Page 24 of Summer Ride

“He used to leave little notes like the one he left tonight on the mirrors of rooms when he’d find me.” She closed her eyes and remembered the threats that he’d leave her after each incident. How he would promise to cut off one of her fingers or toes if she tried to escape again.

It was just one more way he’d kept her too afraid to leave or even try.

Thankfully, neither Brett nor the officer asked for many more details. They suggested that she head into the station and file a restraining order against him first thing in the morning.

After the police officer left, Brett assured them that he would increase the security around her and at the camp until Axel was caught.

“There’s no way this man will step foot on the grounds again,” Brett assured her, holding up his phone, which had an old image of Axel on it. The image had obviously been taken before he’d kidnapped her all those years ago.

Axel wasn’t an unattractive man. When she’d been with him, many people had asked if he was a model or an actor.

Not one of them had seen through the façade that he created when they were in public. They had all believed he was a doting older brother who had, out of the kindness of his heart, taken in his younger sister after their parents’ death.

Why could no one but her see the evil glint in his eyes?

Carter studied the image as if he wanted to reach through the screen and wring the man’s neck.

It had taken her years to release some of the hate in her heart for the man who had robbed her of her childhood. There was still plenty of hate remaining, but not so much that she was crippled by it any longer.

She’d learned to free herself of things she couldn’t change or control back when she was in juvie.

Just looking at the old image of Axel had fear and memories flooding her system, and her hands began to shake. When Carter noticed, he reached over and held her hands softly in his own.

After Brett left them, Carter helped her pack up everything that she would need to stay at his place indefinitely.

The funny thing was, she doubted she would miss her apartment all that much.

For years, she’d avoided moving in with Carter. It would have saved money, but she just couldn’t imagine giving up the freedoms that she’d worked so hard for after everything she’d been through.

Now her fear far outweighed her concerns about what she was giving up. Besides, she knew that Carter wasn’t the kind of man who would demand that she change her life in any way.

She would still be free to do what she wanted when she wanted. If anything, she might have even more freedom after moving in with him.

If she didn’t have to pay her ridiculously high rent payment, she would have more money every month. Plus, with the extra space at Carter’s, she might be able to spend more time outdoors with some of his animals, a pastime she truly enjoyed. Maybe she could even get a pet of her own? She’d always wanted a dog.

As she drove up the long dirt drive with Carter right behind her, she felt a shift in her chest.

Without knowing it, she’d already begun to think of this place as home. When she’d been avoiding Carter, she’d missed being here. Missed the smell of the tall grass that surrounded his house.

She stepped out of her car, leaned against the door, and took a deep breath. She felt a deep longing that she hadn’t known was there.

It was probably past midnight, and the full moon shone down on the farmhouse and the yard.

“Are you all right?” Carter asked as he made his way towards her.

“Yes, I’m just soaking it all in for a moment.”

“You won’t be alone. You have friends that want to support you, watch out for you.”

“I know that,” she said with a slight sigh. It was true. The last time she’d had to fear Axel, she was alone. This time, she had an army of friends willing to protect her. This thought caused her eyes to sting.

“Hey.” Carter rushed to pull her into his arms. “I’m here,” he said into her hair.

God. She was a mess.

As tears rolled down her cheeks, she held onto him and wished that she had the strength to run away. She’d told herself a million times that’s what she’d do if Axel ever found her.

“We’ll unpack your things in the morning,” he said softly. “For now, let’s just shut down.”