Total pages in book: 142
Estimated words: 131330 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 657(@200wpm)___ 525(@250wpm)___ 438(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 131330 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 657(@200wpm)___ 525(@250wpm)___ 438(@300wpm)
“Okay, can you pin your location?”
“I—” there’s a slight pause, and when her voice comes again, the raw panic almost guts me. “I don’t know how. I’ve never done it before.”
“It’s alright. Just hang in there, Birdy. I’ll find you,” I soothe, trying to keep her calm. “Where were you walking from?”
Terror pounds in my chest, each vicious beat of my heart threatening to take me down at just the thought of what could happen to her, and I try to push my Escalade faster, never having felt this kind of raw desperation in my life.
“J . . . J . . . Joe’s Bar,” she stumbles out. “It’s close to campus.”
I nod, knowing it well. Austin and I used to spend way too many late nights there during our college years, and from her apartment complex, it would have been a short walk. Though I don’t know why the fuck she would have been walking at this time of night. She knows better than to put herself at risk like that, but it’s not something we need to discuss right now. All that matters is getting to her before he does. “Okay. Good. What else can you give me?”
“Umm . . . I think I turned down the first street after reaching the residential area. I just . . . I don’t know how far down I am or—”
I hear the panic enter her tone, and I quickly work to try and calm her, needing her to think straight in case she needs to act. “That’s okay. Tell me what you see. What kind of bushes are you in?”
“There’s . . .” she pauses, hopefully trying to take it in and find some kind of landmarks that will help me find her. “There’s a house across the street. Its windows are boarded up, and the grass is overgrown. It’s the only lamppost on the street that’s not working.”
“And you’re directly opposite it?”
“Yes,” she says. “In the bushes behind a white picket fence.”
“That’s good, Birdy. Can you tell me how close he is?” I ask. “Do you have time to get to the door of the house and knock?”
There’s silence for a minute. “I . . . I’m not sure,” she tells me. “I don’t think anyone is here. There’s no car in the driveway, and the mailbox looks like it hasn’t been checked in a while. I don’t know if I can risk getting to the door and waiting for someone to answer it without him finding me.”
“Then stay put. Don’t try to move,” I tell her. “You’re safer where you are. Do you have your handbag? Is there anything sharp you could use as a weapon?”
“Ummm . . .” I hear as she starts scrambling, the task seeming to give her something to concentrate on, putting a little more confidence into her tone. “A pen or umm . . . my keys.”
“Perfect, baby. I want you to put your bag down and hold on to that pen. Until I get there, that’s your lifeline, and if that guy finds you, you’re going to use it. Do you understand me? You do whatever you have to do to get away. Plunge it into his throat. His eye. Anywhere that’s going to drop him.”
The shakiness returns to her voice. “I’m not sure I can do that.”
“You can and you will,” I tell her. “Now, what about those heels? Are you still wearing them?”
“Yes.”
“Take them off. I know it feels wrong, but if you need to run, I want you to be sure in your footing. You can’t risk tumbling. Take them off and keep them hidden in the bushes with you.”
The line goes quiet, and I can only assume that she’s taking her heels off.
“I—” she sucks in a terror-filled breath.
“What’s wrong, baby? Are you okay?”
She remains silent.
“Is he there?”
An almost inaudible squeak falls from her lips, and I grip the steering wheel tighter, my knuckles turning white as I fly closer toward the college. “You’re going to be okay,” I promise her. “Don’t make a sound. Just listen to my voice. I’m nearly there.”
She sniffles in response, and a piece of my soul disintegrates into ash. “Shhh, baby. Put your thumb on the end of the pen so it doesn’t slide through your fingers if you need to use it. Hold it tight.”
She whimpers, and I realize I have to say something to keep her grounded and keep her from freaking out. She needs to be calm and in control in case it comes down to fighting for her life. “I’m sorry I hurt you, Aspen. That’s the last thing I ever wanted to do, but there’s just something about you that drives me insane. We’re like fire and ice, Birdy. The second you look at me, my hackles are up, and I’m just waiting for the day that you realize I could never be enough for you.” I swallow hard, never realizing how vulnerable I would feel after admitting this. “You were right yesterday. I am a fucking coward, and when I sank into you at Cherry, it was so much more than just a quick fuck.”