Punished her.
And she’d felt it was what she’d deserved.
But she didn’t deserve this.
The man she’d trusted a decade ago to save her was now causing her torment and pain. Brad had betrayed her, bringing her back to the room where Damian had hidden her from his parents, brother, and friends for almost a week. Tucked underneath a backyard shed, he’d visited her in the afternoon, after school, and again in the night after he’d eaten dinner with his family.
He would touch her. Kiss her. Try to arouse her. But her fear made her body unresponsive. His touch repulsed her. She hated him with each passing hour, even as she resigned herself to the consequences of her sins.
That angered him.
Made it impossible for him to get the satisfaction he’d longed for.
He wanted to make love to her.
But his body wouldn’t cooperate.
Had never cooperated.
Not once had he been able to enliven his limp cock when she was near.
It was the only reason he hadn’t raped her.
She’d been grateful for that.
And she’d been grateful when Detective Brad Shannon opened the underground shed door and held a welcoming hand toward her. His words were soothing as he told her she was safe.
“That boy will never hurt you again.”
Anger blossomed within her.
Damian Hester would never hurt her again.
But Brad Shannon didn’t hesitate to take his place.
How could she have been so stupid to trust him?
The wooden latch creaked, and the doors to the underground room opened. Brad eased down the rickety wooden ladder. He walked over toward her, flashlight in hand. She squinted from the bright light and glared at him.
“Please …” Brad whispered. “Don’t look at me like that.” He ran a hand through his sweaty hair. “I promise it will all make sense after tonight. Just don’t stop trusting me. Don’t lose faith in me.”
Gabrielle scowled as he lifted her from the chair and tossed her over his shoulder. She didn’t bother to fight him. Her hands and legs were still bound. The tape on her mouth made it useless to scream. She had to wait for the right time to make her move. She’d been here once before. Back then, she’d had no hope. Tonight, she had everything to live for. She wasn’t going to be the victim anymore. Brad would regret the day he stepped in Damian’s shoes to stalk and torment her.
Minutes later, Brad carried her into the boarded-up home that had belonged to the Hesters. He walked into the kitchen, where the smell of goat stew filled the air.
Easing her into one of the chairs, Brad slowly removed the tape from her mouth. She winced from the sharp pain as tears poured from her eyes.
“Sorry, I had to do that. It was the only way to get you here without anyone stopping me. I didn’t expect for it to knock you out for so long,” Brad said, then walked over to the stove and lifted the lid on the pot that sat on the back burner.
“You drugged me?” Her voice croaked as she spoke her first words in hours.
“The tape was laced with a sedative,” Brad confirmed as he stirred a wooden spoon slowly over the pot. He filled it with the dark stew and took a sip, then nodded his approval.
“You were behind this all along, weren’t you? From the moment you came after me at the airport when my plane landed, you were my stalker. Not Tony Brooks,” Gabrielle said. Her eyes scanned the kitchen for options that could double as a weapon. Anything she could use to attack Brad and get away.
“Things got out of hand. I never thought he would lose control like this. To attack you and my officer at the safe house. That was never what I wanted to happen.” Brad ladled stew into a plastic bowl, then grabbed a plastic spoon from the counter and placed it in front of her. “You must be hungry.”
Gabrielle didn’t respond.
