I tried to shove him away, to make him see I was hurting, but he laughed, that careless, cocky laugh that somehow drove my chest tight with panic and frustration all at once.
I should have screamed. I should have run. But my body wasn’t moving the way I wanted it to. The soreness from the fall slowed everything, turned every motion into something sluggish and uncoordinated.
My mind spun, half panic, half shame. Flashes of the arena, of Lincoln’s hands brushing dirt from my face, the heat in his eyes, it all came back in a rush. I wanted him out of my head, out of my body, but he was tangled there, in every breath.
Josh caught me by the arm, spinning me roughly toward the narrow sofa. The motion yanked the air from my lungs. I stumbled, my boot catching on the lip of the step. My hip slammed against the edge of the counter, the impact sending pain sharp enough to blur my vision. I gasped, a sound halfway between a sob and a whimper.
He laughed again, that same ugly, breathless sound. “Relax, sweetheart. You don’t need to play so hard to get.”
“Stop.” My voice was barely a whisper. I pushed at his chest again, but my arm felt weak, trembling. “I said stop.”
He didn’t.
His weight bore down on me, pressing me against the sofa cushions. Panic flared bright and wild. The smell of him, the heat of his body, the sound of his breathing, all of it blurred into a suffocating fog.
“No, Kristin, you’ve got to fight,” I whispered to myself, teeth clenched, voice shaking. My mind screamed it even as my body hesitated. I twisted, trying to push him off, but the sharp pain in my ribs made me cry out in agony.
That sound broke something loose in me.
I shoved harder, managing to slip sideways just enough to roll free. My boots hit the floor hard, and I scrambled toward the small counter, my hand reaching blindly for my bag. My fingers shook so violently I could barely grip the zipper. Inside, my phone was buried under a mess of receipts, hair ties, and rodeo programs. I dug until I felt the cold rectangle of glass under my fingertips.
Josh straightened behind me, his voice low and mean now. “Don’t be dramatic.”
I didn’t answer. My breath came short and fast, my pulse pounding in my ears. I fumbled the phone open, my vision blurring around the edges. The world narrowed to a single need: get help.
My thumb hit the contact I’d never deleted. The one I swore I’d never use again.
My heart pounded so hard I could feel it in my bruises. I could hear him moving behind me, and I could hear the floor creak as he took a step closer.
I bolted.
I reached the small door that separated the living space from the stock trailer and wrenched it open. My whole body protested. Pain exploded down my side. I didn’t stop. I slipped through and slammed the door, twisting the lock just as he lunged. The metal rattled under his fists a second later.
The sound was deafening.
“Kristin!” His voice rose, furious and slurred. He pounded harder, the metal booming like a drum.
I stumbled back until my shoulders hit the opposite wall, my phone still in my hand. My fingers trembled so badly I nearly dropped it. The smell of hay and sweat from the horses pressed in, grounding and claustrophobic all at once.
I needed help. I needed someone who wouldn’t hesitate.
There was only one person I knew who could handle this. Well, five of them, but only one was close enough to do anything about it.
Taking a deep, shuddering breath, I hit the number.
It rang once.
“Kristin, what’s wrong?” His voice was low, thick with sleep, and the guilt of waking him washed over me instantly.
“I’m in trouble, Linc,” I whispered. My voice broke halfway through his name. My chest heaved as the man on the opposite side of the steel door screamed again, each shout reverberating through the walls and into my bones.
“I’ll be right there,” he said, without hesitation.
“You don’t know where I am,” I sobbed, clutching the phone like it was my only lifeline.
“I always know where you are, Tin.”
The nickname, soft, familiar, a private thing, hit deep. It broke through the panic for a single heartbeat. My hip burned, my ribs throbbed, fear slammed through me, but just hearing his voice, just knowing he was coming, made my muscles unclench enough to breathe.
