Hide (Mommy's House 3)

12

Bella felt the cold handcuffs wrap around her wrists, and she flinched at the sound of the click as they locked. They were tight, digging into her skin. The cop behind her grabbed onto her bent arms and walked her out of the shed, but she didn't say a word. She couldn't.

"They're taking the kids to Lennin," Bella croaked to the cop beside her, without looking up from the floor.

"Lennin?" The cop repeated. "Lennin... what? Road? Drive? Is it a house, a person?"

Bella shook her head. "I don't know, all right? They just said they're taking the kids to Lennin. Figure it out and help them."

The world was moving in slow motion as the cop brought her out to the front yard through the side of the house. She stared at the grass beneath her feet, her eyes swollen with imminent tears as she suddenly felt a blanket move over her shoulders.

"That's Isabella Bryers," James' voice. "Let her go. I'll take her."

"Yes, sir," the officer behind her responded, as she felt the handcuffs release.

Bella brought her hands up to the wooly blanket and hoisted it over her shoulders to cover herself. She looked up at James, who was just holding her arm and staring ahead, walking her over to his car.

He looked extremely disappointed, and sick with worry. He was pale, and his forehead beaded with sweat, despite the cool winds that caressed them.

James opened the back door of his car, and gestured for her to get in. She slowly got inside the car, holding the blanket over her body as he closed the car door shut.

Bella watched out the window as James spotted Cole being walked over to a police car, with his hands behind his back. James rushed over to the officer that was holding onto him, and explained the situation further.

The officer unlocked the handcuffs and released Cole, who appeared sticky with blood and sweat.

James said something to Cole, and Cole just shook his head in response. Bella didn't even have to hear them to know what that conversation was about. Cole was obviously refusing to go to the hospital, like he usually did.

Bella pressed her temple against the cold window and stared at the carpeted floor of the car. Her breath was heavy and tears continued to fall from her eyes as the children's cries replayed on a continuous loop in her head. She was right there, they were right in front of her, and if she could've gotten up to help them, she might have been able to. But Cole prevented her from helping, and her opportunity was missed. They were gone.

Bella wasn't sure if she was even relieved that they were alive. That just means that they've been suffering through torture for the past few weeks, and she knew what that was like. She knew what it was like to wonder if anyone was looking for her. She knew what it was like to feel the pain of hunger, the burn of dehydration, the sweat of panic, the feeling of being trapped like a caged animal.

She jumped when the other car door opened up, and watched as James helped Cole into the car. James reached towards Cole's face, but Cole flinched away from him. James then, careful to be slower with his movements, grabbed onto Cole's face and turned his head towards him. He shined a handheld flashlight into Cole's eyes.

"I'm fine," Cole told him, his voice raspy.

"If you're not going to go to the hospital, then you have to do this. Follow my finger with your eyes," James said sternly.

Bella looked away from the two of them, and stared at the floor of the car again. She sniffled, before she reached up and wiped tears and snot off of her face. She couldn't handle this pain. Those kids were in danger, and nobody could do anything about it.