Lost and Found

Chapter Twenty-Three

Paul lifted his head from his knees and blinked in confusion when a shadowed figure ran in front of where he'd fallen asleep. Seconds later, from her perch in the woman's arms, Kitty's white-blonde hair reflected the moonlight.

Where was the woman taking her? Suddenly glad he'd decided to stay with Kitty, he stood with a groan and followed after them. He remained in the shadows, just far enough behind to make sure the woman didn't see, and tried to push aside his worry about where they were headed.

His body was tired and sore and protested the long run, but hope began to fill his heart when the woman ran toward his new home. He slowed to a stop, crouching low in the tall grass as he watched her stop and lower Kitty to the ground.

Quickly, she removed the bindings on Kitty's legs and wrists and pushed her away. Paul crept closer, praying she wouldn't hear him moving through the grass, when suddenly, she said, "Go. Run home as fast as you can, honey!"

He stared in disbelief. The woman was letting her go? He glanced around; positive it was a trick of some kind. But, the next thing he knew, the woman was running back the way she'd come, leaving Kitty standing in the road alone.

After looking one more time down toward his old house, Paul raced over to Kitty, picked her up, and just as the lady had said to do, he ran home as fast as he could.

Lillian squeezed her eyes against the ache in her head, moaning when she opened them to find the moon shone behind partial clouds, and she was lying on the cold ground.

Her jaw and arm ached. She tested her jaw and tried moving her arm, but quickly stopped when stars exploded before her eyes and began dry heaving. Her arm was useless—again. Shivers raced up and down her body, urging her to find warmth.

Her eyes widened. Terror struck her heart when she remembered what had happened. Upon struggling to her feet, she cried out in pain and clutched her arm to her side. Her vision wavered, and she swayed but remained standing.

"PAUL... KITTY?" she yelled in a panic as she turned in a full circle, looking for their bodies on the ground. "PAUL, KITTY!" She screamed, stumbling as she searched for them outside.

Where were they? What had Walker done with them? Had he killed them? She choked on a sob and ran to the house. Broken pottery littered her once clean floors and cracked under her shoes as she explored every room for a sign of them. They weren't there, and it was all her fault.

Tripping over the rug on her way back outside, she ran down the porch steps, "Paul?"

Nothing but the silence answered her.

"Kitty?" she whimpered. But, there was no reply.

Trembling from cold and misery, she sank to her knees in the middle of the yard and wept. She had lost them.

If only she had told Sawyer about Walker being alive. He would have protected them and killed the vile man, and none of this would have happened. And Beth! She'd trusted Beth, when all along, she not only played her false and helped Walker steal her children from her, but planned to live the rest of her life with him. A sob escaped her.

She didn't know what to do or even who to go to for help. Freddie had never shown up like he said he would; he'd never come, and her children were gone, but she couldn't blame him for something she'd practically set in motion.

Freddie was innocent in this. She was the one to blame because she'd refused to tell Sawyer. Now she didn't know where to look for them, or if they were even alive.

And when Sawyer returned and found out she could have done more to stop Paul and Kitty from being taken, possibly killed—Lillian let out a choked sob as despair took her in its cold grip and held tight.