Gavin spun around, his heart jumping at the sound of a deep voice behind him.
Standing next to the en suite bathroom was the monster he’d spent weeks trying to drive from his head.
The Valentine Killer.
Gavin stood there, tightening his grip on Puppy as the dog began to growl at the intruder standing before them.
“Ho-how’d you get in here?” Gavin asked, glancing around the room, hoping to find some sort of escape.
The man nodded toward the bathroom window.
“Too bad your hero didn’t think to check the bathroom,” the man said, a cruel smile spreading across his face. “Never know when a psycho might be hiding in the shower, just waiting for you to be left alone.”
Gavin spun around, reaching for the dresser he had pushed against the bedroom door.
He needed to escape.
“Not so fast,” the killer said, lunging forward and wrapping his arms around Gavin.
Puppy yapped and snapped at him, trying to bite off a chunk of his finger.
“You’d better get control of that mutt before I shoot him between the eyes,” the man said.
Gavin’s mouth fell open as he heard the threat against his baby.
He immediately pulled Puppy in closer, trying to protect him with his body and calm the poor puppy as best he could.
More gunfire erupted behind the door.
“So, who are those guys?” Gavin asked, confused as the Valentine Killer pulled him toward the bedroom window.
“A distraction,” the man said with what felt like a smirk. “I tracked down one of your boyfriend’s rival crews and handed Marcus to them on a silver platter. The idiots didn’t even hesitate.”
“You’ll never get away with this,” Gavin argued, struggling against his kidnapper’s pull.
The man snatched Puppy from Gavin’s arms.
“How about this? You do exactly as I say, or I snap Puppy’s neck?”
Gavin lunged forward, trying to take back his precious little guy.
The man smiled, raising Puppy up above his head. “Oh, now I’ve got your attention.”
Gavin was fucked. There was no way he was going to let this man hurt a hair on Puppy’s head.
“We’re going out the window. There’s a ledge you can step onto, then a wooden trellis you can climb down outside. Honestly, I’m surprised your guy didn’t just install an elevator—this place is way too easy to break into.”
Gavin clenched his jaw and did as he was ordered. He stepped onto the ledge, then shimmied down the trellis.
He waited at the bottom for his abductor to join him on the ground with his puppy.
As soon as they hit the ground, the killer forced Puppy back into Gavin’s hands and shoved them both forward.
“Move.”
They headed toward the eastern forest, leaving behind the sounds of war and death. Gavin glanced over his shoulder, wondering if this would be the last time he would ever see Marcus and the rest of the crew. What were the odds of him surviving the Valentine Killer a second time? Nobody was that lucky.
“March!” the man shouted, shoving him hard as he led him through the trees and into the darkness.
