Nowhere Bound by Elodie Crowe

Author:Elodie Crowe
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Suspense, Women's Fiction, Psychological suspense, Psychic Suspense, horror suspense
Publisher: Felicity Brandon
Published: 2023-09-19T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter Twelve

Help for Heroes

EWAN DISAPPEARED INTO the haze, his absence immediately heightening my unease. I shouldn’t have cared if he was there or not. I didn’t know him, and I certainly didn’t need him, and yet over the course of the day, I had looked to him for guidance. After so many months convincing myself that I was fine on my own and didn’t need a man, it was almost disconcerting.

“Get yourself together,” I chided, fumbling in my bag for my phone. “It’ll be okay. Ewan will play the hero and we’ll be away soon.”

Everything is okay.

Pulling in a deep breath, I opened my messages and traced my thumb over Laurel’s name. Staring at the screen, I typed out a missive, thinking of her.

Sweetie, I have a slight delay.

I loathed having to let her down but reasoned that was all it was—a delay. I was still coming to get her.

It’s nothing serious, but I’ll be a little longer than I’d hoped.

How are you and Chloe doing?

xxx

Hitting send, I ignored the anxiety bubbling in my belly. I wasn’t being a bad mother by stopping to help another person, and repeating that narrative wouldn’t help either of us. I had to let go of this constant need to blame myself for everything. It was another legacy of Sam I was yet to fully release. Yet still the paranoia gnawed, and the longer I sat there in silence with no reply from Laurel and no sign of Ewan, the more my apprehension clawed at my throat.

“Come on,” I muttered, my gaze flitting between my phone and the wing mirror. Why wasn’t Laurel replying, and why hadn’t Ewan returned? “Will one of you just let me know you’re okay?”

There was nothing to be discerned in the pulsing fog, and the lack of visibility did nothing to calm my fraying nerves. Where was he, and why wasn’t he answering?

“Something’s happened,” I said, even though I had no evidence to support the conclusion. Picking up my phone, I pressed the button to call my daughter, gulping back tension at the dialing tone.

Come on. Squeezing my eyes closed, I willed her to answer. Pick up the phone.

“Mum?”

I almost cheered when Laurel’s voice echoed at the other end of the line. “Hey, sweetheart.” Trying not to convey my relief, I placed my palm over my racing heart as my eyes opened. “Are you okay?”

“I was just replying to you.” Laurel sounded bewildered.

“Oh.” Of course she was. I wanted to shake my head at my foolishness. I should have given her a chance to reply before calling. What was I thinking by overreacting? “Sorry, it’s just that it had been ten minutes, and I was getting worried. How are things?”

“Are you on your way?” She sighed, avoiding my question.

“Yes,” I replied, glancing out of the window for any sign of Ewan.

“What’s the delay?” she asked.

“It’s complicated,” I told her, unwilling to admit I’d stolen an ambulance to reach her, though she would notice when I arrived at school in the vehicle.

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