Page 63 of Make You Mine

“Are you?” As the words slip past his lips, the small lamp beside him flips on, illuminating Lyle’s rough features. He’s angry. A bit dirty. He’s also standing while holding a large blade in his hands that he flips between his fingers without a care, not paying a lick of attention to the blood coating his skin, which appears to have a dozen tiny cuts. “Who’s going to protect you, Sugar? That pussy fucking detective?”

“How did...?” The words get stuck in my throat. Fear—fight or flight—sits heavy on my chest, and I take a step to the side. Then another. I’m thinking. Begging God silently for a way out.

All I need is a chance.

“You shouldn’t wander the halls alone, little Ava. Not even to throw away the garbage,” he drawled, eyes hungrily wandering over my exposed skin. “Never know who’s lurking.”

“That’s a lie. The corridor was?—”

“My naive little girl.” He tsks, thumbs running across the steel edge of the knife. “So lost in your emotions that you never looked toward the small alcove on your left. Not even a flicker of awareness as you blindly gave yourself an adorable yet useless pep talk before putting the garbage inside the chute.”

“Christ.” Another step, and he mimics me with one forward. “You’ve been here this entire time? The lights?—”

“Me. I’ve enjoyed watching you again after all this time.”

“Again?” I ask, just as his head turns toward the balcony and the night sky. Either he doesn’t care or is extremely sure of himself because he doesn’t so much as move a muscle as I rush toward the room’s entrance.

“Are you looking to play a game?” That question makes me pause as I place my foot in the hallway, mind working quickly. “Perhaps hide-and-seek?”

“Answer the question, Lyle.” I see my room door is closed, and so is the office, and curse my idiocy.Head for Elijah’s room. His closet has a gun and emergency phone.It’s a somewhat safe room; the door is heavy, thick, and in reinforced steel, as is the surrounding structure. Elijah told me bullets wouldn’t get through and that if the worst came to be, to make it inside and hide near the far back so I’d be out of the line of fire.

It should hold him back long enough for me to call for help.

All I need to do is make it to the other side before...

“You first.” Two large hands wrap around my waist, and I freeze. They pull me against an un-showered body, and there’s no mistaking his hard cock as it presses against my ass. There’s a second or two of shock and disgust and so much sudden adrenaline that I begin to shake uncontrollably.

My vision becomes hazy, and all I see around me is that woman inside his house. Her body. Her eyes as they lock with mine.

Blood. Red. It’s everywhere.

A loud wail rends the air then, and it’s full of this haunting terror that hurts my head.

“Just like that, little Ava. Scream for me.” His breath is hot against my neck, and it’s enough to silence the scream. To silence me. “Awww, baby. Don’t stop. I rather enjoy you like this.”

“Please.” It’s all I manage to get past the lump in my throat. “Why are you doing this, Lyle?”

“Took you long enough,” he spits out, grip on me tightening to the point it hurts. So much so that I yelp, which makes him chuckle. “How could you forget me? After everything we’ve been through?”

“Let me go.” It’s a hiss through clenched teeth.

“You have better manners than that. Your mother was a stickler for it.”

“Please.”

“Was that so hard?” I don’t respond, and he doesn’t release me, either. Instead, he sniffs my hair—rubs himself against me—and it takes everything in me not to gag. To not further set him off. “You know, I changed everything about me for you, and it still wasn’t enough. My hair. My clothes…”

“I never asked anything of you, Lyle, other than to be left alone.”

“Fuck that, Sugar. If anyone’s angry here, it’s me. Don’t give me any of that sass.” He rubs himself against me, the knife in his hand stopping just below my breast. “I’ve been patient and more than kind, but you’ve never seen me. I tried it the nice way, and now I’m done waiting.”

Keep calm. Get to Elijah’s room.

Keep calm. Get to Elijah’s room.

Keep calm. Get to Elijah’s room.

Taking in a deep breath, I exhale slowly and toe off my fuzzy socks with the back of my foot, trying not to draw too much attention. He’s busy burying his nose in my hair and muttering something too low for me to hear, but once they’re off, I brace my feet.

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