“Side of the building by the pool,” I yell anyway, as loudly as I can. “Please, please, please, please, please.”
I kick back, hitting something — his shin, his foot? Whatever it is makes him grunt. Once we reach the side of the building, he pushes me to the ground, slaps me with the back of his hand, and straddles me. It’s not a hard slap, not hard enough to mark me, but hard enough to make me shut up. I don’t, though. I won’t. I thrash my head side to side, trying to find someone. The people in the event have to be outside or on their way out by now. I realize that we’re in a pocket on the other end of the building, and even if they do walk out back, they may not see us. It’s a golf area, I realize. Fuck, I need to get out of here.
“David, please,” I scream, my eyes tearing up as I beg. Somehow, I hold them back. “Please don’t do this.”
He’s struggling to hold me down and take his jacket off at the same time, glaring at me when I try to buck him off me. His expression is as menacing as it was that night, when he pinned me on my parents’ couch and I fought him. Up until the time before that, he was used to me being submissive, drinking whatever he gave me until I was unconscious and he could do whatever he wanted. That night, he’d told me that my fighting turned him on. A part of me wants to stop, but the survivor in me won’t let me.
“We have some unfinished business,” he seethes. “Don’t you think?”
I scream again, kick, and move my hips. I know they’ll come for me. I just need to hold him off until they do.
“If I could,” he says, setting a hand over my mouth again and holding me as still as he can with his body over mine. “I would take you somewhere and take my time with you, so you remember who the fuck owns you. Unfortunately, we don’t have time for that today.”
My chest rakes with the screams bottled up in it and the tears I know I won’t shed. Not for him. Not ever. He’s hard on my stomach, and I know nothing I do will make a difference. He starts to unbuckle his belt with the hand not covering my mouth. My chest is heaving as I continue to struggle. He’s having trouble with his fancy belt, so he lifts his hand from my mouth again.
“Nooooo,” I beg. “Please. Please don’t do this.” I scream again. “David! Don’t do this!”
“This is on you. You know what happened to the last little girl who stepped out of line?” he asks, cold and cynical. “She’s dead.”
My stomach heaves. I start to gag.
“You keep stepping out of line. I guess your mother's death wasn’t enough. Luke’s death wasn’t enough. Not even attacking your boyfriend,” he shouts. “Was enough.”
“Please,” I whimper as he starts lifting my dress, his hand rough on my thighs.
“You know, even though you’re not my first toy, you are the only one who was a virgin,” he says, eyes gleaming proudly as he pulls back so he’s lower on my legs, near my shins.
My chest heaves again, but I scream and use all my strength to lift my leg and kick him in the groin. He grunts loudly as he doubles over. I roll out from under him, push him away, and stand. My body trembles, threatened by the strong memories of the last time I found myself in this situation. I push through it. I cannot clam up right now. I can’t let him win. Not this time. I start running, cursing myself for choosing to wear heels with straps that I can’t just kick off.
I scream as I run.What’s taking them so fucking long?I hear him come up behind me. He’s fast. If I wasn’t wearing these fucking heels, I’m sure I could get away easily. I’m almost at the exit when my heel goes down into one of the holes in the ground. Strong arms wrap around me, and he lifts me, taking a few steps to the side wall of the building. He presses onto me, still hard in his pants, as he breathes harshly against my face. He brings his arm up, and for a moment, I flinch, thinking he’ll elbow me in the face. Instead, he sets his forearm against my chest so he’s blocking my arms from lifting and starts hiking up my dress. I scream again, as loud as my raw throat allows. When I go to shout the second time, a dry cough is what comes out. He brings a knee up and sets it between my legs, bringing it all the way up so I feel it. He’s still struggling with his belt.
“Please, David,” I shout, shimmying against the wall as I try to move my arms up to hit him. “Please don’t do this!”
“You can blame yourself for this,” he grits, blue eyes narrowed on mine. “And for whatever happens to your boyfriend when I’m done with you.”
I inhale sharply and move harder, bringing my knee up again, but his shin is blocking it. I move hard again and manage to free one of my arms. I punch him once, twice. He laughs, but he spits blood as he does it, his eyes even more menacing as he adjusts his arm and pushes me again.
“Do that again and your boyfriend dies.”
My chest tightens. I know he’d make good on his promise. I was wrong before when I thought he couldn’t hold anything over me. He can use Lachlan. I stop struggling for a moment and squeeze my eyes shut to think about how I can get out of this situation and ensure Lach remains unharmed. When I stop, he laughs. Suddenly, the fire alarm stops. His eyes widen on mine and I scream again, but my throat is hoarse.
“Side of the building,” I say as loud as I can. “Golf area!”
His belt comes off and he tosses it aside, working on the button of his pants next. He brings a hand to my thigh and starts making his way up, and I know that all I can do is wait. I keep struggling, though. I’m exhausted, but I keep at it.
CHAPTER57
LACHLAN
“Don’t fucking tellme you’ve looked everywhere!” I shout at Ronnie and Derek over the fire alarm. “He couldn’t have gotten far!”
My entire body shakes as I take off running in the other direction. With the deafening alarm, they haven’t been able to speak to the two guys who stayed back in the SUV and are listening to her mic. The drone is still flying somewhere. I know it’s just a matter of time before we locate her, but we don’t have time. She doesn’t have time. I don’t have time. I try to concentrate and push away the images that flash through my head, but it’s impossible. I can’t stop thinking about that fucking psychotic creep touching her. The idea of him even touching her arm is enough to set me off, but that’s not where the images stop. Everyone is mostly contained on the left side of the building, since that’s where the event space is. The bathroom is on the other side, but we checked it, we checked outside, we checked. . .oh, fuck.
I take off running to the other side of the building. We checked it, of course, but we didn’t check all of it. We couldn’t have. I take off my jacket and tie, tossing them behind me as I run. The buttons of my sleeves pop off when I jerk the material up to my elbows. The alarm finally stops fucking ringing and I hear her scream. I run faster. I reach the side of the building and look around. There’s an area there that we missed. It looks like a picnic area. As I get closer, I realize it must be for golf.
I scan it but can’t see the entirety of it. When I finally do, I see one of his hands moving up her leg, almost near her ass. Lyla’s trying to push him off her; her attempts are weak, as if she’s tired and can’t hold him off any longer. Even as she does this, her expression is blank, like she’s already taken herself elsewhere. My heart can’t possibly break any more than it does right now. My rage grows as I get near them. By the time I reach them and yank him off her, I say a silent apology to her in my head, because I know I won’t be able to stop until he’s dead.
CHAPTER58
