AllFreeNovel
Share Us
At the same time, Eliza was suddenly pulled away from Shelby’s leg.
Of the three other people she could see in the produce aisle, one froze, one ducked behind the apple display, and the other ran.
Shelby looked over Chase’s head and stared into Kyle’s cold, flat eyes, then saw the knife in his hand dripping blood onto Eliza’s arm where he held her up against his chest, his other arm tight around her waist.
“Don’t do anything stupid. I’ll kill her.”
Despite the panic in every cell of her being, Shelby didn’t want to believe he’d kill his own granddaughter.
Chase launched himself toward Kyle. He tried to grab Kyle by the legs and take him down but missed when Kyle shuffled away, bringing the knife down and plunging it into the back of Chase’s shoulder before he ripped it right back out again.
Eliza screamed and squirmed to get free. Kyle held her tighter.
Blood spread across Chase’s army-green T-shirt until it reached the splotch of blood on the other side of his back, down by his waist. Remmy whined and lay over Chase’s back to protect and soothe him.
Shelby rushed to Chase’s side and pressed her hand on the wound.
Chase moaned in agony even as he tried to crawl forward and grab Kyle again. “Give me back my daughter!”
Kyle pointed the knife in Shelby’s face. “Leave the purse and your phone and come with me and Eliza now, or stay with him and watch him die.” Kyle pointed the knife at a guy inching his way closer and stopped him in his tracks as Kyle backed through the swinging doors that led into the employee-only stockroom.
The doors closed. She only had a moment to exchange an apologetic glance with Chase and then sprint after their daughter.
Chase caught the look of anguish and fear in Shelby’s eyes that he really would die and the sorrow that she couldn’t stay to help him before she rushed after Kyle. It took him too long to get the fifty-something-pound dog off his back. He made it to his feet and wobbled with dizziness.
Remmy and a couple of people from the store followed, someone shouting, “Stop! You’re bleeding!”
No shit.
But his family was in danger, and Kyle needed to die.
He didn’t stop until he burst through the side door of the building and caught a glimpse of Shelby getting into Kyle’s car seconds before he tore out of the parking lot with Eliza sitting in his lap.
“Sir, are you okay? We’ve called 911. The cops and an ambulance are on the way,” the store employee assured him.
He didn’t need a trip to the hospital. He needed Shelby and Eliza back.
He pulled out his phone, blood dripping down his arm from the stab wound to his shoulder. He hit thespeed dial and swore when Hunt didn’t pick up on the first ring.
“Sir, you’re bleeding really bad. Maybe you should sit down until the paramedics get here.”
Chase ignored the guy, the pain, the dizziness setting in, and spoke the second Hunt answered. “Kyle just took Eliza and Shelby. I’m at the grocery store. Pick me up now. We need to go after them.”
“Sir, you’re bleeding,” the grocery store guy said again.
“Are you hurt?” Concern filled Hunt’s voice.
“The only way I’m not going after them is if I’m dead. Hurry up.” He wanted to run to his truck and leave this second, but if he did that and the bleeding was worse than he thought, he’d lose them and probably end up dying never knowing if they were safe.
He needed to be smart. He needed Hunt’s help.
Kyle wasn’t going to kill Shelby. Not right away. He wanted to get them alone so he could convince Shelby they could be a family.
He’d held Rebecca for days, trying to convince her she loved him and they could have a life together.
Chase told himself he had time. He’d find them before anything else bad happened to them.
And when he did, he’d put Kyle down, so that he never hurt the ones Chase loved ever again.
