AllFreeNovel
Share Us
I remembered her standing up to Matt. Defending me to her family and Brad. She was tough. Strong. She could handle herself. She would be fine.
The light in front of me flipped to red. My eyes flicked down the street. I was going to run it when a school bus turned onto the road.
“Shit! Move.” Cole shouted, slamming his hand into the dash. They’d heard enough to know Lark was in danger.
“They’re in the apartment.” She whispered, and a chill ran down my spine. “I can hear them in the living room.”
“You’re doing great.” I slammed on the gas, the car lurching into traffic as soon as the bus passed. Honks screeched, but I didn’t stop. I couldn’t.
“Nathan!” My stomach bottomed out as she screamed my name. I heard a crash through the phone. Shouts. Lark’s voice, but further away, as if she’d dropped the phone.
I waited for the gunshots. To hear her defending herself, but they never came.
I didn’t see the road anymore. I pictured her being dragged from the bathroom. Her hands gripping the tile as she tried to stop them.
“Lark!” There was more shuffling on the line as my heart followed my stomach, plummeting to my feet.
But instead of her sweet voice, there was a male grunt of acknowledgment. A red haze coated my vision. My knuckles turned white as I gripped the wheel. A rage like I’d never felt before overtaking me.
“If you touch her, I will hunt you down and rip every single organ from your body and shove them down your throat.”
“We’ll be waiting.” There was a deep male chuckle before I heard a distant scream. It sounded like my name. It stole the breath from my lungs.
And my world collapsed around me.
42
Lark
My head throbbed, and the scenery spun as the giant oaf who’d attacked me in my apartment lifted me from his car. I realized I had a concussion, because I had no memory of being shoved into the trunk or the drive.
I did, however, remember talking to Nathan on the phone. The fear in his voice I’d thought was an overreaction until I’d seen my front door handle rattling. It was like something out of a horror movie, watching it twist and jiggle as my heart slammed into my ribs.
I remember the cool steel in my hand as I’d crouched on my bathroom floor. Nathan whispering in my ear that it would be okay. It had happened so fast.
They’d burst through the door, and I’d waited. Just a split second to see who it was, but that moment was all it took. He grabbed the gun from my grip, smashing it across my skull.
The fading sunlight pierced my eyes as I tried to return to reality. Nausea rolled through me. The pressure of his shoulder in my stomach making it worse. It wasn’t until the light disappeared that fear set in.
The ground turned from blacktop to gray concrete. I heard the squeak of a door shutting. The sound lurched me into action.
“Put me down!” I shouted as I slammed my fists into his back. My legs flung about, trying to connect with anything.
“Feisty bitch.” He grumbled as a thick arm band around my thighs, pinning me to his chest.
Acid burned my throat as I wiggled and jerked against him. Screaming obscenities, and pounding his back again and again. The breath sawed in and out of my lungs. The world tumbled over and over as I fought to throw off the concussion.
By the time he dropped me on my ass, I was winded. But he looked like he’d been taking a leisurely stroll in the woods. The harsh concrete rattled my bones as he slammed me down. My teeth clicked together from the impact.
It wasn’t enough to make me give up. I had no idea who he was. Or why he’d taken me, but I wasn’t about to find out. Whatever the reason, it couldn’t be good.
I shoved off the ground, ramming my head into his thick stomach. It felt like it was ready to explode. He was broad and big, with more fat than muscle. But it was still enough to keep me trapped against him. I’d taken him by surprise and we both slammed onto the floor.
His skull cracked on the concrete and satisfaction raced through me as I spun to the door. Crawling on my hands and knees to my freedom. It was short-lived as his calloused hand shot out, grabbing my ankle.
“No, you fucking don’t.” He growled. My chin connected with the stained concrete as he yanked me towards him again.
A scream died in my throat. I wouldn’t give him the satisfaction. I kicked my free leg out. A groan of pain filled the air before he released me. The softness of my target told me I’d hit him right between the legs.
