Page 41 of Baited

Shit, shit, shit.There was nowhere to go. She couldn’t stop, couldn’t accelerate.

She was going to die.

Ethan’s voice strung through her mind, but she couldn’t catch a single word. His scream yanked her back.

“Dammit, Riley, listen to me. You need to—”

Slam!

Her body catapulted forward, the steering wheel connected with her chest. The grinding sound of metal on metal screeched through the night. The truck pulled back, and then slammed into her car again.

She closed her eyes. Her hands fell away from the wheel and she covered her face to brace against the impact. Her scream died in the darkness around her.

CHAPTER 11

Motherfucker. Ethan poundedthe gas pedal to the floor. He lurched backward as his truck shot forward. The bastard was after Riley. His palms moistened and every hair on his body stood on end. She couldn’t be far. He’d gotten in his car almost ten minutes ago, and their call had just cut out. He scanned the darkness, but it was impossible to see far ahead with the constant slew of rain on the windshield. His heart beat against his chest. A car in a ditch caught his eye, the passenger’s side crushed against a tree.

Riley.

She could be hurt… or worse. Sweat clung to his brow and collected at the back of his neck. He pulled over to the opposite side of the road in front of her vehicle and slammed his truck into Park. He charged into the ditch. The water that had collected over the past twenty-four hours soaked his ankles. Rain pelted his face. His lungs expanded in his chest, his fists pumped as he ran.

Please god, please let her be okay.

Riley kicked the driver’s side door open and his blood thundered through his ears. She stumbled out of the car, landing in the shallow water. He skidded to a stop and water splashed his thighs as he knelt to pull her into his arms. He ran his hands over her body, searching for injuries. It was hard to tell in the dark, but nothing major grabbed his attention. Relief closed around him, smothering him. Her arms curled around his neck.

“Ethan.” Her voice broke on a sob. He lifted her in his arms and climbed up the side of the ditch. She trembled against him,her teeth chattered in the torrents of rain. He juggled her weight while he opened the passenger door of his truck. He sat her in the seat, and his gaze raked over her face. A trickle of blood started at her hairline, tiny scratches littered her face, and her lip was swollen.

Anger coursed through him. That sonofabitch was going to pay.

“My purse is still in the car,” she breathed, but her fingers didn’t loosen their hold on his shirt.

He eased her hands off him and onto her lap. “I’ll grab it.” He leaned over her to crank the heat.

Her hands grasped his shoulders.

“He’s going to come back.” Her chin quivered, her eyes glazed over with tears. An iron fist formed in his chest. He held her face between his palms, forcing her eyes to focus on him. A deep line creased her forehead, she inhaled a shaky breath.

“You’re safe now. I’ll be back in a second and then we’re getting out of here.”

She blinked the tears away, her throat moved on a swallow. “Okay.” She nodded.

The urge to kiss her swollen lip, and every other scrape on her porcelain face, turned his feet to lead. He tore himself away. First, he had to get her safe and dry. He buckled her seat belt, then closed the door and jogged to her car. The black finish bore silver scratches from the truck that had ploughed into her car. The airbag had deployed, and smashed the windshield into a million tiny pieces. He sat on the seat to turn off the ignition, and then grabbed her purse from the passenger seat.

Ethan’s hands clenched into fists as he strode back to his truck. He slid behind the wheel and set her purse beside her. The muscles in his stomach clenched. He punched the overhead light and turned to face her. Her wide, green eyes pierced his soul.

He reached his hand to cup her face, his thumb brushed over her cheekbone. A pinkish-purple hue stained the delicate skin there.

“Did you see him?”

She shook her head. Shit.

At least she’d seen the make and model of the truck.

“If you hadn’t of come when you did…”

“Shhh.” He smoothed her hair back. “I did, and you’re going to be okay. I’m taking you to a hospital and—”

“No, I’m fine.”

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