Total pages in book: 75
Estimated words: 72126 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 361(@200wpm)___ 289(@250wpm)___ 240(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 72126 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 361(@200wpm)___ 289(@250wpm)___ 240(@300wpm)
Sweat dripped down her forehead, her breath coming in ragged gasps. Toby was next to her, and he looked like a deer in headlights. When I saw that no one else was in the room, I quickly lowered my weapon and looked back to Toby. He was already terrified, and I’d only added to his fear by barging into their room with my gun drawn.
“It’s okay, buddy.” I placed it on the desk, then stepped over to the edge of the bed. “I’m just here to make sure you both are safe.”
He nodded, but the fear in his eyes remained.
He watched intently as I knelt in front of Whitney and whispered, “Hey, Whitney… Whitney, wake up.”
I placed a hand on her shoulder, shaking her gently, and her eyes shot open. Still caught between the dream and reality, her body jolted back, and she let out another choked scream. Trying my best not to scare her further, I leaned back and whispered, “Hey, it’s okay. You’re okay.”
“Ghost?”
My name had barely left her lips when she reached for me. She wound her arms around my neck and pulled me close, clinging to me like her life depended on it. I slipped my arm around her waist, holding her as I whispered, “You’re okay. You’re at the clubhouse. It was just a bad dream.”
“I thought he was here.” She started to cry as she muttered, “I thought he’d found us.”
“Hey, hey.” I eased her back so she could see my face. “He’s not here. No one’s here. It’s just us.”
She quickly scanned the room, and when she saw that no one was there, she muttered, “I-I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to—”
“It’s alright,” I cut her off gently. “No need to apologize.”
“It seemed so real.” She wiped the tears from her eyes as she added, “It’s been a while since I’ve had one that bad.”
Toby shuffled closer, and I gave him a nod, letting him know that everything was going to be okay. Toby hesitated for a moment, then inched closer to her. “It was a bad one, Mom.”
“I know, sweetie, and I’m sorry.” She gave him a quick hug and kissed him on the cheek. “I didn’t mean to scare you.”
“I hate when you have those dreams.”
“I do, too. But I’m okay now. Come on. Let’s get you settled.” She stood and led him back over to his bed. “Everything’s fine now. Try to get you some sleep.”
He nodded, then slipped under the covers and pulled them up over his shoulders. Whitney leaned down and kissed him on the forehead before getting back in her bed. She settled back on her pillow with a sigh. It was tough seeing them like this, and as much as I tried to keep my emotions in check, there was something about seeing them so rattled that got to me. “You need anything? Water? Something to help you sleep?”
“No, I just… I’ll be fine.” Whitney shook her head. “I’m really sorry about all this. I’m sure you’re sick of me and all...”
“Don’t.”
She was trying to be strong, but I could see the cracks in her façade. The pain and fear had worn her down, but she was here—which meant she still had some fight in her. Regardless, I didn’t push. I knew the demons she was fighting. Mine were of a different breed, but I had them, too.
I knew how hard they were to face, so I said, “You don’t ever have to apologize to me. Not for anything.”
“Thank you, Ghost. I really appreciate that.”
“Don’t gotta thank me either.” I glanced over at Toby and was pleased to see that he was already dozing off. “You good?”
“I want to say yes, but I’m not so sure.” She grimaced as she asked, “Would you mind staying for a bit? Just until I fall back asleep?”
“Yeah. I can do that.”
I sat down on the floor and leaned my back against the wall. I crossed my arms and then threw one leg over the other, trying my best to make myself comfortable. Whitney tossed me a blanket as she said, “This might help.”
“Thanks.”
I laid it across my chest, and once she saw that I was settled, Whitney turned off the light. We sat there in silence long enough for me to think she’d fallen asleep, and then, out of nowhere, she whispered, “Is this ever going to be over?”
“Yeah. You’re getting closer all the time.”
“It doesn’t feel like it,” she sighed. “It feels like I’m caught up in a bad dream, and I’m never going to find my way out.”
“Might help to talk about it.”
“I don’t know.” She glanced over at Toby, making sure he was asleep, then sighed. “I need you to know that this thing with Dylan wasn’t some drawn out abusive relationship. I thought I’d met a good guy. He was a police officer with great friends and a wonderful family, and I thought I’d hit the jackpot until we had our first fight.”