he installed surveillance equipment in my room and had hired people to follow me around when I was at school day in and day out. It got worse when I went to college.”
I finally managed to meet Mr. Peters’s gaze and realized he was the one who now looked like he was fighting back the tears.
“The last time I felt safe, or like anyone cared about me and what I wanted, was when I was with Huck, so I tracked him down to get as close to him as possible. But I didn’t think about what would happen to him if Sawyer found out we were reunited, and I can’t let him get hurt again because of me. At first, I thought I could. I thought I could sacrifice him again if it meant I was safe, but I can’t. I’ve done a lot wrong in my life, but I can get this one thing right before it’s too late, so please help me.”
My voice cracked on the last words, and the sobs I’d been holding back broke free. It was a lot to wade through, but it’d been even more to live and survive with my sanity still somewhat intact. My shoulders shook, and so did my soul. This was the first time I’d laid it all bare for anyone or went into detail about just how bad things had gotten. Even Mercer didn’t know the nitty-gritty because it made me feel pathetic, and there were days when I wondered if I deserved that treatment because I was the one who chased Huck away and put Sawyer in a wheelchair.
“You hear enough, kiddo?” Mr. Peters asked the question as he got up and made his way around the table. His withered, heavy hand fell on the top of my head as he stroked my hair in the most tender way possible.
I couldn’t stop crying when Huck suddenly appeared in the doorway of the dining room.
His hair was standing on end, and he was dressed in the same jeans and shirt he’d tossed off before falling into bed with me a few hours ago. His big body was vibrating with so much rage I could practically feel the heat coming off of him. And his molten gold gaze was turbulent and dangerous.
“What are you doing here?” I hiccupped my way through the words as the sobs wracked my entire body. He was the last person I wanted to see, and the last one I wanted to know the full truth of what happened after he left. “How long have you been listening to our conversation?”
“Long enough.” He stepped into the dining room, and the air changed. “I called the old man to ask him if he had any idea where you would run when something bad happened. He told me to come over because you were on your way and sounded really upset.”
“How did you beat me here?” I was gasping for air and frantically trying to figure out what I should do.
He shouldn’t be here. He shouldn’t be this close to me or care about what happened to me.
He was right. I was nothing but trouble and would only bring bad shit directly to his door.
Why didn’t I listen to him before it was too late? Both then and now.
“I didn’t walk. I got a ride. I had plenty of time to make breakfast and talk to the old man about what we should do with you. We need to sit down and talk, Ollie. About a lot of things.” Huck crossed his arms over his broad chest, and I could tell he was pissed all the way down to his bones.
I dragged my hand across my messy face and rose from the chair. I patted Mr. Peters on one frail hand and tried to give him a shaky smile. I knew he was only trying to help, but he’d made things infinitely worse by bringing Huck around while I was pouring out my heart and planning my escape.
I nodded like a bobblehead doll and shifted my eyes toward