Total pages in book: 84
Estimated words: 84219 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 421(@200wpm)___ 337(@250wpm)___ 281(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 84219 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 421(@200wpm)___ 337(@250wpm)___ 281(@300wpm)
The shock of seeing Todd and having him attack me shudders through my soul, but my body is in flight or fight mode, and I dart back to my feet.
Knowing I won’t be able to open the window before Todd gets to me, I rush to the kitchen so I can grab a knife.
“You know we’re meant to be together,” Todd shouts behind me.
As I reach for the drawer where I keep my cutlery, the cane hits my back, and I slam into the table.
The wooden legs of the chairs and table screech across the floor as they move. The pans hanging from a rack mounted to the ceiling sway, and one falls, knocking against my left shoulder.
Before I can catch my balance, I’m shoved to the floor. I manage to turn around, and as Todd climbs on me, I fight with all my strength.
I slap and claw at him.
My breaths burst in hot puffs over my dry lips.
My heart hammers against my ribs.
My eyes are frozen in horror on the man who’s destroyed me once before.
He wraps his hands around my throat, and as he squeezes hard, he shouts, “Look what you’ve done to me! Because you ran, I had to go after you. I totaled my car because of you. I spent ten months in the hospital because of you.”
He leans so close to me I can smell his breath, and his voice is shaking with rage as he says, “Look. What. You’ve. Done. To. Me.”
He tightens his fingers around my neck as if he’s trying to crush my windpipe, and I gasp for air.
Todd leans closer, and as I see the deranged look in his eyes, he whispers, “Shhh…shhh… we’ll be together soon, Sam. Shhhhh…”
I’ve heard your life flashes in front of your eyes in your final moments, but as I’m being strangled, I see my future.
Franco kissing me.
Us making love.
Dad walking me down the aisle.
Franco putting his ring on my finger.
Holding our baby.
A strength born from my will to survive courses through my veins, and I slam my fists against Todd. Realizing it’s not helping, I frantically search the floor around me for the pan.
My vision goes spotty, and my lungs scream for air.
Todd’s deranged face will not be the last thing I see!
My body bucks beneath his, attempting to throw him off, then my fingers touch the handle of the pan, and gripping it tightly, I swing it through the air.
The base of the pan connects with the side of Todd’s head, and he sprawls onto the floor beside me.
My throat aches as I suck in desperate breaths of air, and scrambling to my feet, I run for the front door.
It feels as if Todd’s right behind me, and it has me sprinting down the stairs. When I burst through the exit of the building, I run up the sidewalk and flag down the first cab I see.
The moment the car pulls over to the curb, I yank the door open and dive into the backseat. “Go!” I shout, the terror of Todd getting to me all I can think of.
The cab pulls away, and the driver keeps glancing over his shoulder at me. “To the hospital?” he asks.
Todd can get to me at the hospital. I won’t be safe there.
I shake my head wildly and give him Franco’s address.
Chapter 33
Franco
“He was last seen in Seattle,” Paulie informs me.
An icy sensation ripples through my body, and I turn to Marcello and order, “Get men to Samantha’s apartment. I want her watched twenty-four-seven!”
“On it, boss,” he says before hurrying out of the living room.
I turn my attention back to Paulie. “Anything else?”
He shakes his head. “I have men watching all the main airports.”
Letting out an angry huff, I pull my phone out of my pocket and dial Samantha’s number. When she doesn’t answer, and the call goes to voicemail, I say, “I’m coming over.”
Just as I walk to the sliding doors, the doorbell starts ringing incessantly.
“Jesus Christ,” I mutter before I bark, “Will someone get the fucking door!”
“I’ll check who it is.” Milo walks out of the living room, and seconds later, I hear him shout, “Boss! Come quickly!”
I rush to the foyer and see Samantha falling into my house. She scrambles to her feet and moves away from Milo and the guards stationed at the door.
Her eyes are wild with terror as she glances around her, and the moment she sees me, she loses all her strength.
I grab her in time, and her body slumps against mine.
Ferocious rage instantly shudders through me as I lift Samantha into my arms, and I see the red and blue marks around her throat.
I hurry to the living room, and placing her on the couch, I ask in a deadly tone, “Was it Todd?”
She nods frantically, and when I crouch in front of her, I see the blood covering her left hand. I take hold of her wrist, and noticing a shard of glass embedded in her skin, I shout, “Milo! Bring the first aid kit and get Marcello.”