a rock at the window. It hit her in the cheek. She shut the window after that. She sat on her bed and stared at the ceiling. Anger boiled inside her until it took shape as cold, hard revenge. She wanted to make her father and brothers pay for what they'd done.
She had left her purse with her phone in the car, and she had taken her laptop to the workshop, so she was left with no form of communication locked in her tiny room with memories of her childhood still perfectly intact.
She had plenty of time to think, plenty of time to stew on every wrong that had ever been committed against her. By the time night fell, Cassidy felt like a new person, a person who was no longer content with running away from her problems, a person who was full of retribution and focused rage.
She was plotting her revenge when her door slid open, and her mother stepped inside. She jumped from the bed and ran to her mom, taking her in her arms. She felt her emotions rise up to the surface, and a single tear formed in the corner of her eye, dripping down her cheek. But that was all she would allow to break through. Now was not the time for sadness. Now was the time for action.
“You need to hurry,” her mother said, shoving her laptop bag into Cassidy's hands.
“Thank you, Mother. Why don't you come with me?” Cassidy asked as she went for the door.
Her mother shook her head and looked down at the floor. “I can't. This is my life. If anyone can keep the three of them from getting any worse than they already are, it's me. I feel it's my sacred duty to remain and to try to prevent any further atrocities.”
“It's not your responsibility, Mom. If you had known that when I was a kid, we could've had a much different life.”
Cassidy's mother reached out and grasped her shoulder. “Maybe we could have, and maybe it would've been much worse. We'll never know. I made my choices for my own reasons. I won't ask you to understand them, but I do hope that you realize I've done everything I did because I love you.”
Cassidy reached out to her mother and hugged her tight. “I'm trying, Mom. Believe me, I am.”
Her mother was silent as Cassidy slid open the door and looked down the hall.
“Your brothers and father are out in the field. Now's your chance. You have to go.”
Cassidy rushed down the stairs and out the front door. Her car was parked where she'd left it. She jumped inside and shoved the key into the ignition, peeling out as fast as her old Honda would allow. She was down the road and turning the corner onto the highway before her mind could even register what had happened. She was free, and she was never going back.
She drove toward the Wilde Ranch as fast as her car would take her. She swerved off the highway onto the gravel road and didn't slow down until she was pulling up in front of Gunner's house. She stopped, put the car in park, and gripped the steering wheel, panting heavily as her heart raced. She hadn't stopped to consider how Gunner would feel about all this. Her brother had attacked his land, his ranch, his animals. What would he think of her now? Would he blame her?
Then she looked up and saw him standing on the porch, and she had her answer. He rushed to her, his face full of surprise and concern. She jumped out of the car and threw herself into his arms. He held her while she clung to him. He kissed her forehead and cheeks and stroked her hair.
“Where have you been?” he asked. “Are you okay?”
“My father locked me in my bedroom,” she said in a hushed voice, her teeth clenched.
“How did you escape?” he asked, looking into her eyes in the porch light.
“My mother let me out. I told her she should come with me, but I don't think she'll ever leave.”
“Come inside. Let me get you something to eat and drink.”
He took her in to the kitchen, and she sat down at the table. He opened some beers and put some leftovers in the microwave. She was sipping her beer and eating homemade lasagna just a few minutes later.
“I was so worried. I must've texted you twenty times,” he said. “I was just about to