Page 96 of Snowbound with the Santas

My vision dims. I can’t breathe. My heart pounds loudly in my ears, and I can feel the rush of blood throughout my entire body, right down to the pulse between my toes. The news that Phoebe dumped him is my only relief. She clearly didn’t know what an asshole he was, and if I saved her from my fate, then I can mark that down as my last good deed.

Unable to swallow, the blood from my bitten tongue floods my mouth and spills past my lips when I part them and choke. He grins at me. His stained, yellow teeth swim and duplicate through the tears filling my eyes.

Am I going to die here?

I feel like I’m going to die.

I jinxed myself. I thought I could be happy.

I thought I could be with the people I love.

Suddenly, the elevator shudders and the doors behind Ashton slide open with a grating hiss. The change alarms him and his grip around my throat eases enough for me to drag in several rapid breaths that feel like I’m breathing sandpaper into my lungs. Ashton half turns, glancing over his shoulder. There’s no one waiting to get on. The elevator simply stopped at one of the floors I managed to hit earlier.

But it’s my chance.

Driving my knee up hard, I slam my leg into his crotch while reaching for his face and digging my nails in the second Icome into contact. I claw down his face with a ragged yell as he doubles over with a grunt.

There’s a small window, and I take it. Pushing past him, the dizziness hits me full force when I try to move. Stumbling out of the elevator, I try to run, but my legs struggle to keep up with the panicked demands in my mind. I hit the wall and slide down it slightly, catching myself with a whimper.

I need help.

Please.

My hands slide over a closed door and I rapidly slap my hands against the wood. When I try to call for help, all that escapes my lips is a soft wheeze. No one responds. I quickly move past the door as Ashton charges out of the elevator.

“Rayne!”

I freeze. He has four red scratches down his face, and his expression is twisted into rage. He charges toward me like a reckless bull. I have nothing to defend myself with.

I look around wildly, trying to find something to help or an open door I can run to. The only thing nearby is a vase of plastic flowers and holly berries. Throwing myself toward it as he reaches me, I grab the vase with such force that the wooden table it rests on topples over. As it hits the ground, Ashton fails to avoid it and his legs become tangled in the wood. The table splinters under his feet and catches on his shin. He trips with a snarl and slams his head into the wall while he falls. As soon as he hits the ground, I raise the vase above my head and smash it down onto his face as hard as I can.

Porcelain shatters in all directions and the flowers spill around him in a sad circle. He yells, and blood seeps from a gash across his forehead.

He’s stunned.

This is my chance. If I don’t, he’ll never stop coming.

I drop to my knees and snatch up one of the larger shards from the vase. The edges cut into my palm as I grip it, but other than the sensation of pressure, I feel no pain.

Ashton rolls slowly on the ground, slurring his speech. All I need to do is stab him. Right in that nasty fucking throat of his, and then it will be over. I will be free.

Truly free.

I raise my hand. We make eye contact, and for a moment, it looks like he knows his time is up. He knows I’m his demise.

Just as I swing my hand down, a hand catches my wrist. I whip my head around and come face to face with Archer who slides next to me.

“No, Rayne,” he says softly. “No, baby.”

Something brushes past me, and I look back at Ashton in time to see Frankie dive onto him and punch him repeatedly in his face.

This is… my floor?

“But…” I croak back at Archer, and hot tears finally spill down my cheeks.

“I know,” Archer says, winding his body around mine and slowly taking the shard from my hand. “I know, but it’s not worth it. I know it would feel so good right now. Trust me, I know. But in the long run, it won’t help.”

Frankie and Ashton scuffle on the floor—well, it’s more like Frankie beats Ashton to a pulp and Ashton doesn’t stand a chance against a 240-pound forest ranger.

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