Page 6 of Wicked Games of Desire

As I pull the trigger, I hear a third voice. One I think I recognize but can’t quite place in the echo of the caves. As the bullet whizzes by, my heart starts pounding so hard I hear the erratic beat. Fuck, how did I miss, I never miss. I dart back into the shadows as he comes for me. Fuck, fuck, fuck. How did I miss him? I take off sprinting down a long corridor, trying to remember the way I came. The cave walls blur as I rush past, and I slip in the mud, just catching myself before I go over. My heart races out of my chest because I know I’m screwed.

Heavy footsteps hammer right at my heels, and it’s too dark down here for me to see where I’m going. Blindly, I take a shot behind me, hoping to hell it will take him out. But as I do, he grabs hold of me and I scream a blood-curdling shriek that vibrates off the walls. He was closer than I expected.

“Got you,” comes his deep gravelly voice as he pulls me up by my long, high ponytail. My feet dangle off the ground like a rag doll in his enormous arms. Any breath I had left in my lungs after running like hell is stolen in an instant.

Attempting to wriggle free from his strong hold, I bring my boot up, aiming for his junk, but he’s too agile for me. He twists my hair around his fist, forcing me to stare up at him, panting like a crazed animal.

“Who do we have here?” My eyes prickle with tears from his tight hold on my hair. I can only make out the outline of his features in the dark, but I know exactly who this guy is. Blue eyes. His towering stature easily eclipses my own. Amidst the musty caves, his scent, both fresh and masculine, floods the air around me, sending a wash of nostalgia scattering over me.

Crystal-clear blue eyes glower back at me, his brows narrowed as he scrutinizes every inch of my face. “Thought you could shoot at me and get away with it. Think again, sweetheart.” His lips twist in a menacing smile as his other hand wraps around my middle, knocking the gun from my grip.

Our eyes meet with a sense of familiarity that sends shivers down my spine. Suddenly, something washes over him as well. Like he’s just registered exactly who I am. But surely not. I was no one to him that night, just as I am now. Just a helpless little girl, silenced so I was out of their way while they tore my home and family apart.

I raise my chin in rebellion, refusing to show him any signs of weakness. I’m not scared of him anymore. “What are you waiting for, then? Kill me,” I snarl, meeting his eyes with the same intensity. I mean every word. I have nothing left to live for. I failed. All I wanted to do was eliminate him and his fucked-up friend, just like they did my family.

He chuckles darkly, sending a vibration right through me with his proximity. He’s not murderous like he should be after capturing a trespasser. His lips twitch with a hint of a psychotic smile. “Why would I kill you when you’re so much more useful to me alive?”

My heart races wildly. I wasn’t scared when I thought he was going to kill me, but now I can’t hide the tremble racking through me. He must be able to feel my fear because his smile increases to an all-outmotherfucking grin. “B-because if you don’t, I promise you will regret it,” I spit back, trying to hide the swirl of anxiety washing over me.

“Why?” he asks, humoring me.

I narrow my eyes in on him. Looking this motherfucker in the eyes after seeing him in my nightmares for months is surprisingly satisfying. I needed to face my fears head-on. “If you don’t do it while you have the chance, I’ll kill you,” I throw back at him as a warning. Nothing about this situation is funny. I want him dead.

Once again, he chuckles, the heat of his breath dusting my face, a stark contrast to the cold, damp surroundings. “Adorable,” he muses.

Adorable? Fuck this guy. This isn’t some game. This is my life, and he stole it from me. I’m a dead girl because of him. With all my might, I sink my teeth into his forearm and bite down hard. The metallic tang of his blood touches my tongue. We have danced this dance before, and last time it worked out well for me.

“Little bitch,” he curses, his grip on me loosening. I use all the force I have to shove off him and land on his foot with my heeled boots. Then I take off running as fast as my legs will take me in my one-size-too-small waitress uniform.

I search for a hint of outside light, knowing there’s an exit here somewhere. It gets closer the faster I run, but his heavy footsteps clomp through the muck right behind me. He’s so fast, his shadow engulfing my slight frame seconds later. Just as I make it to the opening, he barrels me over, bumping me to the ground and landing right on top of me. His heavy body knocks the air from my lungs. I’m trapped on the grimy cave floor.

Spitting out a mouthful of dirt, I focus on my breaths to steady my racing heart. Now’s not the time to panic. I can escape him. I have to.

He flips me over, pinning my hands above my head. His grin widens as he peers down at me, helpless below him. “That wasn’t very smart, Harley.”

I swallow my gasp, trying not to show my shock. How the hell does he know my name? I’m no one to them. Just the girl who was forced to hide in her closet. He held me there with his powerful arms while the rest of them destroyed my family home and took the most important people in my life away from me.

“Alex will be pleased to see you.” He drags me up to my feet by my wrists, dust flying up around us. A dull throb thumps through my head from the way he knocked me down, but that’s the least of my worries. Who the hell is Alex? The hulk guy? I honestly don’t want to find out. If he knows who I am, I could be wrong about this whole situation.

Using his height to his advantage, he towers over me, the top of my head not even reaching his shoulders. It makes me feel so powerless against him. His piercing blue eyes fill every inch of me with fear. Every move he makes exudes a condescending power. He thinks I’m weak because I’m small. That’s his first mistake.

What’s more dreadful than being shot dead by one of these guys for trespassing? Being taken alive for him to do with as he pleases. Sickness washes over me, and I struggle against him. I’m not going to let him take me easily.

He chuckles as he slings me over his shoulder like I’m a backpack, the air squashing out of my lungs as my face lands way too close to his ass. Tears well in my eyes, but I won’t let them overcome me. With that thought, I struggle against his tight grip, pushing my feet off the side of the cave as he strides away. As I do, I also extend my hand toward my knife, wrapping my fingers around the cold handle.

With a forceful push, he corners me against the rocky wall, and my knife slips from my hand. I wince in pain as my wrist throbs. With his sheer force, he pins me against the rough rock wall, keeping me airborne. “If you’re smart, you’ll quit resisting me, baby doll.”

An icy shiver runs down my spine. That’s what he called me that night.Baby doll.You’re safe, baby doll. He kept chanting it, a mantra, trying to shield me from the awfulness that was taking place outside my bedroom. While he may not have been the person responsible for their deaths, he still played his role. He poses the same level of threat as the rest.

“Or what? What will you do to me if I keep fighting you?” I challenge him.

“I’ll shoot you,” he says back cooly. And I believe him. He would. He wouldn’t think twice about it. But what he doesn’t know is, I want to die. I want to be with the rest of my family and out of this hell of an existence.

“Do it,” I spit back at him. “Kill me like you did my family.”

Our eyes lock, and he gazes intensely at me while a shadow casts over his handsome face, his expression turning grave. His strong fingers dig into my skin with such force I can feel the bruises bleeding to the surface already. For a second, it’s as if time stands still. It’s just him and me locked in a war of wills. He threatens to kill me, but the way he looks at me tells me he won’t.

With that knowledge, I swallow down my fear and get a wave of fresh determination. Using my legs, I kick off the wall, knowing all too well I’m pushing the devil himself, but I’m not going back into the caves with him. So, he’s going to need to end this now and put me out of my misery. Let me be with my family or allow me to run the hell away from him like last time.

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