Total pages in book: 88
Estimated words: 86126 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 431(@200wpm)___ 345(@250wpm)___ 287(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 86126 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 431(@200wpm)___ 345(@250wpm)___ 287(@300wpm)
“I thought it was a delivery,” she finally rasped, her eyes on Dragon. “But he kept knocking, so I opened it, because I thought I might need to sign for something.”
She looked down at me. “The boys get packages all the time,” she whispered earnestly. “They’re always ordering stuff online.”
“I know, baby.”
She swallowed hard.
“I opened the door, and he pushed his way in,” she continued. “He told me to pack our stuff because we were going home. I knew—” Her voice cracked. “I knew that he’d never let me take all the girls upstairs with me.”
She dropped shame-filled eyes to mine, holding my gaze like a lifeline.
“Diana didn’t understand,” she choked out. “Diana wouldn’t know to hide.”
I felt more than saw Esther stiffen.
“So, I left Flora and Ariel downstairs.” The words were quieter than a whisper. There was barely any sound.
The room was completely silent.
“I took Diana upstairs and I—” She shuddered. “I hid her under Cian’s bed.”
She let out a sob. Her eyes still holding mine. “She didn’t want to go. She was scared and she was trying to hold on to me.” Her voice was pleading. Broken. “So, I snapped at her. I told her to be quiet. And I left her under the bed.”
I swallowed tightly, my vision blurring, but I kept my eyes on hers.
“I got the key out of your room. Then I locked the girls’ bedroom, packed the bags and put them on my bed. I called Carl to come carry them down.” She cleared her throat. “When he walked in the room, I closed the door and locked him in.”
I shuddered. There were so many things that could’ve gone wrong. So many things that could’ve been worse. If he hadn’t come upstairs. If she hadn’t been able to lock the door fast enough. If he’d brought the girls upstairs with him.
“I got Diana from Cian’s room,” Noel continued. “Ran downstairs and got Ariel and Flora out of the cupboard, and we ran for the car. You know the rest.”
No one spoke.
Then Flora lifted her head.
“That’s not right,” she said, looking at Noel from only a few inches away. “You told the story wrong.”
Noel jolted.
“What happened, Flora?” Esther asked.
“That big man came in,” Flora said, turning to look at her mother. “And he called Auntie Noel bad names, and he hit her face.”
My eyes shot to Noel’s swollen cheekbone.
“So, she said she would go with him. Then she came over to us and gave us really big hugs.” She looked at Noel. “You didn’t tell that part.”
Noel nodded.
“And she said, you’re okay. Stay with Flora. Then she looked at me and she said, stay here. Stay quiet.” She looked up at her dad. “So, I told her, I called my dad.”
Otto nodded. “Good girl.”
“And then she took Diana upstairs,” Flora said matter-of-factly. “And then she called that man to come get her bags ’cause she said that she couldn’t carry ’em, and I knew that wasn’t true ’cause she can carry me and I’m bigger than a bag.”
She looked at Noel. “And she said be quiet, just like she says when we’re playin’ hide and seek. So, when the man went upstairs, I knew I was s’pposed to hide. So, I pulled Ariel, and we hid in the cupboard where Diana likes to sit.”
Flora nodded to herself and leaned back in against Ariel.
Noel closed her eyes, dropping her head forward until her lips rested against Diana’s head.
“Diana wouldn’t have known to hide,” Esther said softly in understanding. “She wouldn’t have listened to Flora.”
Noel let out a shuddering breath.
“Fuckin’ smart,” Dragon said, shaking his head as he leaned back. “Jesus, why do I never expect these women to be so fuckin’ crafty?”
“Never threaten a mama bear with cubs,” Esther murmured, her voice trembling as she reached out to wrap her hand around Noel’s arm.
“He hit you?” I asked Noel, even though I was looking at the evidence of it.
“I knew it was coming,” she replied softly, her eyes meeting mine. “I braced for it.”
“Fuck,” I breathed.
“I’m fine.”
Diana looked like she may have fallen asleep, but Ariel’s eyes were open. She still hadn’t said a word.
“We’re gonna get outta your hair and let these girls have some quiet,” Gramps announced, walking around the back of the couch so he could drop a kiss on Noel’s head. “You did good,” he murmured to her.
The crowd thinned out as I sat down on the couch next to Noel, wrapping my arm around her. She leaned against me, her head resting on my shoulder.
Myla and the musketeers kept to the kitchen with Nova and Rumi. Bas moved around the house, at one point I caught a glimpse of him carrying the broken door outside. Esther and Otto sat with us in the living room, all of us quiet.
I don’t know why it took me so long to realize that someone was missing.