Total pages in book: 153
Estimated words: 155903 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 780(@200wpm)___ 624(@250wpm)___ 520(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 155903 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 780(@200wpm)___ 624(@250wpm)___ 520(@300wpm)
Triumph filled his face.
Use the mace.
Sobbing, she raised the mace and sprayed it just as he was leaning down. Closing her eyes, she rolled away awkwardly as he roared in pain. Something heavy landed against her stomach, making her cry out in pain.
That asshole had kicked her!
She got far enough away that she thought she could risk opening her eyes. Eric was stumbling around, tears streaming down his face.
“Faith! Come on!” Cammie was suddenly in front of her. She grabbed Faith’s arm, hauling her up. Only, they couldn’t make it to the front door because Eric was blocking the way.
“Basement! Now!” Faith tugged Cammie toward the basement. Once they were through the door, she locked it. They stumbled down the stairs, leaning on each other.
When they got to the basement, Faith headed toward the door that led outside.
“What if he’s gone around?” Cammie asked worriedly. “What if he finds us out there?”
“We have to go now.” Faith pulled at her.
“I can’t . . . I can’t!” Cammie let out a scream as Eric thumped against the door.
“Come here, you little bitches!”
Cammie screamed and Faith grabbed her hand. “Come on, Cammie.”
She finally got her friend out the basement door. They ran along the side of the house. But Faith froze as she heard the front door open. She ducked back, Cammie behind her.
The other woman let out a small squeal. Eric turned toward the noise.
No, no, no.
If he caught them, he’d kill them.
Faith dragged Cammie behind a bush and fumbled with her handbag for her phone.
Pulling out her phone, she shielded the light as she sent a quick message to Reuben.
Please get here quickly.
Please.
“Where are you? When I find you, you’re dead.”
Cammie was shaking so hard next to her that Faith was scared she was going to give them away.
She should call the cops.
Shoot. She should have done that before texting Reuben. Only, he was the first person she thought about.
But, yeah, the cops were a good idea.
Just as she tapped her phone again, someone grabbed her arm. Hard.
She screamed and kicked out at Eric as he wrestled the phone away from her.
“Let her go, Eric!” Cammie yelled.
Surely the neighbors had to be calling the police by now? Although Mrs. Henderson rarely wore her hearing aids. And Faith could hear loud music coming from the house on the other side.
Faith tried to wrench her arm out of his hold, but he managed to grab them both, dragging them toward the house. She slid her leg in front of his and he stumbled slightly but didn’t let her go.
A sob escaped her as he got them into the house. He dragged them into the living room and shoved them both down onto the sofa.
“Stay the fuck there. The next person who moves is going to feel my hand around their throat, hear me?”
She drew closer to Cammie, hugging her against her as they both stared up at Eric.
“What’s the plan now?” she asked. “What are you going to do?”
Faith could see the bulge of her phone in his pocket. How would she get that back off him?
“I don’t know! I don’t fucking know!” Eric roared as he paced back and forth in front of them.
His eyes looked terrible. They were swollen and red. He tugged at his hair as he moved.
He was losing it, which wasn’t good. It meant he could do something without thinking through the consequences.
Like killing them.
“Eric, you need to let us go,” she said in a calm voice.
“Shut up, Faith! No one wants to hear from you!” he yelled, leaning over her. Spittle flew from his mouth and she drew back.
Ew. That was so gross.
“Such a dumb fucking bitch. You don’t even know when you’re being used. Prancing around like you’re better than us! You’re a broke, useless failure who lives in a basement. And you don’t even have the sense to be ashamed of that! No one wants you, Faith. No one cares about you. Not even your own family.”
Don’t listen to him.
He’s just a mean, miserable man who wants to hurt you.
“If they cared about you, don’t you think they would have come after you, Faith? Huh?”
Her breath froze in her lungs.
Was he right? If they cared would they have come after her? They hadn’t, had they?
Maybe they were glad she was gone.
No, no.
She couldn’t think like that.
“Maybe we’d all be better off without you. Did you ever think of that? That we’d be better off if you . . . just . . . died.”
He placed his hands around her throat, pressing down, restricting her air. And she could see her death in his eyes.
Cammie tried to pull him off as Faith scratched his arms. Suddenly, she heard the front door open. Eric turned, letting her go, as someone threw themselves at him.
Cammie let out a shrill scream as Faith saw Reuben slam his fist into Eric’s face.