Monster: King of Nevada by KL Donn

Author:KL Donn [Donn, KL]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2025-03-19T00:00:00+00:00

17

ELLA

“Ollie!” I gasp as the front door opens, and my little brother walks through. “Your eye!”

Touching his cheek, I can’t believe that asshole hit him. Actually, I can; I just don’t like thinking about it because it infuriates me.

“I’m fine, El. I can take a hit.” The stress around his eyes and mouth concerns me.

“What is it? What else has happened?” Owen walks in, sporting a fresh cut on the side of his cheek. “What happened to you, now?” Is the world imploding? I’m feeling dizzy and sway on my feet.

Oliver catches me before I fall. “Whoa, hey, are you okay?”

I’m spiraling. If Blake got to Owen, he can get to me. He can find out where I am.

The baby.

He’ll take it away from me.

Or worse. He’ll kill it before I can ever protect it.

“Oh god, oh god, oh god.” Gripping Oliver’s hand, I drag him upstairs with me. “We have to go. We have to run. Hide.”

“Ella.” Owen’s voice is cautious as he follows behind as I head into my room and start packing the few things I brought with me. “The boss won’t like this, Ella.” His warning doesn’t break through the panic infusing me.

“El, you need to slow down.” Oliver’s anxious tone makes my anxiety worse.

Breathing becomes more difficult as every terrible scenario plays through my mind. I can’t focus or think straight. My vision begins to blur as my ears ring. I bend over the bed, closing my eyes and trying to breathe how Dr. Edwards showed me should a panic attack occur. I joked that I was one bad moment away from one, and she took me seriously. I’m glad she did, but this isn’t working. All it’s doing is giving me time to think of all the heinous things Blake could do to hurt me. Oliver…the baby.

“He’s going to kill us all,” I hiss, dropping to my knees, my vision darkening further. “Oliver, he’s coming.”

I pass out before anyone can reassure or catch me, hitting the side of my head on the night table and transporting into an all too familiar nightmare I’ve battled to escape since the first backhand.

“You think you can leave me!” Blake shouts, spit flying from his mouth. Eyes glazed over from the alcohol he’d been drinking as I cower on the floor, holding my hand to my cheek.

“No, no, of course not. I was just going to the grocery store.” Crying, I struggle to keep the tremor from my voice. “I’m sorry,” I whisper.

He snarls and takes a step back, grabbing a beer from the fridge before going to sit in the La-Z-Boy chair and turning on a baseball game.

I just wanted to run and grab a few things for dinner when he’d stumbled in the door. There was a weird gleam in his eyes as soon as he spotted me. All I was holding was my purse, car keys, and a few reusable grocery bags, nothing to suggest I was leaving him. I don’t know why he snapped. What I did.

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