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Ugh! I wanted to throw up. First, the thought of having sex with this man was beyond gross and second, what type of person got off on the idea of rape? No one I wanted to be with. And his breath was horrid.
“Drop your knife, or I’ll embed mine in your spine,” he snarled.
Not wanting to see if he was bluffing, I did as he asked. The instrument fell to the porch with a defeated clatter.
“Good girl.” He still had one hand over my mouth and the other around my waist. I could feel the sharp cutting edge of the blade against my stomach.
“Make any sudden moves or try to run, and it’ll be the last thing you do,” he said, as we awkwardly walked together down the stairs and to his beat-up car.
This can’t be happening. There must be a way out of this.I had almost given up hope when he popped open his trunk, clearly intent on stuffing me in there. Then, out of nowhere, Champ came flying through the pasture.
Declan didn’t react until he turned, one hand still on my mouth, the other with the blade touching the trunk. His eyes widened as he saw the animal racing toward us.
His grip lessened and, with all my strength, I pushed my hands against his chest. He stumbled backward, his knife falling from his grip, and Champ tackled him and latched onto the crotch of his pants.
He screamed bloody murder, and I dashed over to his weapon, so he wouldn’t be able to use it against the dog. At that moment, Austin and Luke rode up on Romeo and Juliet.
Austin jumped off his horse and hugged me immediately. “Oh, Miranda, I was so scared. Are you okay?” he asked, as he pulled back from his embrace and scanned me.
I nodded and he tucked me behind him as he turned toward Declan who was writhing on the ground. Champ still had her jaws clenched on his dick.
“Let go, Champ,” Austin commanded. She did instantly and ran to my side. I bent down and gave her a hug.
“Thank you so much, girl. You saved me!” Her tail wagged very fast as she licked my face.
After a moment, I stood to focus back on the situation. Luke had his pistol pointed at Declan who was curled in the fetal position, sobbing like a little girl. No, not like a little girl. Like a wounded jerkface.
“Kyle and his men are on their way to arrest this piece of shit. Sorry for the swear words, miss.” Luke continued to aim his gun at Declan, looking, fierce, like nothing would give him more pleasure than to use it. “You okay?”
I nodded then bent down to give my savior another hug. Never had I been so grateful to have a four-legged friend.
Chapter 7
It took a couple of hours for the police to complete their investigation about what had transpired on Benson Ranch earlier that day. The ranch hands showed up moments after the cops did. They and Luke had given their statements first and then taken Champ when they went back to finish the repairs on the fence and herd the cattle back into their pasture.
Austin and I gave ours next to Kyle—the nicest police chief I had ever met. Then he and his men left with Declan in cuffs in the back of their squad car. The chief assured us he wouldn’t be released under any circumstances. Finally, I felt like I could breathe. It was over. No more having to pay drug dealers or worry about said drug dealer finding where I was hiding and trying to make me his bride. Getting to see my tormentor in cuffs, in the back of a police car was the cherry on top of my feeling of relief.
Austin had to make a fast phone call. I went back into the house and upstairs in the library. I sat in one of the squishy chairs in the library, and took a few deep breaths, trying to calm the unsettling feelings inside me. It didn’t help, and soon I was physically shaking and crying. I wrapped my arms around myself and kept trying to settle down.
“Miranda?” Austin asked, kneeling at my side and grasping my hands in his.
I swallowed the sob that was trying to come out. “Give me a minute.” My voice quavered as I fought the urge to release the pent-up stress I’d accumulated over the past year. He didn’t need that on his shoulders. No one did. That was made clear to me time and time again.
“Look at me,” he said, but I couldn’t. There was so much pain, and looking at him would make me lose it.
“Miranda, I said look at me.”
There was no room in his tone for argument and I did as he asked. His brown eyes pierced my hazel ones.
“Let go, sweetheart. I got you.”
“No,” I said, feeling my lip begin to shake. “No.” I pushed him away, stood up, and walked around so the chair was between us. It felt like I was experiencing déjà vu.
“What did you say to me?”
“No. I can’t put you through this. You don’t even know me. I can’t.” It felt like my heart was splitting in half. I wanted to be with Austin, but I couldn’t bring my problems down on him. Sure, Declan had been captured, but what happened when Evan came back? He’d undoubtedly bring a new set of problems with him, and I didn’t want to force Austin to have to bear those too.
He scoffed. “We may have only met a week ago young lady, but in that time you and I have talked more than I’ve ever talked with anyone in my entire life. We’ve discussed so many intimate topics. I feel like you’re the missing piece I’ve been looking for forever. So, I don’t want to hear that I don’t know you.”
