B017GCC62O (R) by Michelle Horst Read Free Book Online Page A

thought it would be in good form to advise you of their condition.”
    I get up quickly and don’t even check if Adam is following. I don’t bother with the act anymore and as I head down the stairs I break out into a run. I can’t see anyone in the car as I approach it. I yank the back door open and the air is torn from my lungs. There is only blood. They are covered in blood! Dark chunks of either flesh or blood are all I can see.
    I feel hands on my shoulders and Adam directs my body until I’m seated on the passenger side. He closes all the doors and then jogs around the car. We don’t even bother with safety belts as we speed away from the hell hole.
    Warm tears spill over my cheeks. I can’t bring myself to turn around in my seat. If I see them beaten and bloody again I’ll lose it, knowing I can’t help them until we’re home.
    After we’ve left San Antonio where Cameron’s business operates from, we make our way to Houston. We stick to the main roads and busy cities. The more people the easier for us. We only deviate from the road once and that’s to stop in a small town near Jackson, Mississippi. We always change cars, dumping the one we used to free the slaves. The car waiting for us is an old station wagon.
    We carry all the bags over to the station wagon before we go to get Jack and Sophia. Adam opens the door and he doesn’t waste time hauling Sophia out from the car.
    “Be careful!” I snap at him. “She’s hurting,” a sob chokes my words, making them thick.
    “She’s out cold!” Adam snaps back at me. “The sooner we have them home the sooner we can ease their pain. I’m not going to waste time!”
    He’s as angry as I am. I watch as he places Sophia on the back seat.
    “We should leave the bags,” I say. “Then we can put Jack in the back and they don’t have to share the backseat.”
    Adam looks at the backseat and then the open space where our bags are. “You’re right.”
    He quickly removes the bags again and tosses them back in the car. “Make sure there is nothing in the bags that can help anyone track us down!”
    While I quickly search the bags and then the car, Adam carries Jack to the station wagon. Sweat is beading on Adam’s forehead and his shirt is soaked through with blood once he has them both settled in. While Adam searches Jack and Sophia for any tracking devices, I grab a clean shirt and hold it ready for Adam.
    He finds the tracking devices on their hips and I look away as he takes out a sharp pocket knife. I can never watch as he cuts the devices out, but I know it’s necessary to ensure our safety.
    Once he’s finished he drags the bloody shirt over his head and uses it to wipe his hands clean before he throws the shirt and tracking devices in the old car. He takes the clean shirt from me and quickly pulls it over his head.
    I get in the station wagon and drive a distance away. Adam sets the old car alight, burning all the evidence and then he covers our tracks before he jumps in the passenger side.
    Adam closes his eyes and rests his head back against the chair while I get us back on the interstate. The road is long and hard. We don’t stop unless it’s for gas. We drive for over twenty four hours before we reach home.
    I’m worried because Jack and Sophia have not woken yet. I hope they’ll pull through!
    It’s well after breakfast as we drive through the gates. I feel a slither of relief when I spot Landon and Kyle on horseback. They patrol the entrance. Both tip their hats to us as we drive by.
    I bring the station wagon to a standstill in front of the manor. It’s so good to see Miss Ella that tears flood my eyes. I jump from the car and run to her. She wraps me in a motherly embrace. “It’s okay, Darling. You’re home.” She lets go and starts to walk to the car. “Did you save anyone?”
    Adam opens the back door of the station wagon and that sets Tristan in motion. As he looks into the car his eyes widen with the same horror I’ve