Total pages in book: 159
Estimated words: 145942 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 730(@200wpm)___ 584(@250wpm)___ 486(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 145942 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 730(@200wpm)___ 584(@250wpm)___ 486(@300wpm)
I need to find somewhere safe to spend the night and I need to do it now.
Taking a deep breath, I push myself back to my feet and climb out of the ditch. I’ve only been sitting here for a few minutes, but in that short time, darkness has completely overwhelmed the woods. Though it’s nearly impossible to see, I have to try. Staying in this little ditch all night is just asking for trouble, and from here on out, I rely on only me.
As the adrenaline fades, a chill washes over me, making my skin prickle and the little hairs on my arms stand straight up. I’ve never been one for the cold. I fucking hate this, but if I don’t keep moving, I might just freeze to death before Paris or the boys even get a chance to get their slimy little hands on me.
I perch my foot against the hard earth, and as I push myself out of the small ditch, I hear the faint sirens in the distance.
Well, shit. If it’s not one thing, it’s another.
Should I really be surprised? Of course the cops are on their way. There was a massive fucking explosion. It’d be just my luck to get arrested on arson charges and make myself a sitting duck. I wonder who would come for me first, Paris or the boys?
Ignoring the way my body begs for relief, I force myself forward through the woods again. Every step I take gets harder, but I can’t give up. I have to put some epic space between me and the cops.
I focus solely on putting one foot in front of another. From now on, the cold doesn’t exist and the pain sure as hell doesn’t exist. It’s just the fear I have to conquer now.
I hear a branch breaking deep in the woods and I come to a startling standstill, my back straightening as I strain to hear through the thick bushes.
My heart thunders in my chest and I look around, trying to determine which direction the sound came from. There’s another soft creak followed by the sound of something or someone brushing past leaves. A shiver shoots right down my spine, sending my blood cold.
I’m not alone in these woods.
I try to calm my racing heart, straining to hear through the trees, over the sound of my heavy pulse booming in my ears.
“Oh, Winter,” a chilling voice calls out through the bushes, his tone muffled by distance. “Come out, come out, little rabbit. I know you’re hiding in here.”
Fuck me in the royal asshole.
No, no, no. It can’t be.
I’m done for. I don’t stand a fucking chance. Not now. I thought I had more time.
I’d recognize that perfect, deep, tormenting voice anywhere—Dante fucking Carver.
“Come on, baby. Just tell me where you are. You don’t need to be scared of me. Let’s just talk and straighten this shit out,” he calls, that familiar velvety tone speaking right to the broken pieces of my heart. “I promise I won’t hurt you. It was just an accident.”
Yeah fucking right. I bet he thinks poisoning Tobias King was just an accident too. After everything we’ve suffered through over the past few months, does he really think I’m just going to show myself and fall back into his trap? He’s a fucking idiot and I’ve allowed him to play his game for far too long, I’ve allowed them all to play a game, but not anymore. If tonight has taught me anything, it’s to trust no one. The only person I have in my corner is me.
I bite down on my tongue, hating the taste of blood that comes with it, but if anything, it’s helping me to keep my fucking mouth shut. I’d give anything to be able to call out to him, to tell him how he hurt me and how all four of them broke my heart, but I can’t. My time will come to put these motherfuckers in their place, but that time isn’t now. I need to play this smart.
I suck in a deep breath and prepare myself. I can’t see shit and my body is aching, but I need to push through it. I need to survive.
I start moving, my hands shaking with the overwhelming fear that at any second, Carver could catch up to me. All it would take is one single branch cracking under my boot and I’ll be a dead woman.
Carver has a set of skills that, until meeting the guys, I didn’t even realize were physically possible. I thought it was all shit you see in stupid romantic suspense movies where the hero saves the girl. It’s all fantasy, but people like that really do exist, and right now, I have one of them bearing down on me, intent on finishing what he started.