C99 Stay With Her

The car rolled to a stop just outside the house, its engine humming softly before it cut off. Annabelle turned to Cathy and forced a gentle smile despite the tightness in her chest.

“Cathy,” Annabelle began, keeping her voice calm and steady, “I need you to stay here for a minute, okay? I just need to check something inside the house.”

Cathy’s brow furrowed. “Why? Is something wrong?”

“No, nothing’s wrong,” Annabelle lied, reaching out to brush a strand of Cathy’s hair behind her ear.

Her sister’s curls were damp from running around, the golden brown catching the fading light like molten honey.

“I just... need to be sure of something before you come in. Can you do that for me?”

Reluctantly, Cathy nodded. “Okay. But hurry.”

“I will.” Annabelle kissed her sister’s forehead.

Then she turned to Rio, who was watching the exchange closely.

His hand rested casually on the open door, his dark shirt stretched across his broad shoulders.

“We didn’t see anything unusual,” Rio said. “Your mom’s been talking to the guy, but nothing seems off.”

“I’ll see for myself,” Annabelle replied.

Rio stepped forward as if to follow her.

But Annabelle glanced at Cathy, then back at him with her gaze firm and unyielding.

The unspoken message was clear.

Stay with her.

Rio sighed, muttering under his breath, “Fine. But if anything feels wrong, I’m coming in.”

“Fair enough,” Annabelle said, not in the mood to argue.

Her boots crunched softly against the gravel as she walked toward the house.

The air was thick with the scent of pine and earth as the early evening cast long shadows over the yard.

Every step felt heavier, as though the past itself were trying to pull her back.

Inside, the house was eerily quiet.

The living room was empty, though the food she’d left for her mother earlier was gone.

She checked the kitchen.

Nothing.

Then she heard it.

Muffled sobbing.

Annabelle’s heart leapt into her throat, and she instinctively tightened her grip on the gun Rio had given her.

The sound was coming from her mother’s room.

She moved cautiously with her pulse thundering in her ears.

Stay calm, stay sharp.

She could almost hear Angelo’s instructions in her ears.

She crept down the hallway with her fingers brushing against the wall for balance.

Her mother’s sobs grew louder, each one clawing at Annabelle’s nerves.

Was it a trap?

Was the bastard in there with her?

But before she could reach the door, another noise made her freeze.

A faint rustling.

It was coming from her own room.

Annabelle’s stomach twisted.

The men outside hadn’t said anything about two people being there apart from their mother.

Which meant Tad was probably in her room after he was done doing a number on her mother.

Memories surged like a tidal wave.

She could clearly remember the times she’d walked into her room to find Tad rifling through her things.

The way he’d corner her with a cruel smirk before…

She shoved the memory down, her grip on the gun tightening until her knuckles turned white. Not today.

Anger replaced her fear, burning hot and sharp.

If he thought he could defile her sanctuary again, he was wrong.

Her steps quickened, and she didn’t bother masking her movements as she approached her room.

With a swift kick, she sent the door flying open.

The gun was raised steady despite the tremor in her hands.

The man turned, startled, and for a moment, the world seemed to tilt off its axis.

Annabelle’s breath left her with a sharp gasp.

The face was vaguely familiar.

And he was holding her gun in his hand.

*********

Back in Acadia, Tad leaned forward on the bar counter, his fingers drumming against the glass of whiskey he’d barely touched.

His patience was wearing thin, his temper simmering just below the surface.

“Well?” he growled at the man sitting next to him, a wiry figure with slicked-back hair and an air of perpetual smugness. “Where is she?”

The man sighed, rolling his eyes. “You’re too impatient, Tad. You can’t just…”

“I didn’t ask for a lecture,” Tad snapped, slamming his palm on the counter. “I asked where Annabelle was. You have fooled me long enough.”

The man smirked, then slid his phone across the counter.

A photo filled the screen.

Annabelle, her little sister, and their mother were outside a hospital that Tad knew too well.

His breath hitched as his grip tightened on the glass.

“Stoneraine,” he murmured, his tone both disbelieving and triumphant.

“You could’ve told me this earlier,” Tad spat, shoving the phone back.

“And miss this delightful exchange?” The man leaned back, crossing his arms. “Relax. She’s not going anywhere.”

Tad’s hands curled into fists, the veins in his neck straining. “You’ve been holding out on me. You weren’t going to tell me at all, were you?”

The man shrugged nonchalantly. “Maybe. Maybe not.”

“I’m done with this,” Tad snarled, standing abruptly. “I’m leaving. Now.”

“Be my guest.” The man gestured toward the door.

Tad hesitated, narrowing his eyes.

He’d expected more resistance, perhaps another condescending remark about loyalty or friendship.

That subtle hint that Tad owed him for clearing his mess.

But the man seemed completely unbothered, as though Tad’s departure meant nothing.

With a final glare, Tad turned and stalked toward the door with his boots echoing against the hardwood floor.

The bar’s dim lighting cast shadows across his face, highlighting the tension in his clenched jaw.

As he pushed the door open, he brushed against a man entering the bar.

A tall, broad figure in a dark jacket.

“Watch it,” Tad muttered, turning to see if the man would take offence.

Part of him hoped for a fight, something to release the anger boiling in his veins.

But before he could react, he belatedly felt a prick at the part where he had brushed against the man.

His knees buckled, and he collapsed onto the floor, his vision swimming.

“What... the hell...” Tad slurred as he tried to lift his head.

He thought he saw a shadow fall across him.

Then darkness swallowed him.