brother straightened up and looked at his father with sadness in his eyes. The depth displayed in his expression was haunting. Still, it didn’t seem to have an
effect on the cruel man.
When Cedric went for Meg, she resisted.
“I don't need your help.” She kicked him in the leg, and then scrambled
towards the truck.
Unfortunately, my sister hadn’t been quick enough. Cackling as Cedric
picked her up by the waist of her pants, he said, "You need to be taught manners."
He dangled her in the air as she struggled to break his hold. A scar under his
eye glowed in the moonlight. It gave him a more notorious appearance, but it didn’t deter my sister’s defiance.
Kicking and clawing at the air, Meg screamed, “Let me down now! Let me
down, or I'll scratch your eyes out!”
Laughing, he ignored her.
Miles tightened his fists and rushed to Meg's defense. "Put her down."
"You are threatening your father?" Cedric snarled.
Miles hesitated and looked towards me.
I shook my head slightly. The movement was almost undetectable.
Understanding, Miles unclenched his fingers and sat back down.
“Stop playing, Cedric.” Eliza dragged her long, red nails along his beard and
kissed him on the cheek. “She is of no use to us, anymore.”
Cedric threw Meg into the back of the truck. She quickly scrambled towards
my grandmother and fell into her arms, sobbing. Gram wrapped her arms around
Meg and whispered into her ear. In response to the private words, Meg hugged
her tightly and tried to choke back her tears.
Cole offered his hand to Miles. When he took it, he jumped into Cole's arms
and held onto him tightly.
What kind of life did Miles have to make him so afraid of his father? I wondered.
My father was no longer struggling against the ropes that bound him. He’d closed his eyes, lying still. I wasn’t sure if he was sleeping or just resigning himself to the situation. Either way, it alarmed me.
“I'm going to ride with them in the back. I need to make sure Elliott is ok, or
I'll not be able to concentrate on breaking the binding,” I said firmly.
Eliza's cold stare met mine. I gazed back while concentrating my thoughts
and reached out with my mind. I needed to make sure everyone was ok.
Her black eyes bore into me as if she was searching for the truth. Finally, she
nodded. “Fine, you can ride with Elliott, but your boyfriend rides with me.”
Unsettled, I began to change my decision when Cole turned towards Eliza
with his most flirtatious smile and said, “I would be honored to ride with you.”
For half a second, I thought Cole's charisma would be a benefit to him. I was
wrong. Cedric jumped into the bed of the truck and roughly knocked Miles out
of his lap. Then, he reached for my fiancé, clutching him violently.
Ripping his wrist out of Cedric's bruising grip, Cole held up his hands in a gesture of surrender. “I said I would come with you,” he asserted with mock indignation. “There’s no need to be so rough, Mr. Drygen.”
Cedric shoved him out the truck, and sneered, “Save your charm for
