Chapter 7 Carson Rescued
I stood frozen, with my heart racing badly. Fred and Victoria together? The sight of them got me cold.
Fred's eyes met mine, and his expression shifted from surprise to disappointment. At that moment I knew I needed to run away.
I turned on my heel and started walking fast down the street, but Footsteps echoed behind me, quickening with each step.
Hy"Annabel, wait!" Fred's voice called out to me but I couldn't stop. I needed to distance myself, to think.
As I rounded the corner, a strong hand grabbed my arm, pulling me into a dark alley. I breathed in, ready to fight, but a familiar voice spoke near to my ear.
"Shh, it's me," Carson whispered, still holding me tightly.
"Carson? What are you doing here?" I asked.
"I could ask you the same," he replied, glancing back toward the street.
"But there's no time. We need to get you out of here."He added.
Before I could protest, he led me through the narrow way, walking the paths with ease. I was confused and scared at the same time.
"Why are you helping me?" I asked, after we had a little stop.
"Because you're in danger," he said, his eyes serious.
"Fred isn't who you think he is."Carson said again.
"What do you mean?"I asked.
"There's a lot you don't know," Carson said.
"But now's not the time. We need to keep moving."He said again.
Trusting him was a gamble, but at that moment, I had no other choice.
We continued to walk through the darkened streets until we reached a black car parked discreetly.
"Get in," Carson said,while he opened the passenger door.
I hesitated but complied, sliding into the seat. He got in beside me, starting the engine with a quiet purr.
As we drove away, I couldn't help but glance at him, questions burning in my mind.
"Why were you there tonight?" I asked softly.
"I had a feeling something was off," he said but keeping his eyes on the road.
"When I saw Fred and Victoria together, I knew you were in over your head."He added.
The man I thought I could trust was conspiring with the woman who had caused my family so much pain.
"What do we do now?" I asked.
"We find out the truth," Carson said, "Together."He added.
For the first time, I felt hope. With Carson by my side, maybe I could uncover the secrets that had been haunting me.
But as we drove into the night, I couldn't shake the feeling that this was only the beginning of a much darker journey.
—
The drive was tense. Neither of us spoke, and the only sound was the faint hum of the engine. My heart was still pounding from what I had just seen of Fred and Victoria together. Fred had looked me right in the eyes, and in that moment, I knew I had been a fool.
I had trusted the wrong person.
Carson’s grip on the steering wheel was tight. He didn’t look at me, and I didn’t expect him to. We weren’t suddenly friends because he had shown up at the right time. He was just doing what he always did and that's handling things his own way.
“Why were you even there?” I asked, I wanted to hear a different answer like “ I was there because I love you” but that's just a daydream.
Carson didn’t take his eyes off the road. “I had a feeling you’d do something stupid.”
“Excuse me?”i asked.
He let out a slow breath, as if already tired of this conversation. “You’ve been acting weird since you found that room. I knew you wouldn’t just let it go.”
“So, what?” You're stalking me?” I asked.
“I was watching,” he corrected. “And it’s a good thing I did.”
I scoffed, shaking my head. “I don’t need you to watch over me.”
“Clearly, you do.”He said, letting out a scornful smile.
I turned to face him fully. “You gave me that key,” I said. “You let me find that room. Why? What was the point?”
He looked firmly, but he didn’t answer immediately. Instead, he made a sharp turn, speeding up as we neared the house.
“I gave you the key because I wanted to see what you’d do with it,” he said finally. “I wanted to know if you were smart enough to handle what you found.”He added.
“And?”I asked.
“You weren’t.”He said, looking at me.
“That’s not fair! I didn’t know who to trust. I thought—”I said angrily.
“You thought Fred was on your side,” Carson finished coldly.
“That was your first mistake.”He said again.
I looked away because he was right. I had been naive.
The car pulled up in front of the house, and before he could say anything else, I unbuckled my seatbelt and pushed the door open. I needed to get away from him, from this whole mess.
But as I stepped out, Carson grabbed my wrist.
“Wait.”
I froze, glancing down at where his hand held mine. His touch was firm but not harsh. I looked up at him.
“What?”I asked.
“Stay inside. Don’t go anywhere without me knowing,”He said.
“You don’t control me, Carson.”I said and removed his hands.
“No, but I’m the only thing keeping you from walking straight into a trap.” He said.
I got scared , but I refused to let him see how much that scared me. Without another word, I turned and walked into the house.
Carson didn’t follow right away. He stayed outside for a moment, probably making sure we hadn’t been followed. When he finally came in, I was already halfway up the stairs.
“Annabelle,” he called.
I stopped but didn’t turn around.
There was a pause. Then, his voice was quieter.
“Don’t make me regret saving you.”He said.
I closed my eyes for a brief second, then continued walking.
Because the truth was, I wasn’t sure if I regretted it myself.
But why would Carson rescue me?