Page 51 of Suspicion

He had to hope it was possible, or the next few weeks would be challenging for them both.

It was only when he got to the tap that he turned back to the tree that harbored her, expecting to see her enticing outstretched body and possibly even her huge eyes imploring him for freedom.

It took a moment for his brain to process what he was actually seeing.

Nothing.

The tree stood where it had been for hundreds of years, but there was no one else.

His heart hammered as the reality of the scene started to bite.

Ella was gone!

Shock melted into a cold panic that seemed to seep into his limbs. Dropping the cup, he ran, closing in on the place he’d left her, only to find that his initial survey had been correct. Ella was gone, and based on what was left of the branch he’d secured her to, she’d broken the large twig to achieve her getaway. The remnants of the branch hung limply from the place it had been snapped.

“Fucking bitch.”

Anger swelled in his horror, falling and rising like the tide as he stared around at the neighboring trees. Not only had she fled, but she’d damaged one of the trees in the process. Tucker couldn’t abide anything that upset the natural order of the forest. Sure, he hunted what little meat he needed to survive, but he always put back, planting new shrubs and providing food for the smaller animals.

He never took more than he needed.

Ella, on the other hand, had bowled in there and not given a damn. Concerned only for her own wellbeing, she’d acted selfishly and without care.

“I’m sorry.” His hand rose to the break in the wood, running his fingertips over the damage. “I shouldn’t have let this happen to you.”

How had he let this happen?

He’d thought the branch would be strong enough to hold her or, to be more exact, that she would be too weak to break free, but evidently, he’d been wrong, and the tree, which was older than them both, had borne the brunt of his mistake.

Fueled by his fury, he spun on his heel and glanced around.

Where are you?

She’d have a few minutes head-start on him, but she couldn’t have gotten far, and Ella didn’t know the woods the way he did. He’d be able to track her down and heaven help her when he did.

Sprinting back to the cabin, he collected his flashlight, fresh rope, and ensured his trusty blade was in its usual place.

“Run, rabbit, run.” His lips stretched into a smirk at the irony of the statement. “I’ll find you, little girl.”

He wasn’t surprised by the resolve resounding in his voice as he headed from the cabin and tore past the discarded broken branch.

“And when I do find you, Ella,” he shouted. “Your ass is mine.”

***

Ella

Adrenaline whipped around her system as she pelted through the forest, her heart pounding obscenely fast. She tried not to dwell on its speed or how much more the organ could take before it gave up. She had enough to worry about.

Against all odds, she’d broken free from the spontaneous constraints Tucker had created. Inching forward on the balls of her feet, she’d managed to drag the ropes around her wrists to the thinnest section of the branch, then, with enough force, she’d broken the twig in half and launched herself to freedom.

Ella wasn’t certain how long ago that had been, and she dared not look back. If there was one thing she knew for sure, it was that it wouldn’t take long for Tucker to discover what had happened and be after her. Hell, he was probably right behind her as she hurtled around tree trunks and dodged those roots that were jutting out from the earth.

Panicked, she permitted herself to pause momentarily. Gripping the edge of one girthy trunk with her bound hands, her gaze flew around the landscape of brown trunks and green foliage. There was no one to be found among them.

Move! The instruction screamed in her head until her feet responded. For God’s sake, run!

She did as her thoughts commanded, dashing off past one tree, then the next, and the next. She wished that her bra offered her aching breasts any sort of support, but after Tucker’s damage, it was all but useless. Irritated, she scanned the area. The view was nothing but endless nature in all directions, her sprint assisted by the growing strength of the wind.

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