nowhere to go. The bathroom consisted of a toilet, sink, and a white porcelain roll-top claw-footed bath with a shower attachment on the taps. Nothing else. Nothing to hide behind.
I was trapped.
All I could do was watch, with a dawning sense of horror, as the handle turned, and the bedroom door began to open.
THIRTY
The window. That was my only option. Okay, I probably (definitely) wasn’t thinking straight, but I couldn’t exactly jump out in front of Allan, waving my hands like I’d appeared after some bloody magic trick.
Quickly, quietly, I made my way to the sash window, original to the house, which meant wooden frames and single panes of glass. I undid the catch that held it closed, and holding my breath, slid it upwards as carefully as I could. Luck must’ve been on my side, because it moved upwards smoothly and noiselessly. I guess I shouldn’t have been surprised—knowing what I did of my mother, she probably had someone check all the windows on a regular basis to make sure they didn’t creak.
Back in the bedroom, I heard a soft click as Allan closed the door behind him. I hoped and prayed with everything I had that he wouldn’t come into the bathroom. I eased the window the rest of the way up, enough to create a gap I could slide through.
I threw my shoes through the opening, aiming for the manicured bushes down below, then without bothering to give myself time to think through this insane idea, swung my body out, gripping tightly to the sill. I scrabbled for a moment, allowing my feet to find purchase on the top of the wooden trellis that ran around the outside of the house, ivy growing over it. My bare toes touched the rough wood through the ivy and I breathed a sigh of relief. The trellis was narrow, but it gave me extra support while I held on to the windowsill with my right hand, my arm thrown across the length of the sill to give me extra support. Holding on with everything I had, I used my left hand to carefully ease the window shut.
Just as my hand dropped back to the windowsill, the light suddenly flickered on in the bathroom, and a sense of sudden panic hit me like a cricket bat to the head.
I. Let. Go.
I was falling, and fall—
I hit the tall bushes, scrabbling for purchase as my body bounced off the rounded top of the topiary, cut and shaped in a curve. I grabbed a handful of the hedge, managing to somehow stop my momentum, and dropped my body to the floor.
The cool grass, already damp with dew, was the most welcome relief under my body. My senses were in overdrive, and my flight instinct kicked in, telling me to get as far away as I possibly could, but if there was even a chance Allan was looking out of the window, he’d see me.
I waited.
A weird, vibrating sensation came from under my rib, and I shifted, pulling my tiny bag away from my body. I carefully drew out my phone, shielding it with my body, hiding the glow of the screen in case anyone was looking.
Caiden: Where the fuck are you? I’m coming back.
Shit.
Me: I’m outside. Round the back of the house.
Caiden: WTF?
Me: Be there in a few. DON’T COME FOR ME.
Caiden: Fuck that. Coming now.
Argh! He was so bloody frustrating, sometimes. Time to get out of here, and I just had to hope and pray that Allan didn’t see me. Or anyone, for that matter. If Arlo’s security caught me sneaking around the back of the house, I’d have some serious explaining to do.
Taking a deep breath, I crept around the side of the house, then ran for the gates, no thought in my head other than to get to the Four and get out of there.
“Winter!”
The shout came as I barrelled across the grass, running blindly in my bare feet, my heels left behind somewhere in the bushes.
Strong arms grabbed me from behind, pulling me back against a large body, and we skidded along the ground, losing our balance on the slippery turf. Then we were falling, and I landed with a thud, my face mashed into the cold, wet grass, unable to speak as the air had been knocked from my lungs.
Spots danced in front of my eyes as I struggled to take a breath, badly winded.
“Fuck. I didn’t mean to hurt her!”
I could’ve sworn that was Zayde’s voice.
“Let me