Total pages in book: 67
Estimated words: 61286 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 306(@200wpm)___ 245(@250wpm)___ 204(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 61286 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 306(@200wpm)___ 245(@250wpm)___ 204(@300wpm)
She jutted her chin out, barely reigning in her anger. “I’m not damaged or broken.”
“Aren’t you though?” he mocked, shaking his head as he merged onto the highway. “You were so pitiful the day you walked out on me.”
She balled her hands into fists on her lap, wishing she could pummel them into his head instead. “If I’m so pitiful, why would you even want me back?”
“Because you’re mine, Skye,” he said, and his voice changed, his tone now the menacing one she remembered and her stomach clenched despite her outward show of bravado. “You’ll always be mine and a divorce won’t change that. And there is no way I’m going to allow another man to take what is mine.”
God, he was so delusional, a true psychopath, and despite her outward show of confidence, she hated that he still had the ability to terrify her. “How did you find out about Tripp?” she asked.
“I’ve had a PI giving me weekly reports on you since you moved to New York,” he said, and shrugged, as if it was a perfectly normal thing to keep an ex-wife under surveillance. “Everything was going to plan until that asshole, Tripp, decided to make a move on you. Or maybe it was you who made a move on him? The PI couldn’t really tell. He just said that after meeting him at The Back Door, he took you back to his place and you didn’t leave until the next morning.”
She sucked in a startled breath. Knowing he’d been watching her for so long, and without her knowledge made her want to throw up.
“The fact that you let another man fuck you pissed me off. I was always coming back for you but that pushed up my timeline and I decided it was time to step in.” Jack’s knuckles turned white against the steering wheel.
“And you think kidnapping me is going to convince me to take you back?” she asked incredulously.
“Maybe, maybe not.” He tapped the gun against his thigh and met her gaze once again in the rearview mirror. “I may have to employ other, more persuasive tactics. But regardless, it is time for you to come back home and be a dutiful wife.”
“That won’t ever happen, Jack,” she snapped, her demure façade long gone.
“We’ll see about that. Apparently I left you alone for too long. You’ve gotten stubborn and defiant, so I suppose it might take some time to break you down again.” He cast a quick glance back at her, and his smile was chilling. “While you’ve been gone, I’ve made some additions to our new home, including turning the basement into a soundproof, locked bunker. I figured it would come in handy until you prove to me that I can trust you again.”
He really was insane and fear rippled through her. What she was hearing seemed so implausible, so over the top and horrifying, but she’d watched enough true crime shows to know that someone like Jack could be capable of doing just that. He’d already shown her his threatening, intimidating, and controlling side, so locking her away somewhere was merely an extension of that depraved personality.
Trying to keep her panic at bay, she stared out the window, praying that someone found her before she disappeared forever. The only thread of hope she had was Tripp. He would never stop looking for her. What scared Skye most was what condition she would be in by the time that happened.
Instinct had her wanting to cradle her stomach but she didn’t think telling Jack she was pregnant with Tripp’s baby was a good idea. No matter what he had planned for her, she would fight to keep her baby alive inside her.
After a long drive, Skye realized that they were in a residential area of Brooklyn, just a few close blocks away from her apartment. Jack turned into a driveway, opened a garage with a press of a button, and parked inside. Once the doors were back down so no one could see them, he ushered her into the house with the gun at her back, giving her no choice but to follow his lead.
“Where are we?” she asked, wondering if this was the new home he’d been referring to.
“This house belongs to Doug Hammond, a colleague of mine who works in the New York offices. He’s in Europe for the month, and when I told him I was going to visit a friend in New York, he offered me his place to stay.” Jack flashed her an aren’t-I-clever grin.
“That’s . . . convenient,” she said, as Jack took her arm and guided her into the living room.
“We’ll lay low here for a few days, and then I’ll take you to our new home,” he said, talking as if kidnapping her was perfectly normal.
She turned around to face him. “You’re not going to get away with this,” she said, her defiant side emerging again. “Lauren heard me scream your name, so you’re the first person the cops are going to look for.”