He’s practically spitting as he says, “Where’s that little bitch?”
Chapter Seven
Viv
Sometimes I hear him in my dreams.
That harsh, grating voice whispering into my ear, telling me all the things he’s going to do to me. His eyes would darken with excitement as he promised to show me what a real man is like in bed. I’ve had nightmares of him breaking through the barricade I erected on my bedroom door every night.
I whimper, tugging the covers over my shoulders and wishing for Kyle. I want his body over me, warming me up. These nightmares don’t happen when he’s in bed with me.
Where the hell did he go?
I need him.
“Where’s that little bitch?”
I bury my face in the pillow. I’m not even fully asleep, and yet his voice still haunts me. That grating voice I was forced to listen to for five years. Soon, I’ll be in Chicago, surrounded by dangerous men, and I won’t have to worry about Rick getting to me. I’ll focus all my energy on Kyle and exploring this thing between us.
Christ, why is it so cold and where’s Kyle? I want him. Now. In bed with me.
“I know her phone’s here, so you can’t hide her from me. You fucked that little whore, didn’t you?”
My eyes spring open and I realize that I’m not dreaming. The sound is too loud, too clear for it to be in my head. I quickly sit up, pushing my hair off my face, and listen intently. I realize the cold I’m feeling is because the front door is open, and Christ, does that mean Rick is in the cabin? How the heck did he find us?
Oh God!
I scramble off the bed and grab my hoodie, sliding it on. I drop to my knees and begin to slide under the bed when I stop. Kyle is out there. It’s a habit of mine to hide whenever I hear Rick’s voice, but this time, mine is not the only life in danger. Oh God, what if he brought the gun he keeps in the closet along with his drugs!
I shiver at the thought of Rick harming Kyle.
I jump to my feet, then tiptoe to the open door, slowly leaning forward to take a peek, and my heart nearly stops when I see a gun pointed at the man I’ve fallen madly in love with.
Kyle’s voice is cold and he appears unafraid of the death machine pointed at his face. “I don’t like having my morning interrupted. You need to get the fuck out before I call the cops.”
Rick chuckles arrogantly. “Sure, go ahead and call them. Someone will have to collect your body anyway.”
“No!” I cry out, jumping out of the room.
As soon as Rick’s gaze shoots to me, he snarls. “Where’s my box, you little thieving bitch? I know you took it with you!”
Kyle takes advantage of the distraction. He grabs Rick’s wrist, twisting it hard enough to snap it, causing the gun to drop to the floor where Kyle kicks it away. Rick bellows like a bull andlunges forward, his fist raised to punch Kyle, but I watch with shock as Kyle’s knuckles connect with Rick’s jaw.
And then they’re on the floor.
Frozen, I watch the chaos unfold.
I’ve seen Rick fight before. I’ve watched him knock his buddies around, but it appears that he’s no match for Kyle’s strength and obvious skill. Still, I realize their fight is bringing them closer to the gun.
I bite hard on my lip before rushing to the kitchen, intent on grabbing something to use as a weapon. When I turn around, I see Rick tug at the gun with his fingertip, slowly drawing it to himself as he attempts to kick at Kyle’s midsection.
He’ll kill him if he gets hold of that gun, I realize. This man, who tormented my life for years on end, is going to kill the man who’s done nothing but protect me from the second we met. And it’ll be all my fault.
My feet move before I can process what I’m doing. I grab the heavy kettle on the kitchen counter. Rick grabs the gun just as I bring the kettle down hard on his skull, and the loud crack echoes through the room. The man turns his head to look at me for a second, surprise clear in his eyes, before he falls forward, face-first on the floor and lies still.
My breath hitches in my throat and the kettle drops from my trembling fingers God…what did I just do?
Then there’s a shadow in front of me, blocking my view from the…body? “Viv, baby, look at me,” Kyle says, cupping my jaw and pulling my eyes to his. “God, you’re shaking.”
