Page 44 of Bloody Quarter

To my left was a stack of short wooden boards. Grabbing one, I darted behind the closest tree.

Thump, thump, thump.

My heart was so loud I was sure it was going to give away my hiding spot. A twig snapped, and I had to cover my mouth to keep from whimpering.

“Doll, I know you’re still here. I can feel you,” he said, and I tightened my grip on the piece of wood as my arms shook harder. Ironically, my body warmed at the thought of what he’d do once he caught me. He had definitely screwed with my head, this wasn’t a sane reaction.

“Come on, Doll. Come out and play. I promise to make it worthwhile,” his voice was buttery smooth and yet wholly terrifying. “Come out, come out, wherever you are.” I sucked in a slow deep breath and held it as the bushes rustled nearby. “Ah ha,” he yelled, and I almost screamed as he spread open the thick foliage not far away. “I will find you, Doll. Whether you want to admit it or not, you’re already mine.”

Inching further around the tree, I peeked out to see where exactly he was just in time for him to yell, “Got you.” But he spread open the bushes on the opposite side of the trail, and I took my chance. Jumping out from my hiding spot, I swung the wood like a baseball bat and caught him in the middle of his back. He went down to his knees, but the old board split in two. I grabbed his knife and pulled it free of the sheath. The sharp blade glinted in the dull light. He snatched my wrist before I could strike.

“Ah!” Screeching like a banshee, I punched him in the face and brought my knee up into his groin. I missed and got his leg, but he loosened the grip on my arm enough that I slipped free.

“Naughty, naughty, Doll.” He laughed, his eyes finding mine as he looked at me, and sheer panic wrapped around the last logical thought in my brain. I took off like a shot, about to run the race of my life back the way I came along the trail. “That’s it. Run, Doll. Run,” Greyson said, his voice ringing with a manic edge that had tears welling in my eyes.

The sound of his feet and the trees moving was loud behind me. I looked over my shoulder and screamed. He was only a couple of strides back, his face hidden by shadows. A burst of adrenaline got my legs moving faster, and I suddenly broke free from the forest. I had no idea which way to go, and the slight hesitation, a single stride misstep, was all it took for him to catch me. His arms wrapped around my waist like a massive beast as he tackled me to the ground.

I screamed and wiggled in the soft mud, managing to pull myself partially out of his hold. He still had me by the legs. Terror filled me, the likes of which I’d only experienced once before. The car wreck flashed behind my eyes. The screaming and the blood. Evie’s dead body and lifeless eyes. The pain that I’d held in my soul for so long burst into one chaotic, horror-filled moment.

I kicked and thrashed just like I had that night in the car as I tried to get free, but I couldn’t free myself then, and I couldn’t escape his hold now. His hands held me firm as he slowly crept up my body. The past and the present merged in my mind, and I was unable to distinguish which I was living in the moment. I clawed at the dirt, trying to pull out of his hold, but I lost every inch I gained as he moved higher.

“No!” I wailed at the top of my lungs, my body jerking as the sensation of flipping through the air and the airbag knocking me out rode my mind and body. Tears clouded my eyes. The visceral reaction to the fear and pain had me fighting, but from what I didn’t know anymore. I was trapped, and I couldn’t get to her. Evie. No. I jerked my legs, but they wouldn’t budge.

I was suddenly flipped over onto my back. Greyson easily straddled me and kept my arms pinned above my head as I thrashed beneath him. There was a loud tearing and the hoodie I was wearing split. His knife just missed my face. Part of me knew what he was doing when I heard his belt and felt the tug at my jeans, but it wasn’t until the cold earth touched my bare ass that it became clear.

“Let me go,” I screamed and wiggled under his body. His hands felt like they were scorching my skin. “Let go!” Greyson was nothing more than a dark shadow with piercing blue eyes. “Please, let me go,” I cried as tears ran down my cheeks.

He grabbed my jaw, and a moan broke free as he rubbed himself between my legs and pushed aside the insanity racing around in my brain.

“Doll, look at me,” Greyson growled as he pressed his knife against my throat. I didn’t hesitate to lock eyes with him.

“Let me go,” I sobbed.

“Why?”

“What?” His question confused me as I tried to wade through the hysteria and grip reality once more.

“Why didn’t you jump the fence? All this pain I see shining at me from your eyes would’ve been over. Why didn’t you jump the fence?”

“Because…because…I…I don’t know,” I yelled at him.

“Yes, you do,” he said, spinning the knife in the light before he pressed the tip against my chest. “Tell me the truth.”

“I don’t know,” I snarled at him and then screamed as the knife bit into my skin over my heart. Blood dripped from the tiny wound.

“Answer the question.”

My body trembled as all the emotions collided into a chaotic storm. “I don’t know,” I repeated, closing my eyes and whimpering as the blade sank deeper.

“I will keep going until I pierce your heart and stop it forever. Tell me the truth, Doll. Why didn’t you jump the fence and take your peace?” I didn’t answer. My body shook as it and my mind warred with one another.

“I don’t know how to put it into words,” I said, prepared for the knife to bite again, but he held still. Opening my eyes, I searched his face.

“I’ll put it into words for you. You didn’t jump the fence because the decision was made for you the night you were in that accident. A part of you died and became something else that night. You’ve been looking for me ever since. You just didn’t realize it. If, by some miracle, you had made it off the property, I’d forever stalk your thoughts. I’d be there when you opened a door and looked behind it. I’d be there when you looked at a knife. I’d be there when you heard a scream or jumped at your reflection. And when you closed your eyes at night, I’d be there as you slipped your fingers into your pussy. Every part of me would haunt you for the rest of your life.” I stopped fighting him, but I’d stopped fighting days ago. “Do you know why?” I shook my head. “Other men would give you diamonds and flowers, but I’d rip the soul from a body and hand it to you. You didn’t hop that fence because you want me for all the reasons you hate me.”

I sucked in a sharp breath as he pulled the knife out of my chest and laid it against my bottom lip. Never taking my eyes off his, I licked the blood off and tasted the truth of his words. Smirking, he brought the other side to his mouth and ran his tongue along the blade before he stabbed the dirt beside my head and shoved his cock in me at the same time.

I arched and screamed as he filled me, forcing himself into my tight pussy. “Yes, that’s it, Doll. Scream for me.” He latched onto the cut on my chest and sucked as he fucked me hard. Each thrust was painful, and yet I couldn’t deny that I wanted this, that I wanted him. “Oh fuck, yes,” he growled as he picked up the pace.