27. Chapter 27

Chapter 27

" S hit!"

Layla leaned against the wall and rubbed her foot. She'd known going barefoot was a bad idea, but she hadn't expected it to be an obstacle so soon in her escape. There was something sharp in the bushes. She couldn't see what she had stepped on. But there was no time to worry about the pain now. At any moment, Jackson would realise she hadn't returned to the table.

It was darker than usual because of the storm clouds, and the rain was pouring down faster than she'd expected. The light from the bathroom window showed it was already forming puddles and flowing in rivulets. She had been drenched in seconds. Her hair was plastered down her face and getting in her way. She did a quick braid before she pushed the sides of her dress up and tucked them into her panties to allow her more movement. Her dress felt like a second skin and would not protect her against the elements, but it would have to do.

She felt around the ground for the knife she had taken from the table and made sure her phone was safely tucked in her bra before running towards the treeline for better cover. Her bare feet splashed in the water on the ground, and only the flashes of lightning lit her way. The wind was howling, blowing bits of debris into her face. The thunder got worse, and it gave her a moment of panic. Sometimes storms in Wolfdale caused a lot of damage. It would be dangerous to run through the forest in the dark with the storm raging like this all around her.

But it was equally dangerous to stay.

She would take her chances in the forest. She kept going and, thankfully, didn't step on anything sharp again. She had always been a fast runner. When she was still in school, she'd been on the track team and always came first. Her dream had been to one day make the national team until she'd had to give up her life for Brit.

At least all of that training was paying off now. The place was huge, but she wasn't winded as she ran around the grounds through the trees, heading to the front of the house where she had marked out a potential hiding spot from her window. She'd been too far from the gate to learn the security guard patterns, but in weather like this, only idiots would be walking around. Idiots and desperate people.

Jackson's threat from the first time she tried to run echoed in her head. He had warned her not to do it, but he wouldn't catch her if she got far enough away. The rain would hide all her tracks. And the best thing about it was it was so heavy that the wolves in the forest would be crazy to leave their shelters to come out. They also couldn't pick up her scent even if she went too close to their dens, but she wouldn't be completely safe from them if they were hungry.

Living in Wolfdale had taught her a thing or two about wolves, so hopefully, she would have better luck out there than the tourists who disappeared every year.

Other dangerous animals lived in the forest, but none frightened her as much as wolves. She would have to find shelter once she got far enough away and then wait out the storm.

She was surprised she made it close to the gate without incident and turned into the little hiding spot. The rain was pounding down on her so hard she could feel the large drops pelting her body. And she could hardly see a few feet in front of her, so she slowed down to inch closer to the gate. The wall was too high to climb; the gate was her only option.

There was a light on in a little guardhouse next to the gate, and when she peered in, she saw a young kid sleeping in front of security camera screens.

Too many young kids were put to work tonight, but she was surprised they had one in charge of security. He didn't look as big as some of the men she had already seen, but after getting her ass kicked by those girls, she wouldn't underestimate anyone else.

With her knife in front of her, she inched around the guardhouse and looked at the gate. Only a few feet to her freedom. Once she was out of there, she would have more places to hide until she got to the first gate, where it would get dangerous. She only had a general idea of the direction she had to go in.

But Brit would be waiting for her, so failure wasn't an option. When she told her sister that a cult imprisoned her and Jackson was trying to make her have his baby, her sister snuck out of her hotel room without question and went down the service elevator. She would hide close to the hotel and wait.

The kid didn't stir when she stood to her full height and walked to the gate. The gate had bars across to help her climb up. She took one last look at the sleeping boy before climbing quickly.

She had just put her leg over the spikes on the top when something made her look back at the vast building she had been imprisoned in. She couldn't see anything, but she had a feeling... Her survival instinct kicked up a gear when she realised Jackson had probably discovered she was gone.

The thought made her move quicker, but fear made her slightly clumsy. One of the spikes cut across her thigh as she fell to the bottom, knocking her hip hard against the tarmac.

She bit back her cry of pain and tried to breathe through it. There was no turning back now. She had to keep moving, no matter how much she hurt herself.

The pain was excruciating when she rose to her feet and started to run. Only a few moments later, she saw the gates begin to open, and everything became too real. This was a life-or-death situation; she was about to get caught.

Jackson was a dangerous man who had already threatened to imprison her and use her as his whore. If she didn't get away, she would never see Brit again. That thought spurred her on and made her start running faster than ever. And yet behind her, even with the storm, she could feel something chasing her. Something cold and evil, as if it had been waiting for her.

She tripped over something and fell to her knees, slamming them hard into the road, but again, she stood and ran. She didn't feel the pain anymore because adrenaline was pumping through her body.

The only thoughts she allowed herself were of Brit. She had to get to her. If she died, Brit would be sucked into all the mess she had worked so hard to protect her from. Costas, her father. And now Jackson.

Something huge flew over her, so close to her head that she had to duck. The sudden movement made her trip over herself again, and this time she hit her head on the tarmac. The knife got knocked out of her hand so far that she couldn't even see a glint of it. She knew she was bleeding all over the place from her thigh and knees, but now she was positive her forehead was also cut open as she struggled to get back to her feet. Everything was whirling. Sounds and colours mashed together and disoriented her. Any moment now, she would pass out.

She'd done more damage to herself than those crazy girls, and she hadn't even left the damned place yet.

She squinted against the water to see what had been thrown over her. Her heart flew to her chest as her fear increased. This wasn't supposed to happen. The wolves were supposed to be taking shelter, keeping dry. They didn't hunt in storms. But there was a pair of eyes glowing in the darkness right in front of her. Rather than the odd blue ones she had seen the first night, this one had red eyes, and they were moving closer to her. Slowly, as if waiting to pounce.

All the fight left her body, and she fell to her knees.

It was over. This had been a stupid plan. If she had waited...

There was no point in ‘ifs' now.

She blinked the water out of her eyes and prayed for a quick death. Maybe this was a better outcome than being caught by Jackson. Her suffering would end quickly and she wouldn't have to give up a child. And she just had to pray that she had taught Brit enough for her to navigate this cruel life herself.

But the red eyes disappeared as if they had not been there. She blinked again, looking around to see if her mind was playing tricks on her again, but nothing was there. The wolf had disappeared.

Lightning flashed across the sky, and she realised just how wrong she had been.

There was something there,

It was Jackson.

Naked, rock-hard Jackson.