Total pages in book: 171
Estimated words: 167204 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 836(@200wpm)___ 669(@250wpm)___ 557(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 167204 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 836(@200wpm)___ 669(@250wpm)___ 557(@300wpm)
My hands shake and my fingers are practically useless, but since the guys are all distracted going after the intruder, no one seems to realize or care that I’m halfway to getting free. Taking advantage of the distraction, I beg my fingers to work for me and do my best to unknot the rope around my other wrist as quickly as possible.
I could cry with relief when I get myself free, but Aiden has recovered from the shock of being stabbed and he lunges back up on the table, pinning my body down with his and grabbing my wrists.
“I don’t think so,” he seethes, leaning over me as he pins them back down. He grunts with the effort, his hands locked around mine like manacles. “Someone get the fucking rope and tie this bitch down.”
Ew.
Since I can’t fight him off me—he’s too strong—I do what he likely won’t expect and lift up closer to him. He’s startled, but not too startled since he still thinks I at least somewhat want to fuck him.
As if I could ever want to fuck some guy who called me a bitch.
Asshole.
But because he considers me easy prey, he doesn’t recoil when I bury my face in his neck.
And he’s definitely not prepared for me to bite him as hard as I fucking can.
He mutters a low, angry curse, then he gets rougher to punish me, slamming me back against the table and grabbing me by the hair, anger glinting in his dark eyes as he glares down at me.
“I’m not opposed to a little love bite here and there,” he murmurs, grabbing me by the throat, “but if you bite me that hard again, I’ll knock your fucking teeth out.”
I gasp for breath as he chokes me, but just as my vision begins to fade at the edges, his hand leaves my throat, and I can breathe again.
Then he goes crashing to the ground as the masked man grabs him by the back of his robe and hurls him off the table again.
My eyes brighten as I look up at him.
He hands me the knife and nods at my ankles.
I don’t need further instruction, but I’m scared to death as I try to pull the tight rope away from my skin and can’t find any give. They tied it so tight.
I’m not convinced I can safely cut the rope off, and I don’t have time to undo the knots right now, so instead, I reach past my foot and slice the rope, leaving the knotted loops attached to my ankles.
“Come on.” The masked man shoves a guy back so he trips over his friend on the floor. As the guy falls and the room is in chaos, my savior turns and grabs my waist, helping me down off the table.
“Thank you,” I say, my voice wobbling.
He grabs my hand and pulls me with him. I don’t know where we’re going, but I trust that he knows what he’s doing and follow him… hopefully, to safety.
I dart a glance back as he hauls me away.
Aiden looks down at his torso with a grimace, then meets my gaze coldly. He drops my gaze long enough to bend down and grab a shard of broken glass off the floor, then he meets my eyes again and smiles in a way that makes my heart drop. Kyle fumbles with an open case, and my stomach sinks when I realize what’s in it.
“I think Kyle has a gun,” I say shakily.
The mask’s hollowed, empty eyes meet mine, and my heart sinks on instinct. Rationally, I know he’s my savior, but looking at him, he seems as much like a predator as they do.
Before I can sink into the feeling, the guy yanks my hand and pulls me around him. “Get in front of me.” He points ahead, and I hurry up a few stone stairs. My heart does a somersault as I get to a pair of closed doors and he crowds me, grabbing my waist and pulling me back against him with one strong arm as he uses the other to push open the solid wood door.
Once the doors are open, the cool night air hits my face and a chill passes over me.
I hear the guys behind us.
Remember the things they said they were going to do to me.
Maybe they didn’t get a chance to, but I know what their intentions were. And I saw their faces.
They’re going to come after us.
My masked savior already seems to expect that.
“Run. Toward the woods.”
I start off in that direction, but trying to run in heels proves impossible. I nearly turn my ankle and let out a cry, then I make a split-second decision to stop.
It makes the most sense. If I get these damn heels off, I can run faster. If I break my ankle trying to run in shoes I can hardly walk in, we’ll both be in a terrible position.