Prologue
Prologue
Portland, Oregon
Ten Years Ago
A persistent knocking woke her. Lillian bolted straight up. He had come for her. Again. He always did.
Why can’t he leave me alone?
She tried wearing baggy clothes and no makeup, but it didn’t seem to make any difference. He always came for her.
“Lily. Open this damn door this instant.” Her uncle, Harvey, demanded through the closed door. He rattled the doorknob.
She knew the door would hold; she had pushed her dresser against it to keep him out. Locking the door wasn’t enough anymore. He knew how to pick it. A few times he had even lain in wait for her. By the time she realized he was in her room, it was too late. She was trapped.
No more, she vowed.
I’m sixteen now. There’s no way in hell I can wait until I’m eighteen; I have to get out now or I may not even live until eighteen.
Harvey’s son, Buck, wasn’t any better. Maybe a little gentler with her, but he held that same darkness inside.
Her best friend Erin had noticed the baggy clothes and quieter demeanor. She was starting to ask questions.
No, I have to act now, before it’s too late. It’s now or never.
“Tiger Lily, if you don’t open this door right now, I am going to bring a world of pain down.” He menaced.
Though he was on the other side of the door, it didn’t stop the fear rising.
If he makes it through the barrier, what would he do?
He already got off on choking her until she passed out, then reviving her and doing it all over again. He had always been careful to never leave a visible bruise or hint at what was happening in the Guthrie household.
No, I have to leave now. Today. This minute.
Without wasting any more time, she hopped off the bed and flew to her closest. She snatched up her backpack and stuffed in as many clothes as she could fit. She grabbed her small jewelry box that once belonged to her mother, but now held all the money she had been pilfering over the years.
So long Portland. So long sickos. So long Erin.
The thought of leaving Erin shot a pang through her heart. She didn’t want to leave her best friend. She had always been there to protect Erin, shielding her from the assholes who mocked her. Erin was tougher than she looked. Lillian had no doubt Erin would overcome her clumsiness and make new friends. Lillian would look her up once she got settled in a new place. Maybe she could rescue Erin from her douchebag boyfriend.
“Goddamn it, Lily,” Harvey screamed, nearing the end of his patience. He started hitting the door with renewed vigor; she gasped when she saw it c***k.
Is he throwing his whole bodyweight into it? It won’t be long now before he breaks the whole door and comes in after me. It’s now or never.
She swung her backpack over her shoulders and ran to the window. As she was straddling the windowsill, the bedroom door came crashing in. Harvey stared at her with blood-red eyes.
He’s been drinking again. A lot, by the looks of it.
“You little b***h,” he spat as he tried to pry her dresser out of the way. “You think you can escape me?” His cold smile froze her in place. Only able to watch, her escape plans flew out the window. “You’ll never escape, Tiger Lily.”
How I hate that name.
He taunted her with it every time he dominated her. He enjoyed when she fought back. Or tried to keep him out of her room. It was a game to him. He the hunter, she the prey.
No. I’ll never be a victim again.
“f**k you, Harvey. I’ll leave and you will never find me again. You know why?”
A surge of adrenaline filled her veins, giving her strength she never knew she had. Harvey looked at her in shock. She never talked to him like that.
“Because once I escape here, I am going to the police and you and your sick son will never see the light of day again.”
She hadn’t originally planned to go to the police, but now that she said she would, she knew she had to. There was no way she could let them get away with what they had done. If he couldn’t find her, Harvey could turn his sick games on someone else.
“f**k you say to me?” He slurred. “I own your little cunt. No one would ever believe you.” But his eyes wide with fear. He knew if she went to the police they would have to investigate. Evidence was all over the house.
Harvey struggled to get to her. Without any hesitation, she flung herself out the window, just as he came bursting into the room. It was a two-story house, but she didn’t even think before leaping out. She was free; at least for now. Her next stop was the police station.
She picked herself up and raced away as fast as she could. The whole way to the station she prayed Harvey wouldn’t catch up to her or be there waiting.
