Nightmares

Chapter forty-seven: Carter

We ended up back outside the cafe we went to many moons ago.

I held Harper tight as she shook. Brushing away a couple of stray tears. She was fine. She would be fine.

Jake?

No one knows.

"He'll be back." I muttered. "He'll be back and next time, I'll kill him."

"You won't." She told me sternly.

"I will. He's not getting close to you again." I said.

"You won't kill him."

"And why not?"

"Because you're too pretty to go to prison." She said with a smile.

I sighed.

"Are you okay? He didn't hurt you, did he?"

"No." She said.

I wrapped an arm around her.

I told myself I would never let that happen again.

And I'd failed.

Pulling her close, I buried my head in her hair and felt the tears come.

I haven't cried like this since I was a kid. Heart-wrenching, gut-churning sobs that racked my body.

"Hey, Carter. It's okay. I'm here. You're safe with me." She wrapped her arms around me and I tried to stop the tears.

"It's not okay." I whispered. "I was supposed to protect you."

She gave me a look.

"I'm a big girl. I can take care of myself."

What happens now?

The face of my nightmares was back. And he wanted something.

Something I wasn't going to give him.

Not if I could help it.

And Jake?

He had been left to face the consequences.

I could only imagine what was happening to him right now. What he was doing. If he was even alive.

We barely knew each other. But he had stepped in to take the punishment I was owed without a second thought. Probably not knowing he was going to have to pay for it with his life.

Or a life.

And now?

Now we were living on borrowed time. Either Jake won, and he died.

Or he lost, and we all died.

And there was nothing we could do but wait.

Is it bad that I can't wait to find out what happens next? I'm genuinely excited and now I'm worrying I might be a sadist.

See you soon.