Page 7 of Riff

It wouldn’t be the first time.

There was no shortage of wildlife around. Deer and raccoons, for sure. Even the distant sounds of coyotes and bobcats. Even, on occasion, I’d heard the grumbling sounds that had to belong to bears.

This was the woods, after all.

So there was no reason to assume it was anything else.

Until, of course, the window at the side of the building suddenly wrenched open.

And not a minute later, the upper body of a man started to slide inside. Then the rest of him too, landing clumsily and with a few little curses before he finally stood to his full height.

There was a moment of debilitating fear, thinking it was one of my abductor’s men finally breaking orders and coming to abuse me.

But the second the man straightened and his gaze landed on me, I knew that wasn’t the case.

Because as his dark eyes moved over me to land on the chain on my ankle, all I saw was horror on his handsome face.

It seemed wrong that I was able to actually notice his looks, given the situation. But there was no denying the man was gorgeous.

Tall and fit with tattoos sneaking up one arm, black hair that looked just shy of needing a trim, a classically handsome face with a strong jaw covered in a few days’ worth of stubble, gooey dark eyes, and a somewhat stern brow, the man looked like he’d stepped off of a billboard somewhere.

“The fuck?” he hissed, his voice a shocked whisper.

The sound, so unexpected, had me jerking back, my chain rattling, as a little gasp escaped me.

“Hey, it’s okay,” he said, his hands lifting, palms out. “I’m not going to hurt you,” he added, taking a step forward.

Not toward me, but to look out of the window, but I shifted away from him regardless.

“Christ. I’m gonna get you out of here,” he declared, looking back over at me.

And, suddenly, I had the most acute surge of embarrassment that I’d felt since my dignity had been stripped from me all those months ago.

I was suddenly acutely aware of the filth covering me, of the fact that I likely smelled, that my hair was in limp, greasy strands down my face, that I was so skinny I was barely more than skin stretched over bones. That my lips were so painfully chapped that they were cracked.

“Do you understand me?” he asked, concern etched on his handsome face. “I’m gonna get you out of here.”

To that, I nodded.

“Thank fuck. Okay. I’m… Riff,” he said, pressing his hand to his chest like he was reenacting that scene in Tarzan between him and Jane.

“Vi…” I started, having to stop because my voice sounded so raspy.

“Vi?” he repeated.

“Vienna,” I said after clearing my throat.

“Vienna. Okay. I need to come over there and look at that chain on your ankle. Is that okay?”

Permission?

He was asking for permission to come close to me?

A strange, high-pitched laugh escaped me at that, making his brows pinch.

“Yes… okay,” I said, nodding, trying to get myself together.

Because this was it.

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