Haven from the Storm (Storms of Life #1) Read Free Page B

a bedroom.
    When I turned eighteen a few months ago, I gained complete control of the money left to me by my mom. The first thing I did was secure my room so my father couldn’t come in when he felt like taking out his misery on me. I had spent enough time being the focus of his torment and legally becoming an adult gave me a small amount of power to make some changes. My effort was well worth it. Things had dramatically improved since that time, but that also could have been because I was the only one in this house that had any money now.
    After the tornado, homes and businesses were destroyed. Many residents decided to leave town instead of rebuild their lives here, the lack of jobs being the biggest reason behind that decision. The manufacturing plant in town, that made parts for airplanes, had been the number one employer in Kolby, but it was destroyed by the tornado and the company never reopened. When the tornado destroyed the plant, my father was out of a job indefinitely, but he didn’t seem to care or feel the need to look for a new job. He just used his rights over my inheritance from my mom and her side of the family to continue living his life drunk, spreading his misery around for everyone to enjoy.
    After gaining control of the money I was amazed at how easy it was to make the changes to my room so I could feel safer. The man at the hardware store two towns over helped with my purchases. I told him I was just moving into my own place and wanted to be very, very safe. He agreed I was better safe than sorry, but I thought he was suspicious. Both the entrance into my room from the outside and the door leading from my father’s part of the house were now completely secure. The main locks were electronic keypads, so I wouldn’t have to worry about misplacing a key. The day I installed them was the first day that I had felt safe since Easton was taken from me.
    I had my own bathroom, mini-fridge, and microwave. There was no reason to enter his part of the house, except for showers. I tried my best to time my showers when my father was at the bar or passed out. I sometimes felt like a coward for going to such lengths to avoid him, but all I had to do was look at the scars from the abuse I had suffered at his hand and I easily remembered my reasons.
    Speaking of showers, it was getting late and I was in serious need of one, which meant I had to leave the safety of my room. As I gathered everything I needed, my mind thought back to the one person I’d been trying to avoid-Dean. Why had he come here when Christmas break was almost over? I wondered how long he’d be here. Was he staying with Violet? Why couldn’t I stop thinking about him? I mentally kicked myself. I hadn’t thought about him in such a long time, yet my heart ached the same as it always had for him. He looked like the same Dean I knew years ago. He had the same messy black hair and dark caramel colored skin, but his eyes seemed darker and more haunted then I remembered. Any emotions he felt were always swallowed in their black abyss. His dark hair had given him that never ending five o’clock shadow that most men hated, but women everywhere loved. He looked much more like a man than I had expected and more rugged then I remembered, like the last four years had worn him down.
    Before I realized it, I was in the hallway heading across the house to the bathroom to take my shower. I was so distracted with thoughts of Dean that I had forgotten to check for my father before leaving my room. I started to panic and could feel my stomach heave. The cold air pricked at my warm skin as the alarm in my head blared. I was tempted to run back to the safety of my room, but the panic wouldn’t allow me to move. Fortunately, I didn’t hear a single sound coming from the house.
    I pulled a small flashlight from the bag I carried. I placed my hand over the end to partially cover the beam of light so it only illuminated a small path. Silently, I crept down the hall