Chapter 58

 I was in the kitchen cutting vegetables for dinner and humming to myself when I heard the banging. The unexpected sound made me jump. It was like someone was pounding their fist against the door in a desperate attempt to get my attention. My eyes widened and my grip tightened on the knife.

Miles and Joseph both have keys. Who was this? Who was trying to break into our home? Why did they want inside? Horrible memories of the drunken intruder breaking into our home and murdering Clara ran through my mind.

“Open the door!” an unknown male voice screamed. “Please! Open the door!”

My stomach twisted into a tight knot. Looking over my shoulder, I could see the small crib Miles had brought into the kitchen so I could watch Jasper while cooking dinner. Jasper began fussing while the man continued to pound on the door. He threw his tiny fists into the air as he made soft noises.

“Please!” the man screamed. “They killed my wife! Please! They are going to kill me! You need to open this door!”

I chewed on my lip as I took a step away from the counter. My knees were shaky, and nausea was building in my stomach. The man continued to scream and bang on the door. His voice was filled with a mixture of fear, anger, and panic.

His wife was killed? Did Miles kill her? Were they threatening our family? Miles had been killing the people that hurt us. He wanted to keep us safe. If he was trying to kill this man, he definitely could not come into our home.

There were three loud but spaced-out bangs like this man was throwing his shoulder into the door.

How strong was the lock? Would this man be able to break down the door? What would he do once he got inside? Would he hurt Jasper? I could not lose another child. Where was Miles?

I glanced down to see the kitchen knife was in my white-knuckled grip. If this man came inside, would I be able to defend myself? I had never hurt anyone before. When the intruder came into our home, I tried pulling him off Clara but he sliced open my arm. Would I be capable of killing someone?

The pounding on the door stopped, and I took in a sharp breath. Did he finally leave us alone? Had Miles finally come to protect us?

The unknown man appeared in the kitchen window. His eyes were wide, and his jaw dropped when he saw me. His clothes were clean, and he did not look like a drunken intruder. He balled his fist and pounded against the side of the house. The glass of the window rattled. I took another shaky breath. Why would he no longer go away?

“Open the door!” he screamed. The fear in his voice had mostly washed away and was replaced with anger. “What is wrong with you? Why won’t you let me in? Let me in!”

I swallowed past the lump forming in my throat. I took another shaky step back toward Jasper. This man could not come inside. I could not let him near my baby.

“Go away,” I said, hating how my voice cracked. “Leave us alone.”

“They are going to kill me!” he screamed. “What do you not understand? Let me inside!”

I violently shook my head from side to side, unable to speak. His brows furrowed in rage when he realized I was not letting him inside. He screamed a few curse words at me, and I took another step back. There was a high-pitched cry, and I looked over at Jasper. His fussing turned into his own set of screams. I rushed over and picked him up from the small crib. His weight felt awkward in my arms because I kept the knife in my hand. Would I have to use it? Where was Miles?

The man punched the window, and I watched cracks form in the glass. With each punch, more cracks formed until it shattered. I screamed as I watched the shards of glass rain into the kitchen. The man used the sleeve of his jacket to break the remaining pieces of glass in the window pane.

I took another step back, and I was stopped by the kitchen wall. My cheeks were wet with tears as I watched the man reach through the window. He was desperate to grab anything on the counter or sink that would help him pull himself into the house. Once again, there was another intruder in our home. I needed to run, but my knees gave out. Sliding down the wall, I kept Jasper in a tight grip while he screamed.

Miles appeared in a flash. The man was halfway through the window when he reached in and grabbed the back of his coat. In a swift motion, he ripped the man away and threw him down onto the porch. Both of them disappeared from my view, but I could hear the man screaming. They were long torturous sounds, much like the noises Bram made.

I rocked Jasper in an attempt to calm his crying. My breathing was heavy and uneven as I failed to calm myself. Could Jasper sense my panic? While the man screamed, I was unable to open my eyes. I stayed on the floor rocking Jasper as I sobbed.

The screaming outside came to a sudden stop. When I opened my eyes, my vision was blurry with tears. The lock clicked, and I bit down on my lip. Miles hated it when I cry, but I was unable to control myself. I could not even get myself off the floor.

The door opened, and Miles rushed into the kitchen. Being on the floor made his large size even more intimidating, but I was not scared of him. He would never hurt either of us. He kneeled in front of me and pulled the kitchen knife out of my hand. I did not realize I had still been holding onto it.

“Are you hurt?” Miles asked.

I tried to speak, but I sobbed harder.

“Maisie, are you hurt?” Miles asked again. A cold edge was in his voice. “Is Jasper hurt?”

I squeezed my eyes shut and shook my head. Miles cupped the side of my face with his calloused hand. I tried my best to take in a few deep breaths to stop my tears. Miles turned my head from side to side as he inspected my face for any injuries.

“Maisie, he is dead,” Miles said. “They are both dead. No one is going to hurt you. I would never let anyone hurt my family.”

“He-” It was the only word I could get out before a sob escaped my lips.

Miles moved his hand away from my face, and a shiver ran across my skin. Was he going to leave? I needed him here with me. What would have happened if that man made it into our home and Miles had never come?

He pulled Jasper out of my arms. I hastily wiped the tears out of my eyes to clear my vision. Miles’s clothes and face were splattered in blood. He shifted Jasper’s weight so that he could hold him in one arm. Jasper’s crying had stopped. Miles turned so that he was sitting next to me with his back against the wall. Jasper was in his arm on the opposite side of me. He wrapped his arm around me and pulled me into his chest. I clung to his shirt as I sobbed, ignoring the man’s warm blood under my hand. Feeling Miles made the tension slowly leave my muscles and the nausea disappear from my stomach. I focused on the sound of his heartbeat as I tried to push away the tears.

“I told you I would always keep you safe,” Miles said. “I will do everything I need to do to make sure my family is safe.”

“What if he came inside?” I asked with a wobbly voice.

“No one is ever coming into our home again. I promise.”

Miles stayed on the floor with me until I managed to stop crying. He did not scold me for being emotional but kept me in a tight hold. My hands were shaky as I reached for Jasper. Miles hesitated, but he did place him back into my arms. All three of us were now covered in the man’s blood, but I was not disgusted at the sight. None of it was our blood. We were all safe.

“I have to go back outside,” Miles said.

“The window is broken,” I said. “What if someone else comes?”

“My father will stay with you while I finish.”

“Somebody else could come while both of you are away.”

Miles let out a deep breath and leaned his head against the wall. No emotions crossed his expression, but he curled his fingers into my side.

“Come with me outside,” he said. “I will bring you to my father, and then he will bring you back inside.”

Miles did not give me the chance to respond before standing. He reached down and helped me onto my feet. Luckily, my knees were no longer shaking. I did not want to collapse while Jasper was in my arms. Miles stepped out of the kitchen and returned with the knit blanket that was always thrown over the rocking chair. He wrapped the blanket around my shoulders.

“It is cold and you do not have a coat,” he said. His eyes scanned me from head to toe. “You do not have shoes either. Maybe you should stay in here?”

I shook my head.

“Please, I do not want to be alone,” I said. “What if someone else comes?”

Miles ran his hand over my hair. He looked down at Jasper before pressing his lips against my temple.

“Watch where you are stepping,” he said. “I do not need you to get hurt.”

Miles kept an arm tight around my waist as we stepped out onto the porch. I sucked in a deep breath of the fresh air. It had been almost three years since I was able to leave the protection of our home and go outside.