Hide (Mommy's House 3)

7

Bella's eyes widened at the sound of the deep, booming voice. Her heart was racing, and her airway felt tight as she grabbed onto Elliot's arm.

"Both of you, get in," Cole whispered, gesturing for both Bella and Elliot to get in the tub.

"What about you?" Bella asked quietly.

Elliot got into the tub carefully.

"I'll be fine," Cole said softly, his eyes meeting hers. "I'm going to go out there."

"No, you're not," Bella said through gritted teeth, as they struggled to keep their voices quiet.

Commotion and yelling sounded from outside the door, and Bella remembered that James was still out there. Her heart dropped and her eyes filled with tears as she walked past Cole and pressed her ear up against the bathroom door.

"Put your hands up!" James screamed out, his voice muffled through the door. "I said, 'put your hands up'. Now!"

There was a loud bang, and objects sounded like they were being thrown against the floor and wall. Bella was trembling as she grabbed onto Cole's shirt and pulled him towards the bathtub.

"Please," Bella whispered, hot tears dropping down her cheeks. "Please, Cole. Just get in the tub."

Cole took a deep breath and looked back at the door, where more struggle sounded from outside. Bella prayed that James was defeating them, but it sounded like James was groaning, the men were talking to each other so quickly that Bella could hardly make out what they were saying.

Bella stepped into the tub, and so did Cole, before he quietly pulled the curtain back.

Elliot was crying quietly into his hands, before he reached up and ran his fingers through his messy blonde hair. His chest was heaving as he slowly sat down in the tub, right next to the drain.

Bella sat down beside him.

Immediately, she remembered Elliot's bleach blonde hair pressing against her sticky skin as he cried against her chest in Rose's basement. She remembered his small body sitting on her lap, pressed up against her as he struggled to comprehend the situation he was in.

Bella stared at the grown boy in front of her, who was struggling to breathe and snivel quietly. She saw the innocent, small face in the boy who was now taller than her, with a deeper voice and a better understanding.

At that moment, Bella felt pure rage.

The noise came to an immediate halt from outside the bathroom. It was completely quiet, and all Bella could hear was their breathing radiating off the edges of the bathtub.

Cole sat beside Bella and Elliot, before he placed his head back against the wall and closed his eyes.

"You told me that you made sure they were all here," the same deep voice from before sounded from outside the bathroom, this time, his tone was embedded with frustration. "It was your responsibility to round them up."

"They're probably hiding somewhere in here," a second voice sounded, "I swear I brought the blonde one here. They were all here before."

"You know that we're going to get killed if we don't find them, right? Do you fucking understand that, you idiot?" the first voice growled. "I wouldn't even care if we just found the girl, he would be fine with just her. But we need to bring him at least one of them tonight, or we're screwed. You hear me? Do you fucking hear me? We're screwed!"

"I hear you," the second voice responded.

"I'll look in the bedroom. You look in the bathroom," the first voice shouted. "Now!"