Total pages in book: 76
Estimated words: 76396 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 382(@200wpm)___ 306(@250wpm)___ 255(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 76396 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 382(@200wpm)___ 306(@250wpm)___ 255(@300wpm)
I turn, fingers trembling as I try to grasp my phone. I finally get hold of it and frantically dial Erin, but she doesn’t answer. Oh God. Oh God.
“I’ll get in, Raven, and you and I will go back to the way things were. Did you miss me? I missed you. Oh so much.”
I can’t breathe.
I need to get help, and I need to get it now.
“I can’t believe she left you here, I didn’t think it would be so easy...”
Breathe, Ellie.
Slater.
I have to call Slater.
Frantically, I dial his number. He answers on the second ring, and only then do the terrified tears fall down my cheeks.
“Ellie?”
“Slater, he’s here. He’s here.”
“What? Ellie, calm down. Where are you?”
“A-a-a-at the bakery. He’s here. He’s going to get in and-”
“Is Erin with you?”
“N-n-n-n-no. I’m alone. He’s at the door. He’s going to get in.”
“I’m coming. Right now. Don’t move. Find a weapon, something, anything to use if you need to. I’ll be ten minutes.”
“What if he gets in in that time and-”
“Ellie, listen to me. He’s not getting you. Do you understand. I won’t allow it. Now, find a weapon and hide if you have to. The security will hold out. We’re coming.”
He hangs up the phone, and with tears rolling down my cheeks, my hands go to the huge butchers knife on the bench. I clutch it close to me, and stare at the door, so afraid I can barely breathe. How will I ever escape now he knows where I am? I’ll never be free. He’s going to torment me for the rest of my damned life.
“You’re not scared, are you Raven?” he laughs from outside the door. “Is that sobbing I hear?”
I press a hand over my mouth. I’m crying. Loudly. And he’s feeding off it.
“I promise you something, Ellie. When I get through this lock, I’m going to take you, and I swear you will not escape me again. You’re mine. I own you. I paid the money for you. I don’t appreciate you running. I told you, if you ever ran, I’d come after you.”
“Get away!” I scream, so frantically that my fingers jerk and curl around the knife, and the blade slices into them. Blood pours from the wounds I just created, but I don’t let the knife go. I hang onto it like it’s life.
“Don’t be afraid, Raven. I promise I won’t do anything to you, that I haven’t done before...”
He laughs at his sick joke, and I clench my eyes shut.
Please Slater. Please hurry.
“You know, it wasn’t the smartest idea coming back to the place I found you. Did you honestly think I wouldn’t look here first?”
I’m panting.
I feel like I’m going to explode from sheer terror.
“They’re going to take you down,” I yell out, angrily. “And you’ll never be able to hurt another person again.”
“Who?” he laughs. “Your little biker friends? I’ve dealt with far worse.”
Breathe.
Keep calm.
Slater is coming.
“They’re nothing more than a blip in my radar. In fact, they’ve been no challenge at all. After all, they’re not even here guarding you. I’ve watched them come past once every half an hour. I just had to time it right when I saw the other girl leave. I never thought she’d leave you alone, I was planning on taking her down if I had to, and she just threw you into my lap, so to speak.”
God.
He’s been watching me.
I feel sick.
His rattling around with the lock stops, and I hear him mutter something, and then he growls, “Well done Raven, calling for back up. You think that’ll stop me? I’m coming for you. And I will get my hands on you. I promise.”
Then, everything goes silent.
I keep hanging onto the knife, terrified to let it go.
Terrified to move.
“Ellie!”
Slater’s voice echoes through the door, and he starts pounding, hard, but I can’t move.
“Ellie, open the door!”
What if it’s a set up? For all I know, he could be standing there with a gun to his head, being told to yell at me to open the door, and the second I do, it’s all over for me.
How do I know it’s not a trap?
“I c-c-c-can’t,” I say, my voice barely there.
“Ellie?”
“I can’t!” I cry out, a little louder.
“Open the door, need to see if you’re okay.”
“H-h-h-how do I know he’s not with you?”
“Ellie,” Slater’s voice gets lower. “He’s not with me.”
I shuffle a little close to the door, and try to listen, maybe I’ll hear him whispering.
“But h-h-h-how do I know?” I say, pressing my ear to the door, knife still clutched in my fingers. “This could be a trap.”
“Listen to me,” Slater’s voice gets low, but gentle. “Know you don’t remember much about me, Ellie, but know this, I’d die before I’d ever let anything happen to you. Understand me? If he tried to use my life to make me do something so he could get to you, then I’d let him have my life. Do you understand that?”