Dull thumps hit her fingertips.
He was alive! Thank God.
Help. She needed to get him help! An ambulance. Medical care.Something. But her cell was inside.
Her knees shook as she pushed to her feet, almost giving out on her. She didn’t let them. She forced her feet to move, ignoring the buzzing between her ears that competed with the sounds of her ragged breaths as she sprinted into the house. She was about to leave the door open, then stopped. Someone had stabbed Ellis. That someone could still be out there. She turned and flicked the lock.
Her chest heaved in panic.
Phone. Where had she left her phone?
After her shower, she’d texted Jules. It was in the bedroom.
She sprinted to the bedroom. The second she stepped inside, someone grabbed her arm from behind and threw her to the floor.
She cried out but didn’t have time to push up before a heavy body dropped onto her back, preventing her from moving.
Fear locked her muscles. She opened her mouth to scream, but a sharp blade suddenly touched her throat.
Air stalled in her lungs, fear catapulting her into stillness.
A mouth touched her ear, warm breath skittering over her skin, making nausea crawl up her throat. She wasn’t sure if they were about to say something—but a knock on the front door suddenly banged through the house.
A hand quickly covered her mouth, the knife pressing so hard to her skin she felt a slice of pain.
“Addison?”
Noah! He was at her door!
Her breathing quickened, the need to get free, to scream his name, consuming all the terrified parts of her.
“Addie, are you okay? I came to talk to you but saw the patrol car’s empty.” There was a small pause. “Can you let me in?”
The hand on her mouth tightened, fingers cutting into her cheek.
A few seconds of silence passed. Then the asshole loosened their hold. Not just the hand at her mouth, but the knife too.
Did they think Noah had left?
It didn’t matter.
Quickly, she tucked her chin hard to her chest, which both protected her neck and caused his hand to slip from her mouth—then she screamed.
Noah pulledup in front of Addie’s house. The need to see her consumed him. Everything Indie and his therapist had said was true. Addie hadn’t wanted to be separated from him, so he shouldn’t have made that choice for her. But he’d panicked.
He wasn’t sure what had changed. Maybe his therapy sessions. Maybe just the time apart from her. But now he knew he wouldn’t hurt her. And with each day, after every session with his therapist, he trusted himself more.
He parked in front of her house and climbed out of his truck, only to narrow his eyes at the empty patrol car across the road. Where was the deputy who was supposed to be watching her place? Was he insidewithher? Was he checking the exterior?
He scanned the front of the house and the yard. He wasn’t within sight.
When he reached her front door, he knocked. “Addison?”
A second of silence passed. Nothing.
“Addie, are you okay? I came to talk to you but saw the patrol car’s empty.” More silence. “Can you let me in?”
There wasn’t even the sound of movement on the other side of the door.
