Page 124 of Live for Me

“Where?”

“At the diner in Hayden.”

My stomach dropped.

That’s where the girls went out for lunch.

Chapter Thirty

Abbie

“What the hell is this, Abbie?” Ricky roared, gesturing to the only painting that hadn’t been destroyed when he completely raidedmy house, the one I'd hidden underneath the bed when I got here.

It was propped up on against the porch steps, the afternoon sun rays flooding down from the heavens through the treetops, highlighting each one of my tedious brush strokes.

I looked at the painting for half a second before meeting his eyes again. His thin dark hair was wild due to him running his hands through it constantly for the last five minutes. His skin was sleek with sweat, the stains spreading over the front of his Wildlife Warden button up. He had a gun on his hip, but he’d tossed his badge in the backseat of his car before he dragged me here.

To the cabin.

What scared me the most—and there was a lot—was that Ricky knew where this cabin was.

“Look at it, Abbie!” he demanded, coming for me.

I tried not to flinch when he reached out, grabbing the top of my hair and turning my head to face the painting.

It was a portrait, the only one that hadn’t been completely destroyed by my stalker.

One I’d been working on for over six years.

It was a portrait of Beau, and the reason why it was taking so long to complete was because of his eyes. I could never find or mix the right shades of blue.

Beau’s blue was one of a kind.

Beau’s blue was my favorite blue.

A sharp pain shot through my heart, knowing I may never get to see that blue again.

Ricky yanked my head back with a growl, and my eyes widened just before he backhanded me. My head snapped to the side, the pain in my scalp no worse than the throb in my cheek. I bit the inside of my mouth, drawing blood to stifle my screams.

I didn’t want to give him the fucking satisfaction.

“After all I’ve done for you,” Ricky hissed, shoving my head back against the tree and walking away. Once his back was to me, I leaned forward, scrambling to get the rope undone.

An hour ago, I was set to have lunch with Valerie and Harmony. After spending days on the ranch, Valerie decided we needed a break. It took an hour of convincing our overprotective cowboys, but when Denver’s gray eyes softened, I knew we’d been given the green light. It was just supposed to be a lunch. Quick. Simple. Easy.Safe.

Then, Ricky Johnson walked in, giving me his cocky, sinister smile.

Even though he gave me the creeps, I never thought it could be him. Everything happened so fast, but one thing was for certain: I was the only one who’d gotten hurt.Thank God.

“What do you want, Ricky?” I asked, wincing as pain flared in my wrist. He’d twisted it before shoving me into his car.

The man whirled, looking at me like I’d betrayed him.

Disbelief scattered across his features, and he slowly looked up to the sky, feeling defeated. “I just don’t understand it, Abbie. All I’ve done is try to protect you—to love you in the way you deserve,” he said, yelling the last few words.

I looked over to the cabin. “Why did you bring me here?” My voice was surprisingly level, given the circumstances.

He scoffed, rolling his eyes and throwing his hands out. “I was trying to be nice, Abbie! I wanted to make sure you had all your things before we left.”

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