Page 62 of Knot Dead Yet

“Sweet girl,” he said so softly. He pulled off a long length of tape and ripped it off the spool. “The first time I saw you, you were crying in your car at the gas station. You ended up stranded on the edge of the highway, but those good boys came along tohelp you. Then later at the arena, you were in tears again. It was the same way you fled from them at the restaurant. You only want to get away from the pack. You want to leave Winnipeg.”

The gas station. It hit me so hard, I froze. He was there that first night I tried to run for the border. The killer was the man who told me my gas cap was off.

He’d been stalking me for almost a week.

“But how do you know…?” Everything. I squeaked out the question. It wasn’t as if I went around spouting off my problems to everyone.

“Like all young people today, you’re a busy girl on your phone. I really don’t think it’s good for your mental health.” He stepped up beside my head. “Now stay sti—”

I screamed. I filled my lungs as far as they could go and let it rattle the walls.

The bastard used his palm and slammed my chin up, making me bite my tongue. Then he fastened the tape over my mouth. Tears bloomed in my eyes and I fought against my bindings. He swiftly tore off a second strip of tape and slapped it on to secure the first one.

“We can’t have you self-sabotaging your own release.” What the fuck? This man was insane. “We’re almost ready.”

I inched my way up the bed and away from him. He wasn’t concerned with me at the moment. He took the chair from the desk and moved it underneath the chandelier. Then he retrieved a length of rope from under the bed.

Not just rope, but a noose.

The Manitoba Hangman.

Fuck!

I had to get my hands out of the restraints. Even if I dislocated my thumbs, I needed to get free. Time was running out. No one was going to come save me.

The fibers of the nylon poked into my flesh. It was already red and rough, but I felt blood smear as I struggled. My heat made every sensation ten times bigger. My abdomen clenched as my body demanded to be knotted.

Stupid Omega body. I was going to die and she wanted to fuck!

“The Fort Garry is an old and expertly built hotel. I worked here in my youth, and my sister works here now. I’ve spent a lot of time in these halls. Delicate as this chandelier looks,” he smiled at it and brushed his fingers over the sparkling glass. “It’s attached to a huge timber beam in the ceiling. A whole zoo of monkeys could swing from it and it wouldn’t fall.”

The killer stretched to tie the end of the rope around the base of the light. He stood on his toes, tongue poking out between his lips with concentration.

I didn’t want to die. I had to get away.

Whimpering, I pulled harder on my hands. If I slid all the skin off, I wouldn’t care. Nothing scared me more than that noose right now. I hit the headboard and maneuvered my wrists to the bottom corner to use it to help get my bindings off.

Faster. He was almost done.

“There we go.” The Hangman smiled as he released the noose and it swung slowly. He hopped down from the chair and took a few seconds to admire his work.

The blood on my wrists was helping. I almost had one hand free. Just a little more.

He turned to me and smiled. If this were any other situation, I’d say it was a soft fatherly type of smile. The fucking lunatic truly believed he was helping me be free of my sadness.

‘This is wrong!’ I tried to shout. ‘Please don’t do this!’

“It’ll hurt for just a minute, sweet girl, but then it will all be over.” The Hangman grabbed me under the arms and heftedme up. It didn’t matter that I struggled. He was surprisingly strong with the power of crazy.

I screamed against my tape gag. This couldn’t be happening.

All I wanted was to be curled up in Tiergan’s arms and let his purr calm me. To have Kane kiss my head, dominate my every breath, and tell me it will all be okay. To be snuggled between Casimir and Alderic, knowing I was cherished and wanted. To let Maddox smash the Hangman into little bits and let him carry me away, safe in his arms.

The noose slowly spun as the bastard lifted me up.

CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE - Kane

I’d told her to stay. She wouldn’t have left.

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