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“It’s fine I knohere we’re going” She stays silent while I take us into the woods, walking the path that I’vehts on the back porch are too far away to find the door that sits in the side of a hill ahead of us

Walking up to it, I punch in the code and push it open “Watch your step,” I tell her, allowing her to enter first but keeping hold of her hand Once the door closes behind ht

It lights up the staircase to the bunker below This time, I place myself in front of her and walk down the stairs with her behind me

Once we hit the landing, I release her hand and flip on the other light, to illuminate the rooasp filling the large space Her wide eyes scan the wall in the back—chains, knives, and guns hang froht that’s currently eets her attention Cindy sits tied to it with a black hood over her head She struggles in the restraints, herlittle sense

I lean against the table, crossing my arms over my chest, and watch my wife carefully Her wide eyes are focused on Cindy “How …?”

“Your father helped ed,” I inform her She needs to understand that I’m not the only one ill protect her He made himself very clear when he spoke to me on the back porch before he and my father left

Eli to that

She slowly turns, her eyes finallywith you?”

I refrain fro at her innocence That was one of the reasons I didn’t want to show her this Sometimes, I like how innocent she hen she first ran intoup, Blake”

“I knew she was lying … but I don’t understand” She licks her lips

I push off the table and turn to face it Picking up the black designer bag, I turn it up upside down, eht to our house”

Blake walks over to e full of clear liquid “But … she said she was there to see you”

“She was there to hurt you”

Looking up at me, she frowns “What do you mean?”

“I bought that house two years ago, Blake I’ve never had Cindy over She wanted you to believe that she had been there several times with me, but that was a lie Her sole intent was to hurt you while I was gone”