Page 78 of His Saving Grace

Her stomach roiled at what he was alluding to. She wouldn’t put it past him to hurt Mason to satisfy his delusions. Not going to happen. Unless it was over a dead body. Preferably David’s.

He shifted, clutching her wrists in one of his hands. He traced a finger along her cheek. She flinched, shifting her face away. His grip on her wrists tightened, and he wrapped his hand around her throat, squeezing lightly. Not hard enough to cut off her air, but just enough to let her know he could.

She stilled, afraid to twitch, to even breathe.

He stared down at her and his features softened. “Why are you doing this, Gracie? I don’t want to hurt you. You know I don’t like to hurt you. Why do you always make me hurt you?” His hand around her throat tightened.

She swallowed past his almost-too-tight fingers, panic soaking her cells. Heat scalded the back of her eyes, but she refused to give him the satisfaction of breaking down.

He leaned down so their faces were inches apart. An unhinged glimmer sparkled in his eyes. “I’m here to take you home. I love you and I know you love me. You’ve just forgotten, is all. Once we get home, you’ll see.”

She stared up at him, disbelief making her jaw go slack, sending her heart hammering against her ribs so hard, she thought she might pass out. He clearly had plummeted over the edge, right into the deep end of crazy. Making him so much more dangerous than she imagined. Dread consumed her. She had to get him away from the ranch before he did something irreparable.

“You’re right, baby.” She forced her voice to take on a soft, soothing quality. It was hard not to choke on the endearment. “I don’t know what came over me. Let’s go home.” She smiled, although it felt phony. She hoped it was enough.

He grinned, a little maniacally, and that scared her more than anything. “There’s my girl.” He bent forward to brush his lips against hers. She managed to stop from recoiling, but couldn’t bring herself to kiss him back. He didn’t seem to notice.

David rolled to his feet and reached down to help her stand. Her knees threatened to buckle, but she locked them, refusing to show any more weakness.

She walked over to the bag she’d tossed in the house this morning, her legs wobbling like they were made of jelly. Hard to believe she’d been leaving only a few hours ago. Now that she was being forced, her heart threatened to shatter.

It’s for the best. This way, David won’t feel forced to hurt Mason or one of his brothers.They’d all be safe and she would be… well, she’d be back in hell. But it’d be worth it, if it meant the Callahans stayed out of harm’s way.

Regret that she didn’t get a chance to say goodbye to Mason made her throat thick and achy. He wouldn’t know how much he’d come to mean to her. That he’d brought her to life.

Until she met him, she’d only existed. It wasn’t until he challenged her, annoyed her, made her laugh, and even made her cry, that she’d truly lived. And when he touched her, she finally understood what it meant to be cherished.

She loved him.

A lump formed in her throat. She’d been so stupid to think she could walk away so easily this morning. Leaving was going to destroy her. But she had no choice.

“I was… I was on my way home.” Her voice wavered. “See, my bag is already packed and everything.” She picked it up and held it out.

“You were?” He sounded surprised, although there was an underlying note of suspicion in his voice. He took the bag from her hand.

She nodded, hoping he’d buy the lie. He seemed to, his grin widening. Bile rose in her throat, but she swallowed it down. She had to be convincing, or he’d do something she couldn’t afford, something she’d regret.

He walked over to the door and pulled it open. “After you.”

She moved toward him. Her knees shook so badly she was surprised they hadn’t crumpled under the strain. She stepped out onto the porch and her eyes strayed to the main house. The lights were on in the kitchen, shadows moving behind the curtains. Her gaze shifted to the second floor. To Mason’s bedroom window. The light was on, meaning he was most likely inside.

Her soul screamed for him to understand, and part of her hoped, prayed, begged that he would. She was leaving because she loved him. She’d do anything to make sure he was safe. He would understand. He had to understand. Believing was the only way she’d get through this.

David clamped his fingers on the back of the neck, squeezing hard, as if he knew her thoughts. She flinched at the tight grip, but didn’t protest. The less she fought, the faster this would be over.

“I’ve got a car on the main road, just down from the driveway.” He shoved her forward. “We’re going to walk there, very slowly and very quietly. We don’t want to draw any unnecessary attention to ourselves, do we?”

“Of… of course not.” She turned her head and gave him a weak smile.

He nudged her forward and down the steps. The storm still raged around them. It only took a few moments before they were both soaked.

She was glad because the rain masked the tears streaming down her face.