Relentless (Book 3)

Chapter 22: Cory - The Seventh Day

I woke up long before the sun had risen to the sound of Sophie crying. Her sobs had me springing out of bed and stumbling around in the dark until I reached her bed.

Once my eyes had adjusted to the dark, I saw that she was still sleeping. I didn't want to wake her, but I also didn't want to leave her to her nightmare. I decided to slide into her bed and wrap her up in my arms, hoping my presence would be enough to stop the nightmare in its tracks.

But it wasn't.

Instead, her cries grew louder, her entire body shook with them, and I could no longer handle listening to it. I had to wake her. I grabbed her shoulder and shook it gently. "Sophie." I whispered as calmly as I could as to not scare her. But she continued to sleep and she continued to weep and shake with fear. "Sophie." I said a bit louder, shaking her shoulder again.

Her eyes flew open and she screamed. I pulled her closer to me. "Hey. Hey, shhh. You're okay. I'm right here. I've got you." Once her eyes focused on me, she let out a shaky breath and flung her arms around me. "Are you okay?" I asked, stroking her hair.

She shook her head no and took a moment before speaking. "No." She admitted. "I'm scared."

"Of what?"

Her lip quivered as she fought through the lump in her throat. "Of losing you. And Benjamin and Bethany. Just like I lost Alex and Alexis."

"That's what your dream was about?" I asked, though I already knew the answer.

More tears splashed onto her face. "I know it's scary." I whispered. "And I know it's not fair that you have to constantly worry about your loved one's safety. But we have a plan, okay? It's as foolproof as it can be. I'm going to help bring them home safely and then we can celebrate. And you won't have to worry anymore. You won't have to be scared ever again."

"I know. I'll be okay once this is all over. I'm just going to be afraid until all three of you come back to me."

"Is there anything I can do to make you less afraid?"

"Can you just stay here tonight? In my bed? I don't want to be alone after my nightmare."

"Of course." I replied, rubbing her back. "Go back to sleep now, okay? It isn't even two in the morning yet."

She nodded and tucked her head into my chest.

She fell asleep quickly once I told her I wouldn't leave. But I wasn't that lucky. I was still awake when the alarm went off to wake us up in the morning.

I hadn't been able to sleep a wink, because on top of all my other worries, I was now worried about how everything Sophie has gone through, and continues to go through, will affect her. I didn't want her to have night terrors and panic attacks like Benjamin and Bethany.

And to top off my worries, we were leaving tomorrow afternoon. The vehicles we'd gotten with Benjamin and Bethany's blood money were faster than the ones we'd had before, but we still needed time to get there.

Sophie yawned and rubbed her eyes. She looked up at me and smiled. "Good morning, Cory."

"Morning kiddo. Did you sleep better the second half of the night?"

"Yes." She said with a smile. "Did you?"

I smiled groggily at her. "Not as well as you did I bet." Not at all.

"I'm sorry." She said with a frown. "If I hadn't woken you up, you would've slept just fine."

I hadn't slept well since Benjamin and Bethany had left. "It's okay. It isn't your fault. Being tired today just means I'll sleep better tonight, right?" Wrong.