Protected

By K.A Jones

Ava Whitmore is constantly looking over her shoulder. Always waiting for her once "knight in shining armor," but now turned "psychopathic landlord/brothel owner" to find her and take her back to a life that she’d managed to escape. Ava knows nothing of shifters, but soon discovers that her drug abuse and forced prostitution was down to a half-breed shifter, one that she is desperately trying to avoid.

Luke, Angel’s son has returned to the forest after his mother’s vision about an un-mated female. His mother’s stark warning is ringing loud and clear in his head. “Don’t do anything to scare her off. She doesn’t know what she is, help her, but above all else, protect her.”

• Language: English
• Publisher: K.A Jones
• Release date: Jul 10, 2017
• ISBN: 9781370791460

K.A Jones

I like to think of myself as normal, but I’m discovering that not everyone has characters in their heads that like to plot and plan anything from revenge to a loving or lustful moment, when you really should be concentrating on other things. So, I guess the description of myself as normal, isn’t all that accurate.You may spot some of my work under the name of Kat Williams. I am currently writing a childrens series and thought it deserved to be written under another name, so without wanting to upset my husband, I thought it only right to take Kats name from the first series that I wrote.

Book preview

Forest of Dean Wolves

PROTECTED

Book 6

K.A.Jones

PROTECTED

K.A.Jones

Published by Kirstie Jones at Smashwords

Copyright 2017 K.A.Jones

www.smashwords.com/profile/view/Kirstiejones

Smashwords License Statement

This book is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This book may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you are reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to smashwords.com and purchase your own copy.

Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

All rights reserved.

No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any other form or by any other means, electronic, mechanical, recording or otherwise, without prior written permission or the author.

This is a work of fiction. The characters, names, places, businesses, and incidents in this book are of the author’s imagination or have been used fictitiously to bring the story to life and not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to any place or person, living or dead, is purely coincidental.

Table of Contents

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

About The Author

Epilogue

Dedication

This book is dedicated to my friends and family for the support and encouragement they give me to publish my writing. Without all of you behind me, cheering me on, I’d still be daydreaming about writing the books.

Acknowledgements.

I would like to say a huge thank you to my husband, Martin, for being my biggest cheerleader.

Nikki Jones, Brony Gow, Vicki Cocking and Sam Kendall, you ladies have been amazing at spotting my typos and getting me back on track after procrastinating for far too long. Your support and encouragement have been valuable to me in ways that you’ll never know.

Thanks to Sarah Gow from Sarbucks Design, www.facebook.com/SarbucksDesign/ for creating another fabulous cover for this series.

Thank you, to you, the readers for joining me on this adventure.

Forest of Dean Wolves by K.A.Jones

Book 1 Wanted

Book 2 Trusted

Book 3 Hunted

Book 4 Gifted

Book 5 Fated

Book 6 Protected

Protected

Chapter One

Ava

I kept to the shadows of the bar hoping that I would go unnoticed. I knew my clothes weren’t up to scratch compared with how the other people were dressed, so hiding in the shadows was my best option. They were wearing swanky, designer labels, and I was wearing a stranger’s clothes and to top it off, they were men’s. Nevertheless, beggars can’t be choosers and they would have to do.

By comparison, I looked like the poor kid, you know the kind, the ones that were given hand-me-downs their entire life. Well, that was me. Everything that I had ever owned had either come from second-hand shops or were given to me by one of my foster families, or more recently, stolen. Or, as I liked to think of it: borrowed on a long-term basis.

Condensation beaded the glass I was holding. I wiped some of the moisture away, rubbing my wet hand down the front of my denim jeans as I looked around at the drunken crowd, deciding which one would become my next victim. The one I could easily steal from.

The bar was crowded with people queuing up for drinks or trying to make their way back to their friends after finally getting served.

'The Annex' was always busy at the weekend. It was an ideal hang-out for all the local up-and-coming types and a favourite for the local drug dealers. It was also my favourite place to be when I had run out of funds. If I jostled into someone, they never noticed that I was riffling through their pockets for a wallet, and by the time they discovered it was missing, I was already long gone.

I nursed my drink against my chest, surreptitiously glancing around the bar area and watched a group of men ordering their drinks. My eyes narrowed on a wallet as the male pulled it from his back pocket.

Moving closer, so I could get a better look, I smiled to myself when I spotted the wad of cash inside it as he opened it to pay for the round of drinks. He was my target for tonight. Judging by the amount of money that was visible, he wouldn’t miss a few notes. He was already well on his way to being drunk, (just how I liked them) and would probably think that he got stung buying a few more rounds for his friends than he’d anticipated. That was the good thing about pubs like ‘The Annex.’ The people seemed to have copious amounts of money to spend on alcohol. Personally, I hated drinking. It probably had far too much to do with my upbringing rather than the actual act of socialising with friends. Not that I had any to friends to socialise with, but that was neither here nor there in the grand scheme of things. The fact was, I hated stealing, but there was little I could do about it, and as they say, needs must, and as I hadn't eaten for a couple of days, I needed it more than the customers in this establishment did.

The money I lifted would be used to buy food, it would be used wisely and not frittered away on alcoholic beverages or their next illegal high.

My tummy growled loudly, affirming my need to get what I came here for.

Raucous laughter and jeering filled the air as the patrons belittled the barmaid for dropping and breaking a glass. She looked at them with reddened cheeks and went to fetch a dustpan and brush to sweep up the mess she’d made. I waited, knowing that I only had a few more minutes until I could stop the gnawing hunger in my stomach. I would be able to fill the void that was starting to feel like a permanent fixture in my gut.

I dodged around a couple that was heading towards the bar to get another drink, and kept hidden within the crowds, moving a little bit closer to my target.

The barmaid returned to pouring another beer from the pump and the guy handed over his cash before shoving his wallet carelessly into the back pocket of his trousers. I stumbled forwards and accidentally bumped into him and began apologising profusely, winning him over with my killer smile and showing as much cleavage as I dared. Pretending to get my balance, I caught his arm and side-stepped past him, swiping his wallet and as I went, concealing it in the waistband of my jeans.

A lecherous grin spread across his face, You’re a little young to be in here aren’t you?

Without missing a beat, I grinned up at him and spoke loudly so he could hear me over the din of the pub, I’m lucky to get served in McDonald's without them asking for ID.

He gave a chuckle and lowered his head down so he could speak into my ear, but I was already anticipating that he would want to flirt a little. I gave a cheeky grin, gave his arm a final squeeze and flirtatiously said, I'll see you later? He licked his lips, nodding his head and gave a wicked smile and let me move away, happy with the thought that I would seek him out later. Placing my empty glass on the bar, I headed into the toilets and into an empty stall.

My fingers trembled with anticipation as I opened the wallet, and I sucked in a breath. Geez, there had to be a couple of hundred pounds in there. Guilt ate away at me as I pulled out two twenties, rolled them up and slipped them into my front pocket. I tried not to look at the personal stuff that the men carried, if I saw photo’s of young kids in their wallets, it made me feel guiltier than I already did. It would make me feel as though I was taking food out of their children’s mouths. Not that I knew if the children were theirs or not, but one would assume if a young male was carrying pictures of kids about, that the children were theirs. I didn’t care that much about who the men were or what kind of a life they had, all that mattered to me – was taking enough money to feed me for a week until I could return and go through the process again.

The door to the ladies toilets opened and a few females entered. They were talking amongst themselves, asking to borrow lip gloss, fixing up their makeup in the large mirror over the sinks and speaking about who was in the pub that night. I flushed the toilet, slipped the wallet back into the waistband of my jeans and tugged my knitted, V-neck jumper down so that the wallet was covered. I slipped in-between two of the women, washed my hands and left the ladies, heading over to the group of men, making sure that I dropped the wallet near my unsuspecting victim's feet, before heading to ‘Ruddy’s Chip Shop’ to get some much-needed food.

I could only hope that one of his friends would spot the wallet on the ground before another criminal found it and emptied the entire contents.

As soon as I stepped outside into the frigid night and had made it onto the streets without getting caught, the money felt as though it was burning a hole in my pocket.

I practically ran down the high street, following the desirable, heavenly smells, wafting up the street from the chip shop.

The chip shop was busy. I joined the long queue and stood in line. My eyes transfixed on the guy in front of me. I couldn’t help but notice how his body stiffened as I moved closer to him. From the back, I didn’t recognise him, but I felt my unease grow.

He drew himself up tall and partially turned his head, as if he was going to look at me but changed his mind as he drew in the air around him. His fists clenched at his sides and I could feel the tension coming from him. His actions made me feel uncomfortable. Part of me wanted to hightail it out of there. If I wasn’t so desperately hungry, I would’ve left, but the warmth from the fryers in the shop and the need for food kept my feet firmly glued to the terracotta tiled floor.

The guy in front of me flexed his fingers a couple of times. Dread began forming in my gut. As he twisted his body around so that he could take a sneaky look at me, I quickly looked down at the floor, letting my hair hide my face, and silently prayed that he wasn’t someone who I’d pick-pocketed recently.

There had been so many since I’d escaped, that it was hard to remember who had fallen foul of my quick hands.

Being recognised was always a constant worry. As much as I hoped to blend in and my light fingers go unnoticed, there was always a chance that someone would remember me from our fleeting meeting in the pub or that they had visited me at Andrew's house.

Depending on where they recognised me from, I had a plan: I would either deny ever seeing them and tell them they were mixing me up with my older sister, or I would run like hell. Thankfully, neither had happened, yet, but I was very aware that my past would catch up with me one day, and until then, I would carry on convincing myself that I was free.

I had a roof over my head, and a bed to sleep in, and as of right now, I had money in my pocket and a stomach that was grumbling loudly.

Hot fat spluttered and spit as a basket of chips was lowered into the fryer. I breathed in deeply, letting the delicious smells fill my lungs. My breath hitched, god, the male in front of me smelled good. His earthy, clean, just showered scent made my insides heat up. I was glad of the extra warmth, but hell, I was not expecting a total stranger inciting such a strange reaction from me.

I forced myself to keep still, but I felt fidgety and restless. My anxiety levels shot through the roof, but I didn’t have the gut instinct to run, at least, not in the way that fear made me want to flee.

What was wrong with me? I was appalled at myself for feeling drawn to him.

Chastising myself, I took a moment to deliberate what was wrong with me. Hunger... That had to be it. As soon as the food hit my tummy, I would stop hallucinating and imagining that his personal scent was more alluring than the smells of the various foods that were cooking.

We moved up a couple of places as a couple of customers left the shop. I lifted my head and practically drooled over the display counter. I would normally order a small portion of chips, but the money I’d lifted tonight meant I could order whatever I wanted. Golden chicken quarters caught my eye in the lit cabinet. I looked at the pricing board above the server’s heads and did a quick, mental calculation. If I gave into my hankering for chicken and chips, I would be left with the grand total of £33.75 to last me the week. I would be able to afford a few luxury items such as cooked meat, butter, and bread, along with pastries and pies that were cooked in store. So long as I had enough to buy a glass of lemonade at 'The Annex' the following Saturday, I would be set for the week. It was one of those bittersweet moments in my life, happy that I was sorted for the week, guilty that I had stolen from a stranger.

The guy in front of me was getting served. He ordered a large cod and chips and angled himself so that he could take a better look at me. I felt his eyes upon me, watching me with interest, but I kept my gaze downcast and prayed that he didn’t recognise me. I really didn’t want to have to leave before ordering something to eat.

Nerves were eating away at me, but I had to sit tight and feign calmness and remind myself that I was only a few moments away from eating.

I fumbled in my pocket and searched for the rolled up twenties. I pulled out a chocolate bar wrapper and crumpled it in my hand and sent my other one back in to do a thorough search. I tugged the innards of my pocket up and pushed my finger through a hole in the stitching. My pocket was empty, pretty much how I was feeling at discovering that any chance of a hot meal had disappeared.

One of the servers came to stand opposite me behind the serving area. She smiled her generic smile, What can I get you?

Shaking my head and feeling despair take over, I fled from the shop, letting the bell above the door ding and let it slam closed behind me.

I made it to the bridge that ran over a small brook and stood to watch the water rush by underneath and felt a tear sliding down my face. My anxiety levels were at an all-time high, I couldn’t go back to ‘The Annex,’ not tonight, but I needed to get my hands on some cash. By the time I made it back to the pub, lifted another wallet and made my way back to Ruddy’s Chip Shop, it would be closed up tight for the night.

The sound of rustling paper caught my attention. I wiped away my tears and began walking back toward the pub. The least I could do was pick another pocket and hope that I would last another night without food.

The smell of fish and chips wafted my way, taunting me. I drew in a deep breath to torture myself further and noticed the man’s earthy, clean tones were mixed in. I held back a frustrated groan. It didn’t take a genius to work out who was keeping pace with me.

Do you want to share? I couldn’t help but notice that you’d left without ordering. Did you lose your money?

Quickly glancing over my shoulder, I replied, No, it’s okay, but thanks anyway. I picked up my pace and hurried away.

His long strides kept coming, Hey, are you okay? I honestly don’t mind if you want to share my food. You look as though you’re not having a good night. He didn’t know the half of it, but I wasn’t about to start explaining or complaining, no matter how good he smelt or how good looking he was. His voice when he spoke held just the right of concern, but I’d been fooled before and swore that I’d never let it happen again. Although, the idea of sharing his chips was very tempting. I squashed down that thought and sped up.

A hand grabbed my elbow, and a kneejerk reaction kicked in. I spun, hitting him in the ribs and ducked out of reach. I watched in horror as the bag of food he was holding dropped to the ground and spilled over the floor. Damn, what a waste! He growled and made another grab for me as I backed away, keeping him firmly in my sights.

There was a time that I wouldn’t have struck out at a total stranger, but past deeds had a nasty way of catching you off guard, rearing their ugly heads, making you feel like a frightened little girl, again.

I had trusted someone once that I’d considered a friend; he’d lured me into his world with promises of a room and food, for free. If you didn’t count the men that he brought to me each night for their pleasure, then I guess it was free.

He’d also injected me with stuff so that I could be what he wanted me to be, a prostitute for his druggie friends. When I finally plucked up the courage and refused his drugs, and told him that I wanted to leave, he beat me senseless, and then let his customers do whatever they’d wanted to me... But, I wasn’t that frightened little girl anymore; I was done with that shit. I’d stuck it for nearly a year before making a run for it. I was constantly looking over my shoulder, dreading the day that my past caught up with me. I would rather die than find myself locked up in that hellhole again.

In my bid to escape, I’d left someone for dead. In the end, if the police caught up with me, I would probably end up getting locked away and wind up as someone’s bitch. There wasn’t too much in either option really, Andrew or prison, but I wasn’t ready to give up my freedom. Not yet. I’d left my hometown and made my way to the Forest and had a nice set-up in an unused little settlement. The place was boarded up. I’d watched it for a couple of weeks before I plucked up the courage to break in. It was safe, and finally, I was safe. I’d managed to live there hassle free, and drug-free for two months. I survived by stealing what I could and living my days and nights in darkness and often hunger was my constant companion. No matter how nice he might be, or how nice his food smelled, I couldn’t control the fear that was growing inside of me.

My feet ran instinctively, hitting the pavement and running up the hill until I came to the end of the housing estate. I turned and let the cover of the forest swallow me up. The pathway I’d carved in the undergrowth helped me find my way back to my sanctuary, back to my safe place. I didn’t stop until I was at the barn conversion that I now called home. Taking a final glance around the darkened forest, I slipped the board back and snuck in through the window that I’d previously broken and heaved a sigh of relief. I was home, hungry, but home.

Shivering with how cold I was, I slipped through the lounge area and made my way upstairs to the room that I considered mine. I climbed on the bed and tugged up the covers and willed away the hunger pangs as I tried to let the darkened room lull me into sleep.

Twenty minutes later, I was in that state of just dozing off, when the sounds of a car approaching made me sit up. I held my breath and tried not to let fear creep in. No one had been here since I’d arrived. My mind went into overdrive, anticipating that Andrew had somehow found me and was going to drag me back to Bristol. I wouldn’t go with him, he’d have to kill me before I went anywhere with him again.

There was a bit of noise, car doors banging, feet crunching on gravel, and the sound of wood shifting against brickwork, but I knew instinctually that it wasn't anyone sliding the wood away from the building that I was in. It fell silent again outside.

I was poised, ready to make my escape, but when no other sounds came, I felt myself relax.

If it was Andrew, he would’ve been making as much noise as possible to scare me into making a break for it. I sank back onto the pillow, waiting. Time seemed to slow, my heartbeat settled and eventually, I let myself drift off into oblivion.

*****

Luke

I drove onto the gravel parking area, grabbed my bags from the boot of the car, and made my way over to the house, doing a quick surveillance on my way.

She was here... I could smell her. Her scent was everywhere and it was driving me crazy. My wolf wanted to shift and track her down, but I already knew where she was. I could see the worn pathway that she had taken through the overgrown grasses and noticed that one of the boards on the barn wasn’t fixed to the window frame. I wanted to march over there and? ... Hell, I wanted her, but she was spooked and if I wasn’t careful, she would run. She was feisty and scared, and that wasn't a good mix.

Mum’s stark warnings rang out loud and clear in my mind. The details she’d given me were sketchy at best. ‘Don’t do anything to scare her off. Don’t think with your dick, use your brain,’ but the warnings that were most prominent were this: ‘she doesn’t know what she is, help her, but above all else, protect her.’ Normally, Mum would give me as much information as she’d seen when she’d had a vision, but this time, nothing, other than the fact that that I had ‘to tread carefully because she hasn’t had any good experiences with men.’ Or, ‘risk losing what was to be the making of me.’ She hadn’t used the word Mate, but from the moment I had scented her, I knew that’s what she was.

Back in the chip shop, I couldn’t help but notice Uncle Anthony’s scent all over her, it was weak, but it was there, and given the fact that she was wearing a pair of jeans that were too big, and a jumper that hung off her shoulders, I’d say it was a safe bet that she had raided the clothes that he’d left behind. The scent of another wolf on her nearly drove my wolf nuts. I wanted to strip her of the clothes she was wearing and rub myself all over her so she didn’t smell of Anthony. Her own scent had immediately stirred my wolf and I had to fight to stop him from breaking free. Vanilla, honey and the strong scent of a female that was close to coming of age, had my wolf clawing at my insides. To stop him from bursting free, I’d sent a silent promise that she would be ours, but we had to work together and bide our time. We had to earn her trust. My wolf backed off, trusting me to do the right thing by the girl.

The house was still boarded up. Mum had insisted that my Granddad let me remove the boards, she was worried that if workmen turned up, that the girl would run. The power and water had already been turned on long before my arrival, but I noticed that everywhere was still in darkness. I dropped my bags on the step and went back to the car to grab a screwdriver so I could remove the wooden board that was covering up the door. Tomorrow, I would set about removing some of the others.

With the final screw removed, I took a final look around before grabbing my bag and entering the house. I kept everything in darkness so that I didn’t spook her more than she already was. Instead of finding a bedroom and claiming it as mine, I removed the dust covers, ignored the musty scents and settled on the leather sofa for the night.

Sleep wouldn’t be easy now that I knew that my mate was here. I was listening for any sounds to indicate that she was hightailing it out of here. She was a flight risk.

If she tried, I would track her from a distance and make sure that she was safe. My wolf settled knowing that we would do whatever it took to make her ours.

As dawn broke, the sounds of wildlife waking from their slumber drifted through the forest. I grabbed my gear and headed upstairs, flicking the lights on as I went.

It was strange being in a house that Mum had grown up in. Some personal stuff like posters of her favourite bands still hung on the walls, they were faded and aged with time. Granted, I’d never heard of some of them, but it made me feel as though I was getting a sneak peak of her life before she had me.

Chokers with diamante pendants and wrist bands that had skulls and crossbones littered a dressing table. High-heeled shoes were stacked in a corner. I tugged open a wardrobe and smiled at the clothes that were dumped into a pile on the floor. I would remind Mum that she was untidy the next time she moaned at me for leaving my clothes scattered on the floor.

I whipped out my phone and took a couple of photo’s to send to Madison, she could rib Mum about it and it would go a long way to defending her own mess. I quickly typed Madi a message and sent her the shots.

Aunt Hope’s room was really girly in comparison. All pinks and frilly lace, stylish pictures hung on her walls, and a neatly stacked pile of dusty, cosmopolitan magazines, sat on her bedside cabinet. On her dressing table, she had fine figures that had pretty necklaces and costume jewellery hanging from them. I blew out a breath, stirring up the dust particles and cobwebs.

There was a stark contrast between the two sisters. Mum still dressed a little bit on the wild side, and Aunt Hope had always preferred the finer, more feminine clothes. Just seeing the sheer amount of clothes that Mum and Hope had left behind made me think of her…

I had to play it cool; I couldn’t just go rushing into her life, expecting her to accept me. I knew the risks of scaring her off, and I knew the risks of females mating without giving their heart to their mate.

Jaxon had found a compound that helped reduce the risks during pregnancy and childbirth, but there were still complications. It didn’t work for every shifter, but there was more success than there were deaths, so things were looking hopeful. The death rates were probably akin to the death rates in humans, but some shifters still preferred to do things ‘the good old shifter way,’ and refused to let their daughters have any chemical interference.

My phone started ringing and I plucked it from my pocket knowing that Madison wanted to gossip.

Oh my God, Luke! I can’t believe that Mum complains about the state of my bedroom after seeing that! I chuckled, Anyway, how’s it going? Is she there? Madi was barely containing her excitement, but I heard the caution and worry in her voice.

I leaned against the wall and braced myself for the ten million questions that would follow. Yeah, she’s here. My voice was quieter than I’d intended, I think I was worried that she would hear me.

Madison let out a squeal, Did you see her? Speak to her? She paused, giving me a chance to answer. My silence was all the answer she needed. Come on, spill. Mum’s being tight lipped about everything, I think she’s worried that I’ll tell you something important, but if it’s important, you should know, right? I gave a shrug of my shoulders, there wasn’t much point in the action because Madi couldn’t see it, but she would know. Luke, don’t go getting all quiet on me, just tell me, put me out of my misery. You saw her right?

Okay, okay. I didn’t get here till late, I went to grab a bite to eat and she come into the chip bar and stood behind me. I drew in a breath and let it out slowly. I could practically feel Madison’s impatience as I stalled. I nearly lost it Madi, I could smell Ant all over her. It was weak, but it is definitely his scent. My wolf went crazy for a split second, I wasn’t expecting to feel such rage, you know? A frustrated breath escaped, Jesus Madi, how the hell am I going to-

Wait, back up a minute... Why does she smell of Anthony?

If you'll let me explain, I’ll get to that part in a minute. I was fighting to keep my wolf down, when I finally turned to look at her, it was as if she wanted to be invisible, she hid behind a curtain of hair and wouldn’t look at me. She was wearing Anthony’s clothes, and I think she’s been sleeping in his room.

Ah, so she’s not some offspring of his then? Are you sure?

Her comment didn’t even register, She looks as though she needs feeding up, she’s so thin, fragile looking, but she packs a punch!

Ha! So you managed to piss her off, what did you do?

Apart from offering to share my food with her, nothing, I swear it.

Madison went quiet. She was going over every detail I’d imparted and was figuring out what I had done to warrant a punch so early on. I waited for a couple of seconds before adding, She’d lost her money and left without buying anything. I followed her and she went to do a runner on me. I couldn’t let her go without trying to get her to have something to eat, so I grabbed hold of her arm to try and stop her. All I wanted to do was give her something to eat.

Jesus, Luke! She’s scared of boys! How could you do that to her? If you’ve blown this, I swear I’ll never forgive you.

Madi, I don’t-

Don’t give me your crap, Luke, don’t give me excuses about not controlling your wolf or acting on instinct. You know better than that. Did you not learn anything whilst travelling about with Mum’s work? She’d freak if she thought you were screwing this up.

If Mum thought that I would screw this up then she would never have sent me, but Madi was right, I had to figure out how to let her get used to me being around so that she could see that I wasn’t the bad guy. Just because she’d had a bad experience, didn’t mean that she would be a man hater forever. At least, that's what I hoped.

I’m not going to screw this up Madi, I promise.

Good, Luke? You know I’ll come if you need me, don’t you? Just say the word and I’ll come.

She hated being kept out of the loop, but I knew I could call her if I needed to. Hey, I said I wouldn’t screw this up and I mean it. Did Mum tell you anything else, like her name?

No, I’ll go pester her some more and hope that I can make her break. Maybe I’ll even show Mum the photo’s you sent and try and bribe her into telling me, and if that fails, there’s always Dad.

A smile formed on my lips, if Madi was hell bent on finding stuff out, she would pester the life out of you until you spilled the beans. Then get to it, no time like the present. I’ll call you later.

I hung up and made my way to the bathroom so that I could get my day started.

*****

Ava

Cramps tugged at every muscle in my stomach. All I could think about was food, or rather, the lack of it and the thought of actually eating some. I was starving. The two chocolate pieces I’d eaten yesterday wasn’t nearly enough to make me feel full.

I cursed myself for losing the money I'd stolen, and grabbed the bottle of water from the floor beside the bed and swallowed the last inch of water. I would stop at the supermarket in the village and use their facilities to wash and fill my bottle. I hated the idea of stealing food but, given that I didn’t have any other means to get some, I had no choice. Initially, security followed me around with their beady eyes watching my every movements, but after they’d witnessed that I was actually buying the food that I was picking up, they stopped following me as much, but I still had to be careful. The last thing I wanted was to be picked up by the police.

As soon as the covers were off, I knew I needed to wrap up warm. I grabbed the coat from the bottom of the bed and tugged it on. It had ample pockets and would serve two purposes today. One, being warmth, the other, a place to stash my goods. I shoved my two empty drinks bottles into the pocket and put my stolen can of deodorant into another and made my way down the stairs.

Pausing at the broken window, I listened for any sounds before sliding the wooden board out of my way. I was careful not to make much noise and climbed up onto the windowsill and slid between the gap as stealthily as I could manage. As soon as the board was back in place, I crouched low and scouted the area. A large, black, 4x4 was parked on the gravel and the door to the house was now visible as the wooden board concealing it had been removed. My heart rate increased and panic set in.

Shit, this was not good. Not good at all.

It was probably safe to assume that whoever owned the property was moving back or another person had the same idea as me and was taking advantage of the abandoned property. Whichever it was, I knew in my heavy heart that my solitude was broken and I would have to find somewhere else to live. With winter drawing nearer my options were limited, especially in these parts.

I slipped into the forest at the back of the building and found a place to hide, so I could watch the house to see who had stayed there last night. It was still early, so it was doubtful that anyone would see me. The longer I waited, the more my frustration built. I cursed myself and cursed the false sense of security that I had created since taking up residence in the boarded up building. I’d been complacent. I’d found a place that I was sure was only used for the summer months. I had convinced myself that I would be set up for the winter and wouldn’t need to spend winter on the streets. I had had a roof over my head, I was close enough to civilisation, and could slip away and let the forest swallow me up if I felt threatened or worried. All of that had changed overnight. The protection I’d felt from the four walls that had offered both a comfort and a shield from Andrew, now felt as though they would betray me and would lead Andrew or his men directly to me.

I hated how everything had changed. I resented the new arrival on so many levels, and why did they have to appear on what felt like the coldest day of the year? I wanted to scream ‘Damn-it-all-to-hell,’ as loud as I could to help get rid of the growing tension inside of me, but screaming would only alert the new arrival to my existence, and that was something I needed to avoid. All I had left was hope, hope that they weren't sticking around and that this was just a fleeting visit to check on the properties.