Page 57 of Saved By the Mountain Man

I slumped in the chair, my body shaking now that I didn’t have to hide my emotions anymore. I had managed to hold my ground, but for how long? Jethro was relentless, and I knew he wouldn’t stop until he got what he wanted. I had to find a way out of here, and fast.

The cold seemed to seep deeper into my bones, even when I fell asleep again. I was aware of it all the time, but my head hurt and I was drained. I shivered uncontrollably, dragging in and out of sleep. When I was awake, my mind raced with fear and desperation until it hurt too much and I fell asleep again.

I had to find a way to escape, to protect not just myself but also the life growing inside me.

Jethro didn’t know I was pregnant, and I intended to keep it that way. I wouldn’t let him take any more from me. He’d already ruined my life when I thought I’d finally found my happiness. I’d been so broken after Tanner that Jethro had seemed like a lifeline, a safe haven, someone who wouldn’t hurt me the way Tanner had.

I guess that was the only thing that had been real. Jethro hadn’t hurt me the way Tanner had.

But I had a feeling that what he was going to do to me was much worse.

Tanner still had a heart, and leaving me had been hell, but at least that had been it. Jethro was close and I couldn’t get away. And he had no heart at all. I knew that now.

And with no heart, he wouldn’t care how he hurt me.

He wouldn’t stop until he was rid of me.

The only thing keeping me alive right now was that one bit of evidence that he was looking for. As soon as he had that, I would die.

Fear threatened to choke me, but I breathed deeply in through my nose, holding it a few beats and letting the breath out through my mouth. I had to stay calm, collected.

I had to stay strong, to find a way out of this nightmare. But the ropes binding me were tight, and the warehouse felt like a prison, the walls closing in even though the main room was enormous.

I tried to think clearly through the fog of pain that thumped in my head. I had to escape, but I couldn’t do it by sheer force. I needed to outsmart him, to find a weakness in his plan.

My mind flashed to Tanner, and a pang of regret hit me hard. I had left him, thinking he was a terrible person. But now, I was alone, and the situation was more dire than ever. Compared to Jethro, Tanner was a dream.

Then, he always had been my dream, hadn’t he?

The door creaked open again, and I tensed, expecting Jethro to return. But no one entered. The door blew open a little wider, showing another room. The gust of cold that came through told me that there had to be an opening I could escape through. A small glimmer of hope flickered inside me. Maybe he had left the door unlocked. Maybe there was a way out.

I just had to somehow get out of this chair.

I strained against the ropes again, testing their give. They were too tight. I had to stay calm. At some point, someone had to come back for me, right? Jethro, or someone else… Burke hadbeen the one to take me. Jethro’s right-hand man had always been the muscle, but what Jethro lacked in muscle, he made up for in smarts. Burke had almost none of that.

I looked around the warehouse, taking in the details. The concrete floor was cold and unforgiving, the sheet metal walls amplifying every sound. The place was abandoned, and it seemed like no one would hear me even if I screamed. No one, except those already here, and that wouldn’t help at all.

A noise from outside caught my attention. Footsteps. I held my breath, listening intently. They were faint, but getting closer.

Jethro stepped back into the room, his expression colder than before. Burke followed behind him, dark eyes falling on me, emotionless and just as cold.

He stood at the door and folded one hand over his wrist—a bodyguard standing watch.

I turned my attention to Jethro. He walked over to me, his eyes filled with menace.

“McKenna,” he said softly, but there was no warmth in his tone, and a shiver ran down my spine. “You’re making this harder than it needs to be.”

“I’m not telling you anything,” I said, my voice steady.

He crouched down in front of me, his eyes boring into mine. “You will, eventually. Everyone breaks, McKenna. It’s just a matter of time.”

I clenched my fists, my resolve hardening. “You won’t break me.”

He smiled, but there wasn’t any real amusement. “We’ll see about that.” He paused as if he was thinking about something, opened his mouth to say something, and then turned and walked out of the room. When he passed Burke, he ordered, “Watch her.” Then, he was gone, slamming the door behind him. I let out a shaky breath.

I had to escape. There was no other option. Jethro would keep me alive only as long as he thought he could get the information he wanted. I couldn’t hold out. Eventually, I would break. Jethro was cold and heartless, and he would push me a lot further than someone with a conscience.

And when he finally got what he wanted, he would kill me.

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