“She’s out, we need to hurry,” I say as I turn to go back upstairs.
Scott’s voice comes over comms, “I’m done down here, you’ve got ten minutes.”
Back in the room, I walk behind Miller where his legs are bent at the knees to tie to his hands and kick his shin as hard as I can. The satisfying sound of the crack is like a balm to the anger that has been heating me from the inside out.
He hisses in pain and rests his forehead on the floor as he takes deep breaths. I pull my knife off my belt and sink the blade deep enough into his skin on his palm to feel the bone touch the edge, blood starts pooling in his hand and soaking into the sweats he’s wearing.
Since we only have minutes, I have to work quickly, and I regret that I don’t have the time to make him suffer like he made Sloane suffer. I cut the short length of the belt between his feet and hands and he whisper-screams when his legs swing forward and hit the floor.
Rolling him over, I crouch over him. Slipping my hand into my pocket, my fingers curl around the brass knuckles that I brought with me just for this, “You get off on hurting defenseless women?”
At first, he glares at me, anger shooting from his eyes butthen a smile forms on his face, and he laughs, “You mean the cunt that was so tight around my fingers? The one I should have fucked? Maybe you should have taught her to fight back.” His voice is no more than a whisper and I’m glad that she was able to cause the damage that he has lived with for the past two years.
Not letting his comment goad me, I slide the metal over my fingers and smile back at him, “She has me to fight for her.”
Not waiting for him to respond, I smash my fist over his eye and he hisses in pain again, spittle collecting around his mouth. “Hurts, don’t it?” I say as I look at the split skin across his eyebrow. “As much as I would love to hang out and play some more, I’m short on time.”
Picking my knife back up, I slide the blade across his throat. His eyes bulge in surprise and he starts moving his mouth like a fish. Staying crouched over him, I keep my eyes locked on his until the focus is gone, and he doesn’t see me anymore.
“You done with him?” Jax asks and I look up to the fucker on the bed, a wet spot has formed on the edge of the bed under him and is dripping onto the expensive-looking area rug.
“Yeah, we’re out of time,” I say as I stand up and close the distance between us in two steps. I grab the thinning hair on his head and make him look at me, “What’s good for the goose is good for the gander, right?” The knife easily sides through the skin on his neck and his hands fly to the gash like he can stop the blood from flowing from his body.
We quickly make our way to the stairs and meet Scott at the side of the house where we came in. “Get ready for a show.” He says and smiles as we take the same path we used before to go back to our car.
Just as we get inside and close the doors, we see the flames in the downstairs windows and within seconds, the windowsare blown out with an explosion. Scott set it up so that it will be a loss before the fire department even gets here.
We watch the flames start to shoot out of the windows for a moment and then I say, “Let’s go, I need to get back to Sloane.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
SLOANE
THE NURSEScome in to check on me at about the same time every hour. The sweet one who told me she asked the doctor if she could get an ultrasound machine in the room just left. I feel bad about sneaking out on her, but I have to get out of here before news gets back to that man that I’m at the hospital.
She brought in a pair of crutches and told me I would need them when I discharge tomorrow. When I asked her if she had seen any of the people who brought me to the hospital, she shook her head and I could see the sadness and pity in her eyes.
I’m not sure how long I had been here before I woke up, but with each passing hour, my heart sinks just a little bit more as the reality of the situation extinguishes my hope.
He left me here.
Trying not to get bogged down with thoughts and theweight of my heart breaking, I try to focus on my next move. Before I started working at the ranch, I was managing okay, I’ll just have to find another job.
He left me here.
Swiping the tears that keep breaking free to run down my cheek, I carefully and slowly swing my legs over the side of the bed. The pain in my chest is begging me to lay back down and cry into my pillow. Damn it. I let myself love him. I knew better, but I did it anyway.
For nearly two years, I have avoided all attachments, it was easy with men since they only made my skin crawl, but I let myself get attached to the entire Harlow family. Taking care of them in the background, not one of the family but still included, blurred the safe line I was supposed to stay behind. They made it easy.
Then Mason had to come along. The part of me that wishes I would have continued to ignore him at the bar is shadowed by the part of me that looked forward to him tapping on my door at night.
Being kissed and held by him was more affection than I have gotten since my parents passed away, no, since they were killed. My own flesh and blood took them from me and left me completely alone in the world.
Shaking my head, I take a deep breath and pull my thoughts out of the past to focus on what I’m going to do now. I have to get out of this hospital before anyone finds out I’m here.
Hobbling over to the little closet that has my clothes in it seems to take forever, with each movement dull pain shoots up my leg. Since the jerks took my coat and gloves when they drugged me, I leave the hospital gown on under my clothes as an added layer against the cold outside. I don’t even know where I’m going to go.
The giant, plastic brace on my leg helps some, it takes me aminute to get used to the crutches but as long as I take my time and I don’t jostle too much, it’s bearable.
