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)
Fuck.
Of course they left him behind.
I bet he watched me get thrown through the air. He probably watched as I looked after the disappearing SUV and laughed as he saw the betrayal sink heavily into my bones. I bet the bastard even took a second to get off on the thought before coming after me. He probably thought he was doing me a solid by letting me have a head start.
The fear paralyzes me, and I hold my breath, terrified that he’s able to hear me breathing.
Carver stops and my heart pounds even faster.
He knows I’m here.
He creeps in closer to the tree trunk and I suck in a shallow breath, desperately trying to keep myself calm while knowing that had it been daylight, he would already have me thrown in the back of a car.
There’s a short pause where he hovers above the tree trunk, looking out at the woods around him, slowly scanning as I fret and panic below. “I can smell you,” he murmurs, knowing I’m close. “I might not be able to see you, but don’t be fooled, Winter, I know you’re here.”
Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. FUCK.
How did this become my life?
I start counting backward from one hundred, keeping my eyes closed as his familiar, warm scent washes over me and messes with my head. I have to keep myself in control and letting my reckless flag fly free is not exactly a smart move right now.
I get down to thirty-six before Carver finally steps back from the tree trunk and scans the opposite side of the woods.
If only he was smart enough to look down.
He stays here for a minute, knowing I’m close, but unable to pinpoint my exact position in the darkness before he finally takes a step deeper into the woods to keep looking, giving me just the slightest fraction of relief.
“I’m going to find you, Winter,” he promises as he moves another step away. “It’s only a matter of time.”
CHAPTER 2
A minute passes and then another before I hear Carver even further away and I finally allow myself to take a deep breath. He doesn’t stop calling for me, doesn’t stop taunting me with the promise of finding me, and for that, I keep myself still and hidden. It’ll only be a matter of time before he can’t smell me anymore and he’ll double back, searching all night if he has to.
He won’t give up but neither will I.
The minutes turn into hours and my sense of time becomes warped in the cold night. Tugging my arms inside my Queen tank, I curl them around my aching body.
I hear noises all around me. Owls calling out in the darkness, rodents scattering through the leaves, and the occasional murmur from Carver, non-stop searching for me well into the dark night.
The sirens soon fade away and the smoke begins to clear, leaving nothing but misery and betrayal in its wake.
“I can’t fucking find her,” I hear murmured through the woods just as the first rays of sunshine hit the very tops of the trees, shedding a dim brightness through the darkened woods and allowing me, for the first time in hours, to see what lies around me.
Have I really been out here all night?
It takes me all of two seconds to realize that Carver’s on a phone call, most likely to the boys and it cuts me like never before. Fuck, I’d prefer the pain of his bullet tearing through my body than this constant reminder of their betrayal. But that’s not important right now. What’s important is that his voice is far across the woods, putting enough space between us to allow me the chance to run.
“I know. I know. I’ll fucking get her,” he says, his tone dark and angry, a version of himself that once made me so unbelievably hot, but now only sends chills shooting down my spine. “I won’t let her get away. I’m going to end this.”
Fucking asshole.
God, how is it possible to be so in love with someone while equally hating them? It’s not natural.
“Yeah ... bye.”
I don’t wait a second longer.
I fly to my feet, knowing that this could be my only shot at freedom, and I fucking run.
Branches scrape along my fragile skin as I tear through what’s left of the bushes, the dim sunlight barely lighting my way, but it’s all I need to be able to launch myself over fallen branches and avoid falling into any more shallow ditches.
My body still aches from last night’s ordeal, but the few hours of stillness went a long way to re-energize my exhausted body.
My gaze darts from left to right, desperately seeking out Carver, and every step I take that I’m not discovered, I count as a win. But I’m no fool, I know he’s not far and it will only take a second for him to realize that I’m running. Hell, I’m sure the sound of me tearing past the low bushes has already alerted him and I have to assume that he’s already coming for me.