Without a Stitch: Monster Between the Sheets: Season 2 by Honey Phillips

Author:Honey Phillips [Phillips, Honey]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2023-05-25T16:00:00+00:00

Eight

Victoria stared after Frank as he disappeared into the crowd. What on earth had just happened? One moment they were watching the fireworks together, the next he was panicking and running away.

Worried, she tried to go after him but he was already out of sight. How could such a big man disappear so quickly?

Exclamations of delight continued to fill the air around her—children shrieking with excitement while adults oohed and aahed—but the festival had lost its pleasure for her. Where could he be? Another firework exploded overhead, painting everyone’s face with red light, and the fiery glow reminded her of the burnt-out windmill. Had he been there when it burned? Had the fireworks triggered that memory?

She scanned the crowd again, but there was no sign of him. Uneasily convinced that she knew where he might have gone, she took one more look around, then set off back to the barn. She was practically running by the time she reached it, but she didn’t hesitate, swerving around the building and heading straight for the trail up the hill.

When she reached the top, the old windmill was etched against the night sky like an ancient skeleton, the charred wood reaching upwards as if pleading for help. She started towards it, but she spotted Frank before she was even halfway across the clearing and her breath caught in her throat.

He was hunched over on a boulder at one side of the clearing, his hands braced on his knees, his shoulders shaking. She froze in place, afraid to startle him, afraid he would run again. He looked so alone and sad that her chest ached.

She took a slow, careful step forward. “Frank?”

His head snapped up, eyes glowing in the darkness. For a moment she was sure he would snarl at her to leave him alone. But after a few heartbeats, his shoulders slumped in defeat and he turned his gaze back to the ruins of the windmill.

Keeping her steps slow and deliberate, she walked quietly over to stand next to him, close enough that her hip brushed against his massive arm. She didn’t speak, hoping that her presence would comfort him.

“I didn’t mean to run off like that,” he said eventually, his voice harsh. “It’s just—the noise, the lights, the smell—it’s too much.”

She’d been right, the fireworks had triggered his memories. Her heart ached for him, and she extended her hand, not quite touching him.

“It’s all right,” she said softly. “I’m here. You’re safe.”

At her words, Frank’s eyes fluttered open. He stared at her for a long moment, then leaned into her touch with a shuddering sigh. To her surprise, she felt his arms creep around her waist, clutching at her like a lifeline. She pulled him closer, a surge of protectiveness and affection sweeping through her.

The fireworks show ended with a massive, deafening boom, loud enough that even at this distance Frank flinched. In the sudden silence that followed, Victoria stroked his hair and waited for his rapid breathing to slow.

After a long moment, he pulled back enough to look up at her.

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