I force myself to straighten. My hands are still bound, so I use my mouth to open the deadbolt and then I turn around, grabbing for the handle and praying it turns.
Just then, Aiden crawls out of the bathroom, his face bloody and a murderous look in his eyes.
“You’re going to pay for this!” he yells.
The handle gives, and I fall out the door, crashing to the ground. Blinding pain shoots through my wrist and into my arm, making me cry out. Yelping, I tug hard, the tape finally giving way. I lift my arms, cradling my right wrist to my chest.
Out.
I need to get out.
My muscles feel heavy, but I force myself to get to my feet and turn around.
The vastness of the woods surrounding me makes me want to cry.
You’ve come this far; you’re not going to give up now.
I put a leg in front of me and then the other.
It doesn’t matter where I go.
I just need to get out of here.
You run back to me.
The commotion behind me has me moving faster, slipping between the trees. I don’t know how much time has passed since we got here. It could be hours or days. Night has fallen, giving the space an eerie look.
“You can try to run, but I’m going to find you!” Aiden calls from behind me, his voice echoing in the night.
A branch cracks somewhere, making me jump. I look left and right, bracing for the impact, but there is nothing except my erratic breathing.
I slow down my steps, the need to not get discovered winning over running as fast as I can.
“C’mon, c’mon. Get out, it’s time to play,” he taunts.
Bracing against the tree, I walk away from the sound. For a second, I think I see a flash of light. I blink, then narrow my eyes, but it’s gone. Maybe I imagined it.
I take a step to the right, and a loudcrackechoes from somewhere close by.
Fuck.
I look up, my eyes finding a dark shape in front of me.
It takes me a moment for recognition to set in.
Matthew.
Then arms wrap around me, and I’m pulled back against a strong chest.
CHAPTER FORTY-TWO
MATTHEW
“It’s over, Aiden.” Removing the safety, I lift my gun in front of me as I slowly make my way toward Aiden and Jessica. “Let her go.”
It takes everything in me to keep my voice even. Not to let him hear the terror coursing through my veins as I watch him press the barrel of his gun against her temple.
“If I were you, I’d stay right where you are, lover boy,” he spits out, his grip on Jessica tightening.
