Total pages in book: 54
Estimated words: 49589 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 248(@200wpm)___ 198(@250wpm)___ 165(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 49589 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 248(@200wpm)___ 198(@250wpm)___ 165(@300wpm)
Ten minutes later, I hurried up the stairs to the front porch of the little house I rented, looking over my shoulder the whole way. I’d never been so relieved to see that faded green door. I let myself in and locked the door and engaged the deadbolt, slumping back against the door. Slowly, I let out the breath I didn’t realize I was holding and the sound broke into a sob. Then another.
I bent at the waist, bracing my hands on my knees. I wasn’t going to make a sound. I could swallow this fear and get a grip on myself, use my head, and get the fuck out of here as quickly as possible.
Packing didn’t take long. I basically tossed what little I owned into one suitcase, snagged my backpack, and headed down the stairs to my car. The house had come furnished with everything, having been a bed and breakfast before the owner rented it to me. I kept the place neat so I was out of there in twenty minutes, tops. I’d never needed much to make me happy, preferring to save as much money as I could so I could buy a place on my own. I was glad I’d decided to live so frugally now.
As I hurried through the house to the door leading to the carport, the sound of heavy footsteps nearing me sent a jolt of fear through my body. My heart pounded wildly as I realized with sickening certainty I wasn’t alone.
A baseball bat was propped in the corner of the living room. Had been since I started renting the place. I snagged it now, curling my fingers tightly around the handle. How many times had I thought about donating that thing to one of the local sports parks? How ironic was it that procrastination was what might give me a fighting chance against whatever was stalking me?
The footsteps grew louder, closer, until they stopped just outside my door. For a moment, everything was eerily silent. I held my breath, straining to hear over the frantic pounding of my own heart.
Then, with a sudden, violent crash, the door flew open. The force of it sent me stumbling back, the bat raised defensively in front of me.
There, framed in the splintered doorway, was the hulking figure of Guard Grayson. His eyes were wild, his face twisted into a grotesque sneer.
“Well, well, well,” he drawled, his voice dripping with malice. “Look what we have here. A pretty little nurse, all alone.”
I tightened my grip on the bat, trying to keep my voice steady. “Get out of my home. Now.”
Grayson laughed, a cold, cruel sound that sent shivers down my spine. He took a step forward, his bulk filling the doorway. “I don’t think so, sweetheart. You and I have some unfinished business.”
He lunged for me, his meaty hands grasping at my arms. I swung the bat wildly, feeling a surge of satisfaction as it connected with his shoulder. He grunted in pain but didn’t loosen his grip.
I screamed as we struggled, my smaller frame no match for his brute strength. Finally, he wrapped one arm around my waist and wrenched the bat from my hand with the other, tossing it aside with a mocking, evil smile. The bat clattered across the hardwood floor before handing hard against the baseboard.
“Let go of me!” I screamed, kicking and thrashing in his grasp. But I felt like a butterfly trying to fight off a bull. He slammed me up against the wall, his face inches from mine. I could smell stale coffee on his breath, see the crazed glint in his eye reflecting back all the pain he intended to cause me.
“You should have kept your mouth shut, Nadine,” he hissed. “Now you’re going to pay for sticking your nose where it doesn’t belong.”
Terror clawed at my throat, threatening to choke me. I absolutely did not want to die, but if I was going to, I didn’t want this man’s hate-filled face to be the last thing I saw. I found I had a flicker of defiance still left in me, though. Mainly because I didn’t want to give this fucking bastard the satisfaction of seeing me cower or hearing me beg for my life.
With a burst of adrenaline-fueled strength, I brought my knee up hard between Grayson’s legs. He howled in pain, his grip loosening just enough for me to wrench free. I dove for the bat, my fingers scrabbling against the smooth wood.
But before I could reach it, Grayson was on me again, his weight crushing me to the floor. I clawed at his face, feeling a savage thrill as my nails left bloody furrows on his cheek.
Grayson howled, snarling like a rabid wolf as his hand shot out to close around my throat. Black spots danced in my vision as I struggled weakly beneath him. My lungs burned for air as his hold grew tighter, squeezing the life out of me in a very literal sense.