AllFreeNovel
Share Us
I struggled against the hand that slapped down over my mouth, biting the skin, not knowing who the hell it was. Terrified it was Jason coming to drag me home, I tensed, ready to fight tooth and nail.
“What the hell do you want?” I blurted.
“Shut the fuck up, bitch,” a male voice I didn’t recognize rasped, and then I felt the sharp sting of a slap across my face. “Or I’ll give you a real reason to scream.”
A flash of light came and went, with an explosive sound drowning the room. The man holding onto me was suddenly ripped away, yelping in the process. Then there was a hand in my hair, and I screamed, my scalp burning from how hard the bastard pulled. This time, the man struck me on the side of my head with something hard and metallic.
Falling, I hit the floor with a thud, face down. I cried out, my whole head rattling, my teeth chattering. Pain zigzagged across my face as tears pooled.
When I felt the tip of a barrel press into my right temple, I worked out what they’d hit me with, and terror slammed into me. I trembled as tears fell down my cheeks.
“Do that again, Anderson, and this bitch ends up with a bullet lodged in her brain. I’m going to let her go, then I’ll turn on the light, and you and I are going to go for a little walk.”
I had no idea what the man was talking about, but I whimpered, trying to get my head to stop spinning and work out how the hell I was going to get away from him.
“Fuck you,” Brick barked, and I might have cried out with joy. “Let her go, and I’ll kill you quickly instead of fucking skinning you alive.”
The light suddenly flicked on, blinding me momentarily. As my vision came back, I strained to look behind me without turning my head to see what was happening.
Brick was sitting up in my bed, a gun held steady in his right hand, aimed at the man behind me, who had his gun pointed at me. Out in the hallway lay another man, blood spilling from his head.
My insides iced over, and a scream lodged in my lungs. I was certain Brick had killed the guy, and maybe I wanted him to do the same with the guy holding a gun to my head.
I bit my tongue to hold back a sob, desperate to keep quiet and stay alive. When Jason used to lose his shit, I had to be quiet and let him get his anger out until he ran out of steam. The difference was Jason had never held a gun to my head.
This asshole holding onto me cursed, then his grip on my hair loosened. I felt him getting up and heard his efforts echoing in the empty room as I remained on the floor, face down and trembling. My heart was pounding in my chest as fear flooded me.
What was going to happen now? Would this man kill us both?
I couldn’t think beyond surviving, beyond the baby in my belly. I desperately wanted to be a mother, even if Jason refused to help me. I’d give my baby everything she or he needed, all the love they deserved. So, I knew what I had to do—stay quiet and hope he’d eventually leave me alone. I was so tense, my nerve endings were about to snap.
“Mason, I should have known it was you when you attacked a defenseless woman,” Brick snarled, his voice dark as it rolled through me.
“Yeah, it’s me, Anderson. The guy you got locked up. Those whores who worked for me would never amount to anything more than mouths to feed and more babies. So, I sold a few of them into slavery, big deal. But you had to go and turn me in, right?” When the man behind me shifted slightly, I turned my head just a smidgen to see him clearly, so I could describe him to the cops later.
He was a big guy, built like a brick shithouse, with muscles that strained against the fabric of his black sweatshirt. He was wearing black jeans and black boots, his hair was shaved close to his head, and he had a scar that ran from his left eyebrow to his chin. In one hand, he held a gun and in the other, a small flashlight.
“Stand up,” he ordered.
Slowly getting to my feet, my head was whirling from the blow he’d dealt me, but I managed to stay upright.
“Now, let’s go into the living room, where I don’t have to worry about your guy jumping me.”
He grabbed my arm roughly and shoved me ahead of him toward the door. I glanced back at Brick, who was still sitting up in bed, gun aimed at the man. Our eyes met, desperation behind mine while his held regret and heartache, along with the fury to do whatever it took to keep us both alive.
“I’m going to let you live, lady, but him? He’s going to die tonight, so prepare yourself. Don’t scream, don’t make a sound, and you’ll live through this,” the guy muttered lowly, but I didn’t believe him.
He was going to kill us both. I could feel it in the way he was gripping me so hard, it stopped the circulation in my arm. We reached the living room, and he shoved me onto the couch.
Just as the guy twisted away from me, Brick came flying at him from the bedroom.
My mountain man moved like the storm outside—fast and terrifying. He slammed into the attacker before he got the chance to lift his gun.
I screamed as they came crashing in my direction and scrambled out of the way. Before I could even blink, Brick had the guy pinned up against the couch, pounding the guy’s head with his bare fists.
I cringed, not wanting to watch, but at the same time, unable to look away. When the guy kicked Brick in the gut, sending him sprawling backward, I cried out in pure terror.
Brick’s heel caught on the rug, and he tumbled backward, slamming to the floor, the bastard jumping on top of him. The guy was bleeding badly, and I noticed he had his gun on his belt, meaning any second now, he’d pull it out and finish Brick.
