Page 101 of Nowhere Good

“Not like a dog cage. More like a cell. It was big, and the bars were thicker. The floor was metal. I could never see all that much. It’d be… dark. Maybe it was like a cage for a big animal.”

“Okay. When did this start?”

“After my mom died, I think. Clementine remembers more, but she won’t talk about it. She stopped getting in trouble as we got older, but I still would…” Claire trailed off, unable to look at him. It felt ridiculous to say out loud; she wouldn’t even blame him if he didn’t believe her. “He’d put me in there for longer depending on how bad the crime was.”

“The ‘crime’? You were a child. What crimes could you have committed?”

“Asking too many questions. Giving him attitude. Doing anything he didn’t want me to do. That was when I was younger. When I was older, I… I tried running away a few times. That always got me in the most trouble.”

Seth ran a hand over his mouth and moved to the side of the bed so he could sit upright. His energy shifted—like she’d ignited a fuse—but she was in it now.

“The last time I tried to run away was the worst. I was fourteen, and I’d managed to make it to the outskirts of town. I was gonna try to hide in the woods then hitchhike to Kansas City, but they caught me. My dad and Marty. They put me in the cage and hosed me down. The water was freezing.” Her teeth chattered at the memory. “There was this cloth over my face, so I couldn’t see anything. They held me down and… I don’t know which one of them did it. Probably Marty—my dad always had him do the dirty work. They sprayed the water on my face through the cloth. I couldn’t breathe.” Her voice squeaked, and she gripped the pillow tighter. “They were drowning me. It felt like I was really drowning.”

Seth leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees as he smoothed his hands over his face and released a slow breath.

“That was the last time I ever acted too out of line,” she continued. “It was the last time I ever saw the cage too. But then you came to town and I told you about the dime bag in Dillon’s car. When I did that, I knew there was a chance you’d link it to my dad, and I… I hoped you would. Maybe he always knew I’d try to run from him, and that’s why he’s been so careful, why he’s never let me see any drugs or anything. But then Dillon messed up.”

Her heartbeat hammered against her throat as she waited for him to reply. His silence was deafening.

“Please say something,” she croaked out.

“I’m gonna kill him.” His voice came out gritty with anger.

Panic shot through her. “No, you can’t react. It’ll only make things worse.”

Letting out a breath, he turned back to face her. “Sorry, not literally. I’m just furious. I knew he was bad, but Jesus Christ, Claire.” He firmly clasped her ankle. “I have to report this.”

“No, you can’t, Seth. It’s too late, there’s nothing I can do.”

“You were a kid—Missouri has extended statutes of limitation for child abuse. There’s still time to charge him.”

“I have zero evidence.”

“Your word is evidence.”

“And it’s my word against his.” She tossed the pillow aside and repositioned on her knees, on the defense. “You think I’ve never looked this up before? Even if he was somehow found guilty, he’d get a slap on the wrist, serve a year, and get out on good behavior. He didn’t leave me with any permanent marks and even the emotional stuff, I’d have a hard time proving, and people have not believed me before, and—”

Seth cut her off by pulling her into his arms like she was made of nothing. He adjusted her onto his lap, bridal style, and buried his face in her hair. “I’m sorry.” He held her tighter. “You weren’t asking me to be a cop. You don’t have to explain anything right now.”

Her emotions spilled over. She wrapped her arms around his neck, squeezing. He was so strong, so sturdy beneath her. “I just want you to tell me you believe me.”

“I do believe you.” He pulled away and smoothed her hair behind her ear. “Is that what you’re afraid of? You think if you try to leave town or betray him in any way, he’ll do that to you again?”

With her throat tight, Claire nodded. “All he wants is for me to stay in line, never ask questions, and give him grandsons. I don’t think he gives a damn about me or Clementine. He only wants to keep his name alive.”

“You’re an adult now. You have more power than you think.”

“No, I don’t. Not unless I can get something on him.”

“It shouldn’t be your job to do that. The cops should be helping you. I can help you. I can take you to Kansas City and you can start a new life there, get your own place. There are resources.”

If she were any younger and less jaded, maybe it would’ve felt like a golden ticket, but it didn’t. “I don’t want to be in your life as some burden or some victim, Seth.”

“You’re not. It takes a lot of guts to go through all that and still want to fight. I just don’t want you to get hurt.”

She appreciated his words, but her brain still fought her on them. Of course she wanted to run away, especially with Seth. It’d be a dream come true, but that was all it was. A dream. A dream which could quickly turn into a nightmare.

“Even if I did leave, he’d find me. I’m not gonna leave Fairview to spend the rest of my life looking over my shoulder.”