Chapter 9

Kathy made it home, the rain pattering on her car as she hurried upstairs towards the front door; just as she reached for the handle, her stepsister Skye unlocked it from inside, stepping back to let Kathy enter and closing the door behind them. With a wicked grin, she plotted her next move, a glint of mischief in her eyes. Entering the living room, she saw her father absorbed in his newspaper, the rustle of its pages a quiet backdrop to the clinking of her stepmother's teacup as Kathy entered. However, an elderly gentleman with kind eyes and a warm smile sat on the couch, a complete stranger to her.

"Father, who is that man?" Kathy asked, her eyes wide with curiosity as she pointed to a figure walking towards them.

"Let me introduce you to an old friend of mine, Harvey Crawford. Your husband-to-be.”

Finding the idea of her father marrying her to a complete stranger funny, Kathy laughed. It wouldn't be happening today, at least. She was turning to go when the man said something.

“You must be Kathy, your father told me so much about you. Look here, if you marry, I will make you a lucky woman. You just have to keep the house clean and give birth to a son.”

"Mr. Crawford, you're hilarious! I don't intend to marry you. I already have a husband. And besides, my infertility means I'm worthless to you, you're saying.”

"I paid your father a fortune to marry you; you're damaged goods."

“It's your mistake for believing what he said.”

Edward was shocked to learn his daughter had married someone else, until Skye hugged him and whispered something in his ear; Kathy witnessed this. Realizing three men were behind her and Mr. Crawford was approaching, she knew she had to leave immediately. She sprayed him and the others in the eyes, then ran for the front door, but her father's men tackled her. Kathy used her heel to kick him in his private area, causing him to drop her to the floor. She dashed out the back kitchen door, down the stairs, and sped toward the front of the mansion to reach her car and drive away. Crawford rose from the floor just as his men heard a car drive off. Kathy had a head start; they were still inside.

“Edward, you must either return my money or bring your daughter back.”

“I will get her back here,” he vowed, clenching his fists.

Eyes streaming from Kathy's potent spray, the men gratefully accepted the wet towels the butler offered, each damp cloth a small relief against the stinging.

Kathy's frantic driving reflected her desperate need to flee the house, her only safe haven being the hotel. Terror seized her as she almost hit the car, the screech of tires and the lurch of her own vehicle jarring her senses; she slammed on the emergency brake. Kathy rummaged in her purse, pulling out her phone with practiced ease, her fingers already dialing the familiar number. he answers the phone. He picked up on the second ring.

“Hello?”

"Um… Anthony," Kathy hesitantly called out.

"Kathy, what's the matter?"

“I'm scared; I have no idea what to do.”

"Could you let me know where you are?"

"I was casually driving around,"

"Could you provide me with your coordinates?"

"I'll pull over, and then I can send it to you," she said.

Kathy pulled over, the gravel crunching under her tires, to text Anthony her location; she couldn't return home, not after her father's plans, and the lie about her husband weighed heavily. She doesn't want to marry anyone as old as her father. Kathy remains on the phone, speaking with Anthony. She felt a little hungry.

"Your location is known to me," he stated. "I will now provide directions to my residence."

"I was under the impression that you live in a penthouse in your residence."

"No, I only use it occasionally to escape for a bit."

“That makes sense.”

As Kathy drove, following Anthony's directions to his house, the town seemed normal—people shopping, working, building—but she noticed a fence surrounding it. She kept driving. She stopped at the traffic light, where guards are stationed in various locations. The idea of living in this town occurred to Kathy. Startled from her daydream by a honking horn, she resumed driving, heading out of town and into a wooded area. Kathy made a left turn, going further into the woods. After she saw a house, something ran into the road, causing her to stop abruptly.

“Kathy, what happened?”

"I swerved to avoid something that ran into the road."

“How close are you?”

“I went past a few houses on my way.”

“Wait in your car; I’ll have Miles come meet you.”

“If you say so,”

Kathy locked her door and is waiting for Miles to find her in the dark woods, where the rain had stopped while she was driving. She hears howling in the woods, which scares her, causing her to look around for Miles, but he is not there. As she switched on her high beams, she saw a large wolf in front of her car, growling menacingly. Kathy wanted to retreat and leave, but Anthony told her to stay. Kathy kept her eyes closed until a tap on her window made her open them. Miles was on the driver's side; the wolf was gone. She rolled down the window to see him in shorts, barefoot, and shirtless.

"I hope I didn't frighten you," Miles said.

"No, you didn't," she said. "And why are you wearing shorts?"

"I was out running in the woods," Miles explained, "let me in!"

Kathy looked at Miles, questioning, "You want to drive my car?"

"Yes," Miles replied, "if you'll let me." Otherwise, Mr. Thompson will be angry.

To let Miles drive, Kathy unlocked the car door, switched to the passenger seat, and made sure Anthony could hear their conversation.