Page 195 of Burn the Wild

That means…

The air around me seems to roar. Mind spinning out, I rasp, “The girls. We left them alone at the house.”

Wyatt pales.

As I bolt for the door, the two-way radio on my hip crackles.

“Ford.” Dakota’s teary voice sounds on the line. “We can’t find her. We can’t find Reese.”

Aloud, high-pitched laugh wakes me.

My eyelids flutter. A powerful wave of nausea sweeps over me, making my body tremble. Everything feels heavy, like a blanket covering my vision.

Finally, I manage to blink my eyes open. Images blur, then come together.

I’m in my chalet, on the bed, propped up by pillows. My wrists are tied in front of me, my feet bound with rope. There’s a glass of whiskey on the table. One of my stage outfits, a short dress with fringe, hangs on the wall. At the foot of the bed, my contract.

Bile, panic surge in my stomach.

“No,” I gasp when Gavin steps out of the bathroom with a knife in his hand.

“It’s your selfishness that brought us to this moment, Reese,” he says in a voice of disapproval. “Remember that. Your selfishness. Not mine.”

“Why are you doing this?”

A sneer spreads across his lips. “You aremine, Reese. My money. My star. And you want to leave me?”

I strain against my binds. “I’m not yours, Gavin. And I never will be.”

“Do you know the things I’ve done for you? I’ve turned down the bad roles. I made you a star. I’ve protected you from people who want to hurt you.”

“Youhurt me,” I shoot back. “You drugged me. You controlled me.”

He stops at the side of the bed. His eyes look like black rocks in a pale piggish face. “I had to. You were crazy. Uncontrollable.”

“No,” I scream in rage. “Youmade me think I was crazy. I’m not crazy. You’re the fucking crazy one.”

In a fury, his hand lashes out. I cry out as he grabs my hair, yanking my face to his. Violent pain shoots through my head. The world blurs.

Outside, the storm rages. The air in the chalet is humid and electric.

“You stupid bitch. Time’s up.”

“What do you mean?” I croak. I have to do something, say something, to keep him talking. To buy me time.

He releases me with a snap. “The world knows about Muirwood. They’ll think the stress got to you. You ran. You couldn’t handle it. You ended it all.” A gesture toward the mirror. There, in red lipstick, the wordGOODBYE.

My breath catches at his plan. Oh God. He’s going to kill me and make it look like I did it. Terror overtakes my body, making me tremble.

“Which makes me your sole beneficiary. I get your money. Your inheritance.” Gavin checks the clock on the nightstand. “Twelve hours until midnight.”

“Please, Gavin. I want to go back to my family.”

“You don’t have a family. I’m your family. I took you from your parents.” He giggles. “They wanted you back, Reese. Did you know that? They came begging for their little girl back. But you were mine.”

“What?” I tug on my restraints, my thoughts spiraling. “What are you talking about?”

“It was supposed to be a favor. Take care of you while they were down and out. But I kept you. I kept you for myself.”

---