Elle could hear shouting behind her and knew she’d been spotted. She ran faster, pushing herself until her arms and legs turned to rubber, her breath ragged.
Almost there. Almost there…
She had no idea what the hell she was going to do once she made it to the cornfield. Hell, they knew the rows and orientation of the field better than she did. She didn’t even have any freaking clue where it ended. She could only pray that she’d end up near another house or the road where she could flag down a passing motorist.
The roar of an engine assaulted her ears, making her start. Her heart stuttered in panic and she threw a glance over her shoulder to see two men on one ATV and one on another racing in her direction.
Oh God…
She whimpered softly but kept running, not about to give up now that she was so close. A loud pop sounded behind her as one of them fired off a shot. She instinctively ducked at the sound, losing her footing and landing hard in the grass.
Cursing, she scrambled to her feet, barely registering the blood trickling down her arm from a skinned elbow. She could worry about it later. Right now she was more concerned about the damned ATVs that were right on top of her.
She sprinted forward, finally making the cornfield, and raced down the row, then zagged randomly, hoping to lose her pursuers, who were now crashing through the cornfield after her on foot. Her lungs began to burn, her breath loud in her ears as she continued to run, her adrenaline keeping her on her feet.
The heavy footfalls behind her were growing closer, gaining on her. In desperation, she made another random zag through the rows, but catching a glimpse of someone running parallel to her, she turned again and sprinted forward, praying the man hadn’t seen her too.
Another loud pop made her flinch, fully expecting to feel the impact of a bullet in her back. But when she felt no pain, she sent a glance over her shoulder to check for her pursuer.
No one was there. Thank God! Maybe she’d—
The sudden impact as she collided with another mass sent her sprawling on her back, knocking the air from her lungs. The next thing she knew, Jeremy Monroe was standing over her, a shotgun pointed at her chest.
“Don’t move,” he ordered.
Tears of frustration rushed to her throat, choking her, but she closed her eyes, swallowed past them, and tried to slow her ragged breathing. When she opened her eyes, Jeremy was still staring down at her, his brows drawn together as if he was undecided what to do with her now that he’d caught her.
“Let me go,” she said softly. “You don’t want to do this, Jeremy.”
She saw his throat work as he swallowed hard. He licked his lips, then glanced around, checking for others. Then he bent forward, looking anguished as he said, “I’m sorry. I don’t want to hurt you, but—”
“Good job, boy,” came a rough voice from behind him.
Jeremy instantly snapped upright but gave Elle a pleading look, silently begging her not to betray him. Jeb Monroe appeared next to his son, a smug sneer draped across his cruel mouth. “Well, now, where do you think you’re running off to? It’s not very polite to leave without saying good-bye.” He then gestured to someone out of Elle’s line of sight. “Get her on her feet.”
Jeb’s brother Dave stepped forward and grabbed her arm, dragging her roughly to her feet. She winced in pain from the cut on her arm.
The men dragged her along with them to the ATVs. “You go on,” Jeb said to his son and brother. “I’ll bring her up.”
As soon as the other two started up the ATVs and drove back to the house, Jeb pulled Elle toward the house. “You’re proving more trouble than you’re worth.”
“Guess you should let me go then,” she hissed.
He chuckled, making her skin crawl. “You know I can’t do that,” he told her. “Not now.”
“The Sheriff’s Department knows where I am. They’re going to realize I’m missing,” she assured him. “There’s no denying your role in everything this time.”
“I have no intention of denying anything.” The grin he gave her was chilling. “In fact, I’m looking forward to whole Dawson family showing up—especially Gabe Dawson rushing in here in all his arrogance, thinking he can rescue his beloved whore. His brothers won’t be far behind, I’m sure.”
The man was a fanatic—that she already knew. But the look on his face told her he was no longer concerned about being cautious. Jeb Monroe was more dangerous than ever.
When they reached the house, Jeb shoved her inside and motioned at this wife. “Bandage that cut up. Don’t want her bleeding all over the carpet.”
Janice came forward, her head bowed in deference. The woman was clearly broken. She led Elle to the sofa where Sandra sat, her eyes staring out at nothing as she rocked a little. Whatever the poor girl had been through, her physical wounds were nothing compared to what her emotional wounds must be.
Jeb walked to the window and peered outside, watching the driveway that led up to the house while Janice cleaned Elle’s cut with peroxide and covered it with a couple of Band-Aids. At one point, she lifted her eyes and met Elle’s gaze, then abruptly shifted her gaze to the left, gesturing for Elle to look that way.
Elle felt suddenly cold in spite of the summer heat.
