Total pages in book: 104
Estimated words: 102184 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 511(@200wpm)___ 409(@250wpm)___ 341(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 102184 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 511(@200wpm)___ 409(@250wpm)___ 341(@300wpm)
I slip behind a tree, letting the moonlight guide me. I glance around as my nerves throb with fatigue. My heart pounds against my chest, and I suck in some air, trying to quiet it down.
“I know you’re out here, Chloe,” Guy calls out into the stillness.
He’s to my left, not too far away, and I move as silently as possible, cursing the noisy leaves underfoot.
If he catches me, I’m as good as dead. I’ll fight the whole way down, but his gun trumps the knife in my hand.
Blending in with the shadows, I keep moving in the direction I hope I’ll find a road. In all honesty, I’m fucking lost. I can only hope for a road, or a house. Or a miracle. Because there’s nothing out here but me and a killer.
I rub my belly. “I’m so sorry, little baby,” I whisper.
Every fiber of my being keeps me moving, trying my best to distance myself from Guy.
“Chloe,” he calls again, only this time it sounds like he’s further away.
This gives me hope, so I take off running.
Please, let me make it out of this alive.
Chapter 44
Devereaux
* * *
I pull into Guy’s driveway about the same time as Roman and Ledger.
“Is he here?” Roman asks as he hops out of his SUV.
“Don’t know.” I pull my gun from my waistband. “Go around back and I’ll go up the front.”
Roman and Ledger make their way to the rear of the property, each taking a different side of the house.
The house is a small bungalow on the edge of downtown. It’s dark, and there are no neighbors around, only a dog howling somewhere in the distance.
“Chloe,” I call out, stopping to listen for her to answer.
Nothing.
I bang on the door, and when nothing happens, I kick it open. I move through the house like a plague seeking its next victim. My anger has amplified since I left Chloe’s and all I can think about is killing this asshole before he can hurt her.
I just hope I’m not too late.
“Back’s all clear,” Roman says, meeting me in the kitchen.
“He’s not here,” Ledger adds as he makes his way to where we’re standing.
“Where would he take her?”
I glance around the tiny kitchen before heading into the living room. Guy has a few framed photos on the mantle, and I step closer to study them.
“Look at this,” I tell the twins.
They step beside me to peer at the pictures. The one in the center is of a house on a lake.
“His grandmother had that old lake house, remember,” Ledger says, taking the picture from the mantle.
“Wonder if he still has it,” Roman says, holstering his gun.
“He has her there. I just know it,” I say, feeling it in my core. I know this man has her at that cabin on the lake.
We rush out of Guy’s house, and my Bugatti’s faster than Roman’s SUV, so we all pile into my car. My tires squeal as I fly out of Guy’s driveway.
Twenty minutes later, I pull up to a cabin in the woods. From here, it looks like any normal lake house. Strong wood beams. A wrap-around porch. Lots of windows to admire the view. A light is on, illuminating the upstairs.
I spot Guy’s grandmother’s old car and grab my Kimber from the glove box.
“He’s got to be here,” I say as we make our way to the front of the house.
“I’m going around back,” Ledger says.
“I’ll head the other way,” Roman says, going in the opposite direction of Ledger.
I creep up the porch steps, finding an unlocked front door at the top. I step inside, keeping quiet and staying close to the walls, just in case Guy’s in here.
The bottom floor is empty, and I move up the stairs with my gun ready to fire. Each room I inspect is empty. I make it to the master suite, and I can tell someone has been in this room. There’s a small amount of blood on the floor, and I squat to see if I can find anything else.
Ledger enters the room, gun raised. “Anything?” he asks me.
“Blood.”
He moves closer as I stand to my full height.
Roman enters. “I think they left out the back. There’s a blood stain on the back door frame.”
The three of us fly down the stairs and keep moving until we’re in the backyard.
“Call 9-1-1,” I tell Roman, my heart thumping ferociously.
There are woods all around, and we take off running.
I head in a straight line, praying I can get to Chloe before Guy—
No. Fuck that. My girl is strong and fierce. And I will move heaven and earth to save her.
I wind through the trees, looking for any signs of life. Ledger and Roman have branched off, each of us searching the forest for Chloe.
My heart beats faster, harder, louder as I cut through the shadows. I stop when I hear shouting in the distance.