AllFreeNovel
Share Us
But nothing happens. I’m not grabbed from behind, and when I finally decide to turn around, the truck is gone.
I let out a shaky breath.Thank God.
Since I’m feeling so on edge, I decide not to run the entire way today.
The sky darkens as the storm clouds begin to roll in, and a chill permeates the air. Normally, I would be grateful for the less-than-desirable running weather, but paranoia and dread are burrowing into the pit of my stomach and making it hard for me to enjoy my run.
My eyes dart back and forth, making sure to be extra observant of my surroundings. I turn my music down just enough so I can hear if anyone comes up behind me. I hate this jittery feeling rattling inside of me. These runs are supposed to be the one thing that keeps me calm, and now I feel like I want to scream.
I swear, if Ezra is trying to take me back…
Shaking my head, I try not to think about him, but it’s hard. He was my first and only boyfriend, and that’s not something you can just let go of so easily. He had a way of making me feel like I was the only person in the world that mattered to him, and I guess I was just naïve enough to believe it.
It was so carnal—the passion, the intimacy. I still don’t know what that can feel like with anyone else, or even if I’lleverfeel that connection with someone else. I guess I haven’t really tried hard enough to form that kind of relationship with another man, never allowed myself to fully get over my ex.
Ezra’s bad news. I don’t know why the part of my brain that chooses love decided that he wasThe One, but I’ll probably spend the rest of my life regretting that decision. I hate the effect he still has on me, that even though he’s so far away, I still think about his controlling ass every single day.
He’s sexy and sweet and sinful all wrapped up in one painfully toxic package. I mean, he’s a criminal—the leader of the Eastlake Syndicate—so there’s not one part of me that expected him to be “good”, but I really didn’t know what I was getting myself into until we got comfortable with each other. The lying and screaming and aggression were just way too much for me to handle. It was hard being with him when he treated me so poorly most of the time, and I had no idea if he was cheating on me or plotting to kill me.
But despite all that, something in stomach still flutters for him.
I’m so deep in my thoughts that I don’t even realize I’ve almost reached the end of the trail.
“Shit,” I mutter, coming to a stop. Bending over, I place my hands on my knees and try to catch my breath.
I don’t notice the man behind me until he grabs me around the waist and drags me towards the forest. I don’t have time to even attempt to run before his large, dirty hand covers my mouth.
I try to scream, but my muffled cries are barely audible. I begin kicking and thrashing wildly, throwing my head back in the hopes of knocking him in his nose, but he anticipates my actions and leans his head to the side.
“Stop it,” he grunts. My stomach lurches as he breathes his nasty breath in my face.
I keep kicking and kicking until I finally land a blow to his shin. His cries of pain pierce the quiet as he drops me to the ground. I fall on my hands and knees, wincing as the sharp rocks bite into my skin. Just as I’m about to get up, a kick to the head has me falling back down.
The rocks beneath my hands blur as I feel myself start to sway.
God, is this it? Is this guy going to drag me back to Ezra?
Or am I wrong? Maybe he’s not working with Ezra at all, and he works for that loan shark. I don’t remember his name, but he was Italian. A big bear of a man with beautifully cruel features and a deceptively empathetic nature.
But this guy doesn’t seem like the type to work for either man. Where Ezra and the Italian man are clean cut and beautiful beyond reason, this man is smelly and disgusting.
There’s no way he’s working for them. Maybe he’s just been watching me on my runs every day and decided to make his move.
How long has he been following me without me knowing?
A wave of nausea grips me as he grabs me roughly by the arms and pulls me back up. I try to fight back, but my head is killing me. I sway in his arms as he leads me into the forest.
“Who are you?” I rasp. The forest looms quickly into view, and my heart speeds up. Once I’m in there, I’m done. We’ll be so far from the path that no one will hear my cries for help.
I shake my head frantically, stumbling over my own feet. The man curses and hoists me up. “No. No, please,” I whisper.
Will he rape me before he kills me?
I’mnotdying today.
“No!” I gather the last of my strength to fight against my attacker. My muscles burn, my throat raw as I scream at the top of my lungs.
I turn around and start scratching at his face. He holds his hands up to protect himself from my onslaught, but it’s not enough. His skin shreds beneath my fingernails. If I can’t outrun him, I at least want the police to be able to identify my murderer.
