Page 82 of Keep You Close

No.

No, I couldn’t focus on that.

I was going to make it to the door.

I was going to get away.

I ran at full speed, heartbeat hammering, breath tight in my chest.

Then there it was.

The door.

My freedom.

My hands shot outward as I closed in, aimed toward the knob and the deadbolt, feeling some hope surge.

Almost there.

Once I was outside, I was sure I would be okay.

My fingers grazed the cool metal of each of the locks.

And it was right then that someone grabbed a hold of my ponytail, twisting, and yanking in an eerily familiar way.

“Found you,” a voice said, making my stomach plummet as I was pulled forcefully back from my only chance at freedom.

Pain screamed across my scalp. And I knew there would be more to come.

Because it wasn’t the owner.

Or some random pet parent.

No.

It was the person who meant to do me the most amount of harm possible.

Joss.

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

AJ

“Yeah, scream,” he said as I sucked in a breath to do just that.

But there was no reason to scream.

No one would hear.

And it would give him satisfaction.

If there was one thing I couldn’t, wouldn’t, do, it was make him enjoy this more than I already knew he would.

“Don’t worry,” he said, yanking back harder, making me need to bite my lower lip to prevent myself from screaming, “I’ll make you scream plenty before I’m done.”

I didn’t doubt he was capable of that.

Especially after evading him for so long, thwarting him at every turn.

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