~~~
Addie knew that she was holding onto Nick’s hand much too tightly, but she was terrified. Not for being where she was but for her grandmother. To come all this way in her life, only to have this happen to her the moment that the two of them were about to embark on their lives as a family. Whoever did this was certainly going to pay when she found them.
“Well, well, well. Look who the fucking bastard brought me.” She turned and looked in the direction of the voice. Addie had to concentrate hard on bringing him into focus, and once she did, she gripped Nick’s hand all the tighter. She thought perhaps it was the screwdriver that was sticking in his head that gave her strength, but she was sure that Kari and Steele coming into the room with her helped too. “Real nice of him to bring you to me so I don’t gotta go out and bring you here. Damn, but you’re a fine piece of ass.”
“And you’re just an asshole.” When he stood up, Addie lifted her chin at the man. It was then that she realized how small he was. Not just short, but small. And mean. “You’re nothing to me. And Nick and I have each other now, so you’re nothing to him either.”
“You think so? I bet I can still make him wet his pants. Did he tell you that? That I’d only have to come into his room to get him and he’d piss himself? Big baby.” She laughed and Dane smiled. “You want more stories about that lover of yours and I got them. Got me a whole mess of them.”
“When you came into his room to rape him, you mean? Or would it have been when you came for his sister?” Addie had no idea where her strength to stand up to this man was coming from, but she felt empowered by it. “I really think you should just back off. You’re not going to get to him anymore. Not so long as I’m around.”
“We can take care of that for you. I’d like nothing better than to take you down to my little fun shop and cut you up. Did you know that I’ve had nobody here to play with for so long? Dane tells me it’s because somebody has been very naughty. Was it you?” Addie turned and looked at the woman who spoke. “Oh yeah, you’re going to be fun. I bet you’ll hold out until the very end without screaming. But I have news for you, they all scream in the end.”
“There will be no screaming today. At least not any from us. As for your victims not coming around, that would be because of me.” Several of the ghosts backed up when Steele spoke. For such a young man, she realized how much power he had. When he lifted his hand up to his mouth—the one curled around Kari’s hand—and kissed it, several of the other ghosts screamed. “You aren’t going to like what I have to say to you, Ellen Margaret Wooten.”
Ellen cringed from him. Steele didn’t move, but Addie could swear that he got bigger, the glow around him got just a little brighter. When a noise to her right made her turn, Addie looked at Dane just as he reached for Nick.
“I don’t think so.” Addie felt herself being pulled back to Nick. A strong force seemed to be sucking her to Dane, and Nick pulled her back. As he looked at his stepfather, Addie could see a newfound calmness in Nick. He didn’t seem to be as terrified of him as he had in their dreams. She knew it was true when he spoke to Dane again. “I have no idea why I’ve let you rule my life. But it ends here. I have a life, a love, and I’m not going to let you rule it again.”
“You think so?” Nick laughed and nodded at Dane. “Well, I’m the fucking boss of you, you fucking moron, and what I say goes. I got me a good crew now and we’re going to bring you to our side.”
“No. No…you’re not going to do that.” Joel stepped in front of her and Nick and put his arms over his chest. Joel looked right at Dane as he continued. “I’ve been out looking for my own crew. And I’ve…so you know, I’m not going to take your shit any more either.”
“You think…. You sure have grown a couple since you ran away.” Dane turned to the three men left and laughed. The others, the only men left in what had been a group of ten, looked like they were ready to bolt too. “Ain’t he the shit? Here he is telling me what he thinks he’s going to do. We got us something new for him, don’t we? Show him boys.”
None of them moved. Even when Dane turned to tell them to get Nick, they backed up, getting as much distance between them and Nick as they could. Laughing at the man, Nick turned to his stepfather. Addie felt the power of something move over her and realized that someone…something…had moved into her.