AllFreeNovel
Share Us
I glance at the road, disturbed by the lack of traffic.
“Wish I had my phone.” I pat the rear pockets of my pants for what must be the tenth time, as if doing so will make my phone magically appear. It wasn’t there the last nine times. Don’t know why I think it’ll be there now.
“There.” Kaye points down the winding coastline and the deserted highway. “Lights. I’m sure if we flag them down, they’ll stop.”
She has far more confidence in the goodwill of the common man than me. No one in their right mind would stop for me. I’m a big man, tall and packed with muscle. That makes me a threat, but Kaye on the other hand…
“You should flag them down.” I grab her hand and tug her toward the edge of the road where the car will see us.
“Me?” She points to her chest. “Shouldn’t it be you?”
“If you saw me on a dark, deserted highway, would you stop? There’s no way to know who might be in that car. If female, she’d be stupid to stop. Men are fifty-fifty, depending if they’re more beta than alpha.”
“Good point.” Kaye hurries to the edge of the road while I check in on Scott.
She stands to the side, waving her arms wildly at the approaching car. I have little faith it’ll stop, but to my surprise, it does. The car slows and pulls off the road, coming to a complete stop. The driver steps out.
“Do you need help?” The man looks harmless enough, but I move to stand protectively beside Kaye.
“Dean Alder, it’s so good to see you.” Kaye answers before I can reply and relief floods her voice. “We had an accident.”
“Is everyone all right?” He sweeps the area with a penetrating stare. “How can I help?” His left brow lifts as he takes in Scott and the gaping hole in the guardrail where our car went off the road.
“Can we use your phone?” This is the Dean who did a favor for Scott, getting Kaye into his veterinarian school. The fine hairs at the back of my neck lift. I feel naked without a gun.
“Absolutely.” The man’s attention lingers on Kaye a bit longer than necessary, making me bristle. So far, he doesn’t seem to care about Scott.
Talk about red flags.
His brows bunch together and he nods. “Just let me get it.” He turns back to his car and leans in.
Something sinister swirls in his gaze. A chill runs through me when I realize what’s happening, and my feet move of their own accord.
The unmistakable slide on a handgun being racked makes my heart stop. My gaze snaps to the dean, eyes narrow as time slows to a crawl.
“Get down!” I shout at Kaye, lunging to protect her as a deafening gunshot pierces the air. My body shields Kaye, taking the bullet instead of Kaye. Searing pain slams into me, knocking the wind from my lungs. It forces me back and my knees buckle. I fall to the ground in a sea of agony, my breath coming in shallow gasps.
Kaye’s scream echoes around me as I clutch my chest, pain radiating through every inch of my body.
Through my haze of pain, the man grabs Kaye.
“It wasn’t supposed to be like this.” His hard gaze cuts to Scott with accusation. “I knew you’d fuck it up.”
“What are you doing?” Kaye struggles in his grip, then pleads with him. “You don’t have to do this.”
Dean Alder slaps handcuffs on Kaye, and manhandles her into the back seat of the car while she desperately fights for her life.
My vision tunnels and I struggle to remain conscious. My mind scrambles to make sense of what’s happening, but I’m losing the fight to remain conscious.
Kaye needs me, but I can’t think. I can’t get my legs to cooperate. I try to crawl, but my body resists. My head swims through a thick fog and my limbs grow heavier with each labored breath. Every movement is a battle against the searing pain that radiates through me.
Dean Alder straightens, his gaze turning to Scott with a hint of something smug in his expression. Scott looks away as the dean strides confidently toward him. He pulls out a pocketknife from his belt loop. With lightning speed, he slices through the shoelaces restraining Scott and steps back.
“Get up.” The command comes naturally to the man, as if he and Scott have had some version of this same conversation many times in the past.
Scott rubs at his wrists where the shoelaces bit into his skin before standing on shaky legs. His gaze darts around nervously, but then lands on Kaye trapped in the back seat and his eyes light up in victory.
Kaye struggles in the backseat, eyes wide and frightened.
