she was causing with her presence. She couldnât fault Toriâs reaction to coming face-to-face with the unerring truth of what had happened to her. There was nothing wrong with denial. Everyone had their own way of coping. God only knew how Ramie had learned to cope over the years. It may not be the healthiest way to absorb tragedy after tragedy, but being able to compartmentalize each nightmare had been the only way she survived.
At some point the walls would likely crumble and everything sheâd been stuffing down would come spewing out like a geyser erupting, but until that day she justâ
. . .â
âcoped. Just like Tori was copingâor not coping. It wasnât her jobâher responsibilityâto heal Calebâs sister. She wouldnât even know how to begin even if she wanted such a task.
She cupped her hand over her forehead, eyes still closed, and she rubbed tiredly in an attempt to ease the awful tension and the painful ache in her temples. When would she stop running? Would she ever stop fleeing, and would she ever be able to lead a normal, boring life, something she craved with desperation?
If you think youâre safeâthat youâll ever be safeâfrom me, youâre a very stupid woman. There is nowhere, no place you can hide that I wonât find you. And when I do, you will suffer. You will beg me for death, and maybe, if youâre a good girl, Iâll be merciful and kill you quickly.
Ramie bolted upright in bed, her scream shattering the silence that had blanketed the room. Her gaze bounced wildly around the darkened room, pupils quickly adapting as she blinked, expecting to see him standing by her bed. Within touching distance.
She should run, but she was paralyzed, unable to moveâto breathe. Terror gripped her until she felt bruised, as if an actual hand had wrapped itself around her throat.
When the door burst in, she screamed again and scrambled wildly for the other side of the bed. She landed with a harsh thump, pain lancing through her head. She planted both palms on the floor, pushing herself upward, prepared to fight for her life.
Sheâd known she wasnât safe here. Stupid, stupid, stupid!
Like a wild animal she reared her head, nostrils flaring as she evaluated her escape options. He filled the doorway and then suddenly light flooded the room, momentarily blinding her.
From a distance she heard her name and she jerked her gaze around the vividly lit room, desperately seeking the source. Strong hands wrapped around her upper arms, and she lashed out, self-preservation kicking in. She wasnât ready to die.
âCaleb, what the hell is going on?â
Ramie stared at the open doorway to see Beau Devereaux standing there in a pair of boxer shorts and nothing else. He was quickly shoved aside when Quinn appeared looking worried and frazzled.
âJesus, this is not going to help Tori,â Quinn bit out.
Ramie glanced upward, the haze of terror slowly releasing its grip on her. Caleb was on his knees just a foot from her, his hair mussed, his eyes bloodshot. Like Beau, he was wearing only boxers and it was equally evident that heâd been roused from sleep by her scream.
She closed her eyes, mortification taking over the fear.
âGo back to bed,â Caleb ordered his brothers. âIâll handle this. Make sure Toriâs okay.â
Ramie held her breath as Calebâs brothers slowly withdrew, identical frowns on their faces. There was no hiding the looks of annoyance and welcome was the furthest thing from their expressions. No matter what Beau had said earlier, he was obviously regretting his words now.
The door closed gently, Calebâs brothers disappearing from sight. She became aware of her fingernails digging into her palms, marking her skin. She forced her hands to relax and closed her eyes, not wanting to look at Caleb and see the same thing sheâd seen in Beauâs and Quinnâs
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