Total pages in book: 147
Estimated words: 136048 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 680(@200wpm)___ 544(@250wpm)___ 453(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 136048 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 680(@200wpm)___ 544(@250wpm)___ 453(@300wpm)
I shake my head as if struggling to recall the details. “He was tall,” I start, feeling sick to my stomach for not telling him absolutely everything. “About your height. Broad. He wore all black and heavy-duty boots.”
“That’s good, doll. Anything else?” he asks, his gaze narrowed as if sensing that I’m keeping something from him, being able to read me better than I can read myself. “Hair color? Eyes? Any markings on his skin? Tattoos or scars?”
I shake my head, the tears now falling down my cheeks, only I can’t work out if they’re falling out of sheer fear from what happened or out of the guilt I feel for not being honest with Knight. “I’m . . . I’m not sure. It all happened so fast. One second he was covered in shadows behind my car, and the next, he was right in front of me. It was still early. I only finished my shift at four, so it was dark.”
My hands start to shake, and Knight instantly stops pacing, rushing to my side as he takes my hands against his, his thumbs brushing over my knuckles. “Hey, it’s okay,” he coos. “Don’t cry, doll. We can take a break if you need it.”
“No,” I say, shaking my head and pulling my hands free, not liking the weakness coursing through my veins. “I can do it.”
He nods and straightens to his full height, simply waiting for me to find the courage to go on.
“His eyes. They made my skin crawl. He looked at me as though he’d been waiting for that very moment all his life. It was like I was staring straight into the soul of the devil,” I tell him, a shiver sailing down my spine. “I didn’t recognize anything about him, but I could tell that he wanted something from me. I just . . . I don’t know what.”
“What do you mean?”
My fingers lift to my throat, my gaze shifting across the room, not able to meet his eye. “He was choking me, but it’s not like when you and I play. This was real. I couldn’t breathe, and it hurt. He had the blade in his hand, so I was trying not to scream or provoke him,” I explain, shaking my head and trying to recall the exact words he used. “He told me that there’s no escaping him, and he’s got me right where he wants me, but before I could even work out what that meant, he stabbed me.”
The tears fall heavier down my face, and Knight sinks to his knees, his soul crushing right before me, but I don’t stop, knowing I need to get this out.
“He released me, and I fell to the ground, and I remember I couldn’t scream from the pain because I was too busy gasping for air, and by the time I was able to even look up, he was already gone.”
“Fuck, doll,” he says, his heart on his sleeve. “I’ll do whatever it takes to find this bastard. He won’t get away with this, and I promise, I won’t let him hurt you again.”
I hastily wipe the tears from my eyes, knowing without a doubt that he means every word, but that’s not a burden I can put on his shoulders. It’s not his responsibility to watch over me every second of the day. I know he’s a SWAT officer, and this is basically what they’re all about, but this isn’t on him. There’s a whole police force out there, and until I’m able to figure out more about who this bastard is, we’ve got nothing to go on. Not a single clue who or what I need protection from.
“I’m going to be okay,” I promise him, reaching for his hand. He allows me to take it, and I give a slight tug, pulling him closer to me, and he gets up off his knees before crumbling onto my bed beside me, being careful not to jostle me too much.
Knight wraps me in the warmth of his arms, holding me tight as his hand gently rubs up and down my back. “We’re going to get through this,” he vows. “Nobody is going to take you away from me, Harper. Not now. Not ever.”
And with those words circling my mind, I close my eyes and rest against his strong chest, listening to the soft, gentle thud of his heartbeat, knowing without a doubt that if I were to lose that, my life simply wouldn’t be worth living.
4
HARPER-RAYN
My best friend barges through my hospital room door, rage flashing in her bright blue stare. “Again?” she demands as though I had a choice in ending up here. “What the fuck is wrong with you?”
My jaw drops, and I gape at Izzy, knowing damn well I haven’t had a chance to find my phone in the pool of blood left behind in the parking garage to send her a quick text, explaining that some asshole left me for dead again.