The man she was falling for looked like he was ready to kill as he told the others on the phone, “I gotta go.”
“Cutler, wait!” Knox hollered out his name.
But Liam had already ended the call.
“We have to leave.” Liam shoved his phone into the back pocket of his jeans and took Allison’s hand in his. Pulling hertoward the door, he gave orders as they moved. “Grab your purse and leave everything else. I’ll get my laptop and go-bag, and then we’ll get Maddie and get the hell out of here.”
Allison didn’t even consider arguing with the plan as they began making a mad dash around the house to gather their things. Liam went to his office first, swiftly retrieving his computer. While he switched gears to go back to his closet for his go-bag, she went into the living room to grab her purse.
With the strap positioned so the bag was in crossover mode, she turned to go get Maddie. She made it all of two steps before a loud banging sound reached her ears. On reflex, Allison screamed and spun around to see what had happened.
She regretted the decision the moment she saw him.
Dust swirled in the sunlit air from the damage Tommy had done to Liam’s front door. She wasn’t sure if he’d kicked it in or used some sort of device, but whatever he’d done, it had left the door half-hanging from one hinge.
Rather than trying to reason with the unstable man, Allison turned back around and started to run.
“Liam!” she screamed at the top of her lungs.
Meaty hands she recognized all too well grabbed her from behind.
“Oh, no you don’t,” Tommy growled. “You’re coming with me.”
“No!” She began kicking and scratching at him with all her might.
Surprisingly, the twisting motion worked, and she managed to get free. Allison pushed both palms against his chest as hard as she could in hopes she could throw him off balance to buy her time to get away.
Unfortunately for her, Tommy held his footing with ease.
“You stupid bitch.”
She didn’t see the fist coming her way until it was too late. Pain exploded in her left eye and cheek as the forceful blow sent her flying. She landed on the carpet with a hard thud just as she heard Liam shouting out her name.
“Allison!” He came rushing toward her, gun in hand. “You son of a?—”
A deafening bang stole Allison’s hearing as she lay on the floor, doing all she could to ease the dizziness in her head. Through tear-filled eyes, she looked up to where Liam had just been standing.
She cried out when she saw him laying a few feet away. He was face down on the floor, and he wasn’t moving. A pool of blood rapidly began to form beneath his head.
“Liam!” Allison screamed his name, praying he was still alive. She pushed the shock and pain aside and began climbing back up to her feet.
Fire exploded in her scalp as Tommy filled his fist with the hair at the back of her head. He yanked her up, uncaring that she could barely stand for the overwhelming dizziness doing its best to take over. If anything, he seemed annoyed by the effort he had to put in to keep her from falling.
“Look at you,” he taunted. “Can’mt even stand on your own damn feet.” A nasty scoff. “What I ever saw in you, I’ll never understand.”
“Let me go!” Allison shouted before calling out to Liam once again.
“Your precious Liam’s dead.” Tommy held her close. “Just like you will be, soon.”
No!
The single word of denial was so loud throughout her pounding head.
“He’s not dead.” She refused to believe what appeared to be true. “He’snot!”
“Shut the fuck up!” The cold-hearted man pushed her so hard she fell painfully to her knees. “You think he cares about you? He doesn’t. You’re too pathetic for anyone to give two shits about you.”
Still down on all four, Allison had no warning before the kick came. The toe of Tommy’s boot slammed unforgivingly against her ribs so hard, she flew over onto her back.
