Escaping The Beast: A Darkhills Romance (The Darkhills Series Book 2) Read online

  Escaping The Beast

  A Darkhills Romance

  Elizabeth Greene

  Copyright © 2021 Elizabeth Greene

  All rights reserved

  The characters and events portrayed in this book are fictitious. Any similarity to real persons, living or dead, is coincidental and not intended by the author.

  No part of this book may be reproduced, or stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without express written permission of the publisher.

  ISBN-13: 9781234567890

  ISBN-10: 1477123456

  Cover design by: Elizabeth Greene

  Library of Congress Control Number: 2018675309

  For my sister

  x

  Contents

  Title Page

  Copyright

  Dedication

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  Chapter Nineteen

  Chapter Twenty

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  Epilogue

  Acknowledgement

  About The Author

  Books In This Series

  Chapter One

  Katherine

  Katherine peered anxiously through the windshield as the wipers frantically thwacked back and forth. She had never known rain like it, to call it heavy was a significant understatement. She cursed and not for the first time on the long journey, wished she had upgraded to a more substantial rental car. She had a little money saved up from her multiple jobs but she needed that to fund her studies. The car she had hired was an economy model and wasn’t coping too well with the bad weather. Huge pick-ups flew past her on the freeway, honking their horns and flashing their lights as they passed. Yes, she was driving a little slow but she would rather that than end up skidding off the unfamiliar roads.

  She wouldn’t be bullied into going any faster. Her father could wait a little bit longer for her to get to him. She was turning up to help him out of yet another tight spot. He should be grateful that she was coming at all. His frantic phone call late last night had woken her from where she’d fallen asleep at her desk again. She’d been reluctant to speak to him after the last time she had to bail him out, but she couldn’t help but worry that he was in danger. Especially when he called at two in the morning and practically begged her to help him out. She had hired a car the next afternoon and had been driving into the forests and mountains for the past five hours. This was the last time she vowed. Never again would she settle his debts, or get him across a state border or give him an alibi.

  Katherine sighed to herself. She had said the same thing the last time, and the time before that.

  She passed a sign for Darkhills and inwardly cheered. She was nearly there. Her body ached from the long drive and she needed to re-fuel and give herself a break before heading further into the hills to the address her father had given her.

  She pulled off the main highway and followed the gently winding dark road towards a small cluster of lights in the distance. It was a relief to be able to drive slower without getting abuse from her fellow drivers, the road was pretty deserted. She wondered if she’d taken the wrong turning but just as she thought about pulling over to check the directions on her phone, the town appeared around the next bend with a slightly worn looking ‘Welcome to Darkhills’ sign.

  The rain eased as she drove through the main thoroughfare of the town. Katherine spied a gas station and quickly pulled in to fill up her tank. Experience had taught her that it was better to have a full tank of gas when collecting her father from any of his business meetings. It was often beneficial to be able to get them a long way away in the other direction without needing to stop.

  Katherine asked the clerk if there was somewhere for her to grab something quick to eat and was directed to a bar further along the strip. She’d last eaten the night before. Since her father’s phone call she had spent all her time consumed with scouring her various textbooks for anything useful on contract law and what might be considered appropriate adaptations or extensions to terms and conditions. He had told her he was having trouble with a business deal and needed her help to re-negotiate some terms. She agreed to help him, glad that he wasn’t trying to palm her off for dates with creepy old men for a change.

  As she pulled up into the small parking lot out the front of the bar, Katherine’s stomach rumbled loudly. Yup, it was time to eat. She would need her strength before facing her father and whomever he had fallen foul of this time. She grabbed her purse and climbed out of the car, hopping across the asphalt avoiding the puddles that shone with the light coming from the neon sign above the bar. She pushed the door open and immediately considered turning straight back out again.

  A dozen or so eyes turned in her direction. The bar was quietly hosting the biggest, gruffest-looking men she had ever seen. And they eyed her with suspicion. She guessed that they didn’t get a lot of city folk go through their small town. She took in the dimly lit room, the jukebox playing some kind of country music, and the sheer amount of plaid shirts on display and suddenly felt very out of place in her smart tailored dress, suit jacket, and heels. She had dressed for a business deal, not for rubbing shoulders with the locals. Just as she was about to turn and retreat to her car, a bright female voice called out to her in greeting.

  “Hey there, come on in out of that rain,” a petite auburn-haired woman came padding around the bar towards her, her slightly rounded belly protruding proudly. “What can we help you with hon?”

  “I’m just passing through,” Katherine answered with quiet uncertainty, “I was just hoping to grab a bite to eat before I head on my way,” Katherine still felt eyes glued to her and she wondered whether she had made a big mistake.

  It was late, and everyone in the bar was drinking or snacking on nuts. The kitchen was probably closed. If the place even had a kitchen.

  “Sure thing, I can fix you something,” the woman smiled broadly, her freckled face beaming in welcome, “right this way, we’ve got a table just over here.”

  Katherine followed dutifully behind the slightly waddling woman, feeling too awkward to back away from the place now. She swallowed her nerves and held her head high, trying not to make eye contact with any of the other customers.

  “What’s the matter with you all?” The barmaid called out to their audience, “you’re all acting like you’ve never seen a woman before in your life. Eyes back on your beers gentleman.”

  Katherine blushed furiously. As if the situation wasn’t awkward enough.

  “OK, here you go, hon,” she was ushered into a cosy booth that had a clear line of sight to the bar and the door. “I’m Rose, I’ll be your server this evening. We don’t have much on offer, we’re still looking to hire a real chef, but I can fix you a mean grilled cheese or a salad if you’d prefer?”

/>   “Erm,” Katherine wavered. She should have the salad, but her stomach growled again and her mind was suddenly made up for her. “A grilled cheese sounds great, and could I get a coffee please?”

  “You absolutely can. Two grilled cheese and one coffee coming right up,” the woman repeated back and turned to leave.

  “Oh no, I just want the one sandwich,” Katherine reached out her hand to stop the barmaid from leaving.

  “I know; the other one is for me,” she grinned, making her green eyes sparkle with mischief, “this little one won’t grow big and strong on its own,” She patted her stomach happily and headed through a door behind the bar

  Katherine smiled to herself as she took her phone out from her purse to occupy her while she waited, the woman seemed genuinely nice. Which was a rarity. In her experience, people were only nice when they wanted something from you. She supposed in this case, she was a paying customer so it made sense for the barmaid to be friendly.

  She checked the directions again and figured she only had another hour’s drive to go. Nerves churned in her stomach. She hated bailing her father out. She used to wish things were different. She used to want to have a normal father with a normal steady job so she could’ve had a normal upbringing. But she learned long ago there was no point wishing for something that she would never have, all it did was make her sad and feel sorry for herself. Neither of those feelings would help her improve her situation.

  A message flashed up on her screen from her father.

  Where the Hell are you?

  Katherine sighed. So typical of him, there was no: ‘Hey honey how are you? Hope the drive is OK.’ Nope. Her dad just wanted her to get there and sort shit out for him. She contemplated telling him to sort his mess out himself this time. She thought about telling him he’d have to wait until tomorrow just to make him stew for a bit, but then god only knew what would happen to him in the meantime. She considered replying with a message assuring him she would be there in just over an hour. But she decided against any of those options and stowed her phone away in her purse. If she was driving she wouldn’t be able to reply, so she didn’t have to say anything. Besides, if you have nothing nice to say, it was better not to say anything at all.

  She was doing exactly as he had asked. He was very strict about when she should arrive. He wanted her there by midnight.

  Because that was a normal time to do business. She rolled her eyes.

  She wouldn’t be surprised if he was currently swindling someone out of their money and she was going to arrive in time for him to make a fast getaway. She must’ve been the only person she knew who had been taught to drive from age eleven, all because he had needed someone else who could bail him out after her mom had left them.

  Some days she didn’t hate her mother for running out on them. Sometimes she could understand why she did it. To be honest, she had no problem understanding why she left her father. She just hated her mom for leaving her to deal with him on her own. For leaving her to figure out how to become a woman without being there to guide her along the way.

  Katherine mentally put a halt to the pity parade that threatened to march through her mind.

  She didn’t really wish her mother had stuck around. She would’ve probably taught her the importance of batting her lashes and shaking her ass to make her popular with the boys. Or how to cook up the best crack. As it was, she had been taught the important life skill of walking and dancing in skyscraper heels from the moment she took her first steps, and she could roll a perfect joint while still in elementary school.

  Was she sad that her mother had died of an overdose two years after she had left? Yes, of course, she was. Did she wish she could’ve had more time with her? No, she didn’t. Having one dysfunctional parent to take care of was more than enough, and at least her father wasn’t a drug addict. A dealer and an occasional dabbler, but not an addict.

  “OK, here we go,” the barmaid returned carrying a heavily laden tray.

  Katherine jumped up to try to take it from her, worried that a pregnant woman shouldn’t be hefting around anything too heavy. She was lightly batted away by Rose as she easily held the tray in one hand and piled the plates onto the table with perfect balance.

  “You’re just as bad as my man,” she grinned then placed the tray down at another table before sliding into the booth with her.

  Katherine opened and closed her mouth a couple of times, wanting to protest but not sure how she could say anything to the no-nonsense woman.

  “You don’t mind me joining you, do you? I just need to rest my feet for a bit. Can you believe I’m only three months along and already my ankles have disappeared? I swear there’s more than one in here,” The woman patted her stomach again and grabbed a handful of fries from the basket in front of her. Katherine didn’t order any fries but she figured they were all for the barmaid anyway. She couldn’t really say no to Rose’s request to join her, especially considering her pregnancy.

  “By all means, take a load off. You should probably make sure you take regular breaks. Your employer should be making appropriate changes to your working pattern due to your pregnancy,” Katherine replied.

  “Ha! My employer is currently drinking with his buddies over there,” she gestured over her shoulder at a group of potbellied men in their sixties. “He don’t mind how many breaks I take, he probably wishes I would take more. It would get my fiancé off of his back about it,” she chuckled and stuffed another four fries in her small mouth.

  Katherine smiled. She might have been a bit overly friendly considering they had just met, and she was technically a customer, but she liked the woman. She picked up her grilled cheese sandwich and took a huge bite. A moan escaped her lips as the salty cheese exploded across her tongue with a crunch.

  “Oh God, that’s so good,” she mumbled to herself.

  “Glad you like it. I added extra cheese on the outside. Because, you know, what does a grilled cheese lack if not more cheese?”

  “It’s great, I haven’t had one in years,” Katherine said between mouthfuls.

  “Well, I’ll gladly make you another when you head on back from wherever you’re going,” Rose smiled and took a long slurp of her soda.

  “I may just take you up on that offer,” Katherine smiled.

  “So, where you heading? You need directions? The roads around here aren’t often marked,” Rose offered.

  “I think I’ll be OK, I have a route plotted on my phone. Tumbricane Manor doesn’t look like it's too far from here,” Katherine shrugged, taking another bite of her sandwich before picking up her coffee.

  “Tumbricane?” Rose frowned, “What are you doing heading up there?”

  “Gotta pick my dad up from some meeting,” Katherine had learned a long time ago not to go into too much detail about anything to do with her father’s dealings.

  “Huh, that’s strange.”

  “What’s strange?” Said a deep voice.

  Katherine looked up to see a huge, dark-haired man sweep down and plant a firm kiss on Rose’s lips.

  “Glad to see you taking a break for a change,” he said, swiping a french fry from the basket.

  “I take breaks when I need to take breaks,” Rose replied swatting at his hand but grinning at him, her eyes sparkling. “This is the overprotective man in my life I was telling you about,” she turned and smiled at Katherine, “Cayden, this lady, oh, sorry, hon, I didn’t get your name?”

  “Katherine,” she supplied, unsure why she was getting so familiar with these people.

  “Katherine is heading up to Tumbricane. Isn’t that where Lucian lives?” Rose asked her fiance.

  “It is,” the man confirmed, a serious frown taking over his face. Katherine didn’t like the look of it. “Why would you be heading up there?”

  “I’m picking up my dad is all. He had some business there,” Katherine replied, trying not to let her nerves show. Clearly, Tumbricane wasn’t a place where people usually hung out. She inwardly cursed
her father. What had he gotten himself into this time?

  “I wasn’t aware Lucian had any guests right now,” Cayden frowned and looked out the window of the bar where the rain had picked up again and was pattering against the glass, “I can take you there if you like? I know the roads and the owner.”

  The last thing she wanted was anyone else getting involved with her father’s mess, or thinking she had more to do with it than she did. She felt her stomach twist as the familiar dark cloud that was being her father’s daughter, loomed overhead.

  “It’s fine,” Katherine waved her hand and took a long swig of her coffee, trying to appear unfazed, “I’ve got the directions and I promised that I’d be there by midnight so I should probably think about heading off.”

  “It gets misty up in those hills too, there is a bridge over a chasm as you approach, it can be pretty unnerving when you first come across it.”

  Cayden’s frown didn’t shift and Rose seemed to pick up on his tension, placing a hand on his arm.

  “That’s good to know, thank you, I should be alright though. Besides,” Katherine added, “your lady here was complaining about her swollen ankles, I wouldn’t want to keep you two from getting home tonight.”

  It was a low blow, but she needed the overly conscientious male’s attention shifted elsewhere.

  “Rose, your feet are hurting? Why didn’t you say?” As if by magic, the man’s focus narrowed in on Rose and suddenly it was like Katherine wasn’t even in the room.

  “I’m fine, honestly,” Rose sighed in frustration, shooting Katherine a look of betrayal over her fiance’s shoulder where he had knelt down to examine her.

  Katherine cringed and mouthed an apology, before putting a twenty-dollar bill down on the table as payment. Rose rolled her eyes at her before her attention was captured by whatever it was her fiance was whispering in her ear. A blush swept across her freckled cheeks followed by a wicked grin that had Katherine thinking she had seen enough.