"Fuck!"
I slammed my palm against the steering wheel hard enough to send pain shooting up my arm. I tried Mac again as I wove through traffic, ignoring red lights and one-way signs in my desperation to reach the penthouse faster.
"Any update?" I demanded the moment he answered.
"Units are three minutes out. I'm still en route."
I hung up again, unwilling to waste time on conversation when every second might be the difference between—No. I couldn't let my mind go there. Couldn't imagine Cecelia hurt, bleeding, or afraid. Couldn't contemplate what I would do if I lost her just when I'd finally admitted to myself how much she meant to me.
Traffic came to a complete standstill at the next intersection, cars packed bumper-to-bumper with nowhere to go. I looked frantically for any escape route, any possible path forward, but we were boxed in by delivery trucks on both sides. Through the windshield, I watched pedestrians flowing past on the crosswalk, moving faster than any of the vehicles around me.
I pounded the dashboard with my fist, frustration and fear coalescing into a rage that threatened to consume me. I couldjump out, try to run the remaining fifteen blocks, but would that be faster than waiting for traffic to clear? My indecision paralyzed me for precious seconds as scenarios played through my mind.
I closed my eyes briefly and did something I hadn't done since I was a child. I prayed, to whatever force might be listening.Keep her safe. Let me get to her in time. Let her be okay.
I looked out at the gridlocked traffic, at the distance still between me and Cecelia, and felt a despair so profound it threatened to swallow me whole.
I made a decision.
Shoving the car into park, I grabbed my phone, and yanked the keys from the ignition. Then I was out the door, leaving it open behind me as I sprinted toward the sidewalk.
“Hey,” a voice called from behind me. “You can't leave your car there.”
I ignored it and pushed past startled pedestrians as I broke into a full run. The penthouse was still fifteen blocks away, but on foot I at least had a chance. Every second counted. Every heartbeat was one more moment Cecelia faced that monster alone.
My lungs burned as I ran, dodging through the crowded sidewalks, ignoring the stares and muttered curses as I shoved past people.
In my mind, I pictured Cecelia as I'd last seen her that morning—sleepy-eyed and beautiful, her hair mussed from our lovemaking, her lips curved in that smile that seemed reserved just for me. The image gave me strength, pushing me to move faster, to ignore the burning in my legs and lungs.
I would get to her. I had to. The alternative was unthinkable.
Chapter 34
Cece
Ididn't think. I just moved. Spinning on my heel, I bolted back toward the hallway, fingers already digging frantically in my purse for my phone. Behind me, I heard the soft, measured footsteps of the man—my stalker—following at an unhurried pace, like he had all the time in the world. Like he knew I had nowhere to go. My heart slammed against my ribs so violently I thought it might crack bone and my blood roared in my ears as I fumbled with trembling fingers past lipstick and keys and wallet.
Where the hell was my phone?
"You can't leave yet, little dancer," he called, his voice still carrying that gentle, almost tender quality that made my skin crawl. "We've only just met."
Finally, my fingers closed around the cool metal of my phone. I yanked it out, nearly dropping it as I swiped desperately at the screen with sweat-slicked fingers. Rafe's contact photo appeared, his dark eyes staring out at me like a lifeline. I jabbed at the call button and pressed the phone to my ear.
One ring. Two rings. I glanced back to see the man still following. His pace had quickened. He wasn't hurrying, just...adjusting to match my movement. Like a predator who knows its prey has limited options.
"Missing me already?" Rafe's voice filled my ear, deep and playful and utterly oblivious to the nightmare unfolding.
"Rafe! Help me!" I screamed, voice raw with terror. "He's here. The stalk—"
A vase crashed to the floor beside me, sending shards skittering across the marble. I dodged instinctively, but the movement cost me precious seconds. Too late, I realized my mistake. A solid weight slammed into my back, driving me forward with brutal force. I hit the ground hard, my chin connecting with the floor with a crack that sent pain radiating through my jaw. The impact knocked the wind from my lungs, leaving me gasping like a landed fish as the phone skidded away.
I clawed desperately for it, fingers stretched to their limit, but a body pressed down on mine, pinning me in place. Heavy thighs straddled my hips, a crushing weight that immobilized my lower body as efficiently as concrete. I tried to scream but only managed a strangled whimper as I fought to draw breath back into my compressed lungs.
The man leaned forward, his breath hot against my ear. "Yourhusbandcan't help you now." He reached past me and grabbed my phone. I watched in horror as he smashed it against the marble floor beside my head, the screen shattering into a thousand glittering pieces. Glass fragments scattered dangerously close to my face, one even sliced a thin line across my cheek.
He shifted his weight and flipped me onto my back beneath him. I got my first clear look at his face—so ordinary, so forgettable. Brown hair, average features, eyes that might have been blue or gray. Nothing distinctive except for the intensity of his gaze as he stared down at me.
"Beautiful," he whispered, and the word made my stomach heave. One hand reached down to touch my face, fingers ghosting over my cheek with a gentleness that felt more violating than a blow would have been. "So beautiful when you dance. The way you move... it's like you're speaking directly to me."
