Page 45 of Catching His Runaway

Elijah rumbles with a chuckle, like he can’t comprehend the truth.

When I open my eyes and glare at him, I notice the way he’s taking me in. While fear might not be what’s nipping at my chest, something else is. Something unsettling.

Is it because he doesn’t have a sharp blade pressed to my throat?

One of his hands reaches out and grips the back of the chair I’m tied to, while the other lifts to touch my face. Trapping me in place, he doesn’t allow me to jerk away. His thumb traces my jaw, and I can smell the alcohol radiating off of him. Like he’s been happily knocking back drink after drink the entire time I was unconscious, I can smell the liquor on his breath.

“You ran away from me, Valeria,” he murmurs as his thumb brushes my bottom lip next. “After I gave you the chance to do me right, you chose to be a coward. I didn’t think you were the type.”

When I try to sink my teeth into his thumb, his frown grows, and he pulls his hand away. Instead of straightening up, he remains only a foot away, staring deep into my eyes. Like he’s looking for something I don’t have to give.

“You don’t know anything about me.” Trying to tug at my restraints, the fog in my head hardly makes it easy. To the best of my ability, I try to use my anger to clear the haze.

If he sees me crumbling before him, or more defenseless than a baby bird, then Elijah wins. He can’t win.

I can’t die or succumb to whatever he has planned for me. If I want to make it back to Tommy, I have to survive.

There’s no chance in hell I can die with Tommy thinking I’ve betrayed him again.

“I wanted to rescue you, Val. Get you away from those brutes keeping you trapped. If you’d gotten yourself away a little sooner, I could’ve brought you here. This place is far better,” he hums softly. “I want to be more gracious toward you.”

His words are muddled as I try to figure out what he’s talking about.

“My last offer scared you off. I didn’t realize how soft you were, but now I do. Stay here, and I’ll let you work your debt off here.” He hums in the back of his throat. “You won’t have to risk making any more bets. You can letmetake care of you.”

I don’t know what else he’d have me do, but he’s happy to give me a clue to put the pieces together.

Vile rises in the back of my throat as his movement is all a blur. I don’t realize he’s leaning in until I feel his thin lips on mine.

This kiss is sloppy, and I taste the rum on his tongue. At first, I’m too shocked by the shift, but once I realize what he’s doing, my nails dig into the wooden arms deep enough to give me splinters. When I try to turn my head, and his hand keeps me in place, I do what’s second best.

I sink my teeth into his tongue until I taste blood.

Elijah makes this howling sound, reeling back as half of the men surrounding us watch. The others don’t care enough to pay attention.

He hisses between his teeth, his face contorting into one of disgust.

I spit on him, my distaste overflowing my body. Not even two seconds later, there’s a harsh pain against my cheek as the back of his hand makes contact. The rings on his fingers catch my skin and, surrounding the radiating sting from contact, I feel the wetness collecting. I taste the crimson, too, but I can’t tell if it’s my blood or his.

“You ungrateful bitch,” he growls, his face pinched into the angriest I’ve ever seen.

He looks disgusting, inside and out. If he thinks I’d ever fall for a cretin like him, he’d be crazy. Not a chance. No amount of drugs in my system would ever convince me otherwise.

“Fuck you,” I hiss back, my anger flickering even hotter than my new wound.

As his jaw sets and his fingers curl into fists, I know a slap won’t be enough to heal the rejection. Looking like he wants to do more than make my right cheek match my left, I try to prepare myself for the blow.

Before he can, there’s suddenly a loud bang. Almost like a clash of thunder during a rainstorm. Instead of rumbling for seconds, it’s an instant. Just enough time to see one of the men with an assault rifle be affected by the noise.

I jerk and gasp as blood suddenly splatters the wall as the guy’s head disappears. Like a gory piece of art against the wall, my heart shoots straight for my throat when I watch the guy fall to his knees before hitting the ground.

There’s another bang, this time resulting in blood hitting my leg.

Elijah, distracted and impaired, takes too long to react. It’s not until the men are scrambling that he’s sinking his fingers into his hair. “What thefuck?”

They’re smart, getting away from the now broken window that’s given the shooter the view of the inside. Unfortunately for them, the cabin has many windows, and as long as they’re standing in here with me and this lunatic, they risk their safety.

Even with their protection, Elijah must’ve been confident my family wouldn’t come for me.

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