I hadn’t been imagining it earlier—somebody is here. Had it already been over an hour since Hayden left? My phone lights up with the time and confirms it couldn’t be him, so it must be Ryder back from his run. I shrug it off and continue on with my me-time.
Jessie’s sweatpants are baggy on my legs, due to our height difference, but I have no other options. Her closet overflows with a million options for shirts, but I grab a simple tank top and slip it on before heading back downstairs.
“Back from the office already?” I call out from the stairway, only to stop abruptly on the last step. My breath gets trapped in my lungs when I come face-to-face with that malicious, yellowing grin.
“Well, well, well,” He chants. “You can imagine my excitement when I learned Shadow left his precious little toy all alone this morning.”
Toy.Claimed.
I’m beginning to wonder if that’s really all I am to him.
My limbs are frozen, despite my brain screaming at me to run back upstairs, lock myself in the room, and jump off the balcony. Those are better odds than standing here, giving him plenty of time to grab me.
Just as I take a shaky step backwards, he shakes his head, tsking, “I wouldn’t do that if I were you.”
“What do you want from me?” My words come out strangled.
“I don’t want to hurt you, Kelsey.”
“Then don’t and leave me alone!” I scream so loud my throat goes raw and scratchy.
The man stands from the stool, “Don’t be mistaken. You will be coming with me by any means necessary.” I gulp, but the saliva goes down like razor blades as he takes calculated, menacing steps towards me.
“We could get along nicely,” He drawls, and I stiffen. He smiles again, showing off his decaying teeth that I can only imagine worms crawling between them. It makes me shiver.
He expects me to obey him like a dog. Anger pulses through my veins, and I have to bite my tongue to keep from spewing words that would make this worse. What the hell have I gotten myself into? I should have gone with Hayden and said screw the me-time, but no, I had to make another stupid ass decision that led me right into this man’s hands.
His smile vanishes when he realizes I’m going to refuse to make any of this easy for him. “You’re choosing the hard way, I see.” My eyes follow as his hands move to fold up his sleeves. My chin lifts as I dare him to move closer and prepare myself to make a run for it. We’re one-on-one, so I have an equal chance. I’ve fought grown men before; I’m sure I can do it again.
When he doesn’t accept my challenge, I let my words spill. I’m not sure where the balls came from, and it isprobably one of the dumbest things I could do, but I don’t give a fuck. He’s determined to take me anyway, so might as well get it off my chest.
My eyes narrow and my lip pulls into a snarl, “They’re going to find me, and when they do,” I swallow, trying to ease the dryness in my throat. “I hope they disembowel you and make you suffer until your last agonizing breath.”
His head falls back, and he laughs like Satan himself. The sound sends icy shockwaves through my bones, and I know I just majorly fucked up. I have seconds to get my ass upstairs, so without a single breath, I turn and run. My hair whips me in the face, stinging my eyes, but I don’t falter. My bare feet slap the cold marble as I race down the hall, and when I reach Jessie’s room, I sling the door open and turn the lock as I slam it behind me.
“You stupid bitch!” He screams through the door.
He groans when he slams into the door, “You stupid bitch!”
My lungs ache with each rapid, shallow breath, but I have to keep moving. My head whips side to side, looking for something to block the door and buy me some time. This man isn’t going to stop until he gets me, but I need to give myself a fighting chance. A chance to escape.
The only thing in the room I could move by myself is the dresser; I just pray my adrenaline gives me extra strength.
He pounds the door so hard, I can hear wood splintering. Running over to the dresser, I give it all I have to slide it in front of the door. That’s a heavy bitch.
“Don’t be stupid, Kelsey.” He growls, but his voice is strained, and it gives me a little hope of getting away.
My phone still sits on the bathroom counter, so I snatch it and dial the only people I know that could help me. Dialing Ryder’s number first, it immediately goes to voicemail, so I try Hayden next. It rings, but he doesn’t pick up. My lip quivers and my chest caves. When it goes to voicemail, I end the call. I don’t have time to wait, and I need to get the fuck out of this room somehow.
The wooden door cracks, the sound reverberating off the walls, making me jump back. “Shit, shit, shit.” I frantically search for a way out, since I have only seconds left. My eyes roam the room and land on my best option.
The balcony.
Flinging the glass door open, I glance back over my shoulder at the continuous beating and banging on the almost completely broken door. The only thing holding them back is the dresser, and I couldn’t be more thankful for Jessie’s hoards of clothes weighing it down. Any other time, I would’ve complained.
My legs straddle the railing as I calculate the distance below. No matter how I land, I’m going to be fucked up from the impact. I can only hope that it kills me. Maybe I’ll break my neck, but it would still be better than dying at the hands of this man.
Just as I build the courage to jump, the door explodes, and three men barrel in. I hit the concrete patio with a fleshy smack that knocks the wind from my lungs. My head swims with a sharp, pounding ache, but I need toget up. My brain is telling me to get up,get up,but my limbs don’t move. My breaths come in ragged and shallow.
