“Can we go somewhere and talk? I don’t want to go to city hall.”
He looked over at her and smiled. “Yes, we can go somewhere. And I have no intention of taking you to city hall.”
Good. That at least bought her—bought Ren—more time.
They drove to the other side of town and out of the most populated area. He turned into what looked like a field, driving through a gate, and down a paved road of some sort of park.
Then she realized what it was. A very high-end, private cemetery. “Damien, what is this place? Why are we here?”
“I want you to see your final resting place, my dear. The place where I buried an empty casket. The place I came to grieve my dead, perfect wife. I realize now that my wife did die six years ago. My wife would’ve never let another man touch her. I have no wife. And soon that casket won’t be empty.”
Natalie blanched as the truth hit her. There was no more time. He’d brought her here to kill her. She had to get away from him right now. Not even thinking about the consequence, Natalie reached over, yanked open the door and threw herself out of the car.
She cracked the ground with a bone-rattling thud and struggled through the pain to get up, her restrained hands hindering her. She heard Damien stop the car and forced herself to begin running toward the trees. As soon as she was off the road her feet became bogged down in snow.
She knew there wasn’t any use. Damien was bigger. Stronger. Faster. But she pushed herself as fast as she could go. He still had her phone, so she’d have to pray the tracker would work.
And that she was buying Ren enough time to get to her.
She screamed as a hand grabbed her shoulder, jerking her down into the snow. The icy whiteness permeated everything.
“Thank you for at least running in the right direction,” Damien said. He reached down and grabbed her by the hair, yanking her forward. She stumbled to keep up with him, since it was either that or be dragged.
“The minute you let someone touch your body you should’ve known you would never be worthy of me again. Now I’m gratefulI had the foresight to buy such a private burial plot for you six years ago. Nobody ever comes out here.”
He continued marching forward. She threw her hands up to his wrist to ease the pressure of the pull on her scalp. Finally, he stopped and threw her down and into the snow.
Right in front of a casket that had obviously just been dug out of the ground.
“Ironically, Omega Sector were the ones who dug it up. I guess it confirmed that you were alive. I can’t believe you would choose them over me. I gave you a home. A life. Everything.”
His foot came up and crashed against her midsection in a vicious kick. The shock hit her first—she couldn’t inhale—and then the pain exploded. She curled herself in a ball, the cold seeping in everywhere.
“Remember how you used to beg me to let you out of the snow during your punishments, Natalie? I shouldn’t have. I should’ve let you suffer and die out there. But now I’m going to let you suffer and die outhere. You’re going to be inside that casket, knowing that no one is ever coming for you.”
“Damien, please...” She finally got words out. Her begging now wasn’t to buy more time. It was in a desperate attempt to save her own life.
Could Ren possibly get here in time?
“I would love to stay here and watch you suffer, but I have a limited window of opportunity at city hall. I’ve got to give your Omega friends something to do with their time. A few thousand dead bodies ought to do it.” He leaned down and whispered in her ear. “But don’t worry, darling. I’ll come by and visit your grave site often. Especially now that there will be a dead body to mourn.”
Natalie closed her eyes, facing the facts. If Ren used the tracker to find her and she was already dead, they’d never be able to find Damien and stop him.
Thousands would die.
If she put the tracker on Damien now, the team would go straight to him. Maybe they would be able to stop him.
But Natalie would die.
Silently, she wished she’d had the strength to tell Ren last night that she would’ve forgiven him. That she wished they’d had more time.
But now she would never have a chance.
She opened her eyes, reaching behind her ear and picking off the tracker. The wetness from her fingers immediately made it sticky again.
“One kiss?” she whispered to Damien.
She leaned in close and placed the tracker on the back of his neck as she touched him. She prayed it would be enough.
