June sat on the carpet, pulling her knees to her chest. She wiped the back of her hand across her mouth, trying to erase the taste of his blood. Her hands shook uncontrollably.
Rapid footsteps echoed in the hallway. It sounded like high heels and the heavy thud of a cane. The guest room door swung open.
Beatrice stood in the doorway. Her face was red with anger. Right behind her stood Jessica Cole, wearing a designer trench coat, having just rushed to the estate, her flight indefinitely grounded by the severe winter storm.
Beatrice looked at June sitting on the floor. She saw the smear of blood on June's chin. The old woman instantly knew Gage had tricked her to get into the room.
Beatrice gripped her cane tightly. She pointed out into the hallway, cursing Gage's name, calling him a rabid animal that needed to be put down.
Jessica Cole stepped into the room. Her four-inch heels clicked on the hardwood. She looked down at June's chopped hair and bruised face. There was no motherly concern in her eyes, only deep annoyance.
Jessica Cole put her hand to her chest. She gasped dramatically, playing the role of a horrified mother for Beatrice's benefit, loudly condemning Gage's actions.
June looked up at her mother. A bitter, hollow laugh escaped her lips. She asked Jessica Cole if she finally decided to pause her honeymoon because her daughter was about to die.
Jessica Cole's face tightened. She leaned down and hissed under her breath, warning June to shut her mouth and stop embarrassing her in front of the matriarch.
Beatrice slammed her cane on the floor, cutting off the toxic whispering. She declared that June could not stay in the main house for another minute.
The old woman turned to her personal head of security. She ordered him to open the South Wing immediately.
Jessica Cole gasped. Her eyes went wide. The South Wing was the ultimate fortress of the Becker estate, reserved only for the highest-ranking family members. Even Jessica Cole had never been allowed inside.
Two heavily armed guards walked into the room. They gently pulled June to her feet and guided her out the door.
The group walked down a long, heavy stone corridor lined with reinforced steel pillars. Outside, the blizzard raged, snow piling up against the glass. Inside, the air was warm and still.
At the end of the corridor stood a massive set of double doors made of solid mahogany. Four guards with assault rifles stood at attention in front of it.
The head of security stepped up to a metal panel on the wall. He typed in a long passcode and leaned in for a retinal scan. A heavy mechanical clunk echoed through the hall. The mahogany doors slowly swung open.
June stepped inside. The South Wing looked like a luxury hotel, but the thick walls and steel-reinforced windows made it clear this was a bunker.
Beatrice stood at the threshold. She looked June in the eye. She promised that the South Wing had its own independent security grid. Without Beatrice's fingerprint, Gage could not get inside.
June looked at the men with the rifles. For the first time in days, the crushing weight on her chest lifted slightly. Fresh tears filled her eyes.
She bowed deeply to Beatrice, thanking the old woman for saving her life.
Jessica Cole stood to the side. She crossed her arms and told June to stay put and stop causing trouble for her new marriage.
June gave her mother one cold, dead look. She turned around and walked deeper into the South Wing.
The heavy mahogany doors closed behind her. The locks engaged with a loud, final click, shutting out the rest of the world.
A maid led June into a large bedroom. A fire cracked warmly in the stone fireplace.
June walked over to the reinforced window. She looked out at the dark, snowy night. She felt a strange, fragile sense of safety.
She took off the silk nightgown and changed into a thick, warm set of pajamas. She curled up on the plush sofa right in front of the fire.
She listened to the rhythmic sound of the guards pacing in the hall outside. She finally believed she was safe from him.
Exhaustion crashed over her like a tidal wave. Her eyelids grew heavy.
Right before she fell asleep, the image of Gage's dark, obsessed eyes flashed in her mind. Her body jerked slightly, but the warmth of the fire pulled her down into a deep sleep.
The South Wing was perfectly quiet. But across the estate, a monster was waking up.
