AllFreeNovel
Share Us
An image came to mind of the killer using her to lure Ryder out of the cabin. She clawed at the huge hand and reached out for something to grab onto. In a blur of motion, he flung her against a fence post and held her there.
Pressing his bulky body into hers, the man whispered in her ear, “Didn’t expect to see me here, did you? I knew they weren’t gonna transfer someone with bullet holes to another hospital.”
Easing his hand back off her mouth, he grasped her almost gently around the throat. It might be considered a lover’s rough sex pose, like from the movies, if it weren’t for the situation.
She stared up at him, transfixed by the pain twisting his dark features. “You followed us?” Somehow, it didn’t compute.
“Call for him.” The man’s voice turned soft and he eased back on his grip around her throat.
Tiffany knew better than to fight him. His hold would just tighten back up.
Swallowing thickly, she tried to get him to see reason. “He’s real sick. Can’t you just leave him alone?”
“Ryder got himself a pretty little true-blue nurse. Ain’t that real special?” the man sneered, his stale breath making her stomach churn.
“It doesn’t have to be this way,” she said, trying to keep the panic from her voice. “You’re going to keep it up until you’re both dead.”
“Did you fall for that dirty bastard?”
Blinking, she didn’t answer. Something told her the truth would only set him off more.
Bringing his face closer to hers, his crazy eyes bore into hers and he whispered, “I think maybe you even like him enough to die for him today.”
Tiffany felt the fear in her gut begin to dissipate. He was trying to intimidate her, but in her line of work, she wasn’t easily intimidated. “I can’t see you letting me live either way. I’ve got no incentive to cooperate.”
Her gut told a different story. For some godforsaken reason, she didn’t think he was going to kill her. It was something about the way he held her, like he was being stern but careful not to hurt her.
Then again, maybe she was imagining things. Maybe this was what Stockholm syndrome felt like.Was she so terrified that she needed to humanize her would-be killer?At this particular point in time, she couldn’t say one way or the other.
“You can die slow or you can die fast. Call him out here and it’ll be real fast and painless. Fuck me over and I will make you suffer.” He was saying all the right words to scare the piss out of her, but his voice was off. He sounded almost disgusted with himself.
This man who had generated such fear was slowly earning himself an ounce of compassion in her heart. He was conflicted and genuinely screwed up in the head.
Bringing her hands up to grasp him gently around the wrist, Tiffany spoke as softly as she would to one of her patients. “It doesn’t matter if I call him or not. He’s not rash enough to come running to my rescue. He barely knows me. I don’t want him to kill you like he did your brother.”
The man’s rough voice took on a thick layer of emotion. “The dirty bastard told you about my brother. Ryder isn’t fit to speak his name.”
“Just because you say it doesn’t make it true. You know there are two sides to every story.”
His fingers around her throat loosened again. “What’s going on in that pretty little head of yours?” he mused. “Do you really think he’s any better than me?” He bared his teeth. “Trust me, he ain’t. He’s exactly like me, only a little younger and better looking.”
“Don’t forget smarter.”
Almost smiling, the man shook his head. “Whatever. Deep down inside, his soul is just as black as mine.”
Tiffany swallowed thickly. “You’re just trying to scare me. You don’t even sound mad anymore.”
He tilted his head. “Why would an innocent little nurse be defending a piece of garbage like Ryder? That don’t hardly make no sense to me.”
“He’s not garbage.”
“He is. You’re protecting garbage from garbage, and it’s about to cost you your life. Is that what you want?”
“You’re just being a badass. Neither of you is garbage and you know it.”
All the air left her lungs when Ryder’s deep voice sounded off behind them. “Take your hands off the nice little nurse, Ace. This is between you and me.”
The man Ryder had referred to as Ace flipped them both around. Ryder stood there in the new clothing she’d bought him with one hand tucked behind his back. Instinctively, she knew he had the gun she’d given him back there.
