Page 22 of Baited

“You fucking bitch! I’ll kill you!”

Crash!

Glass pelted through the air, covering Greg and stinging her bare legs. A long, thick arm came through the driver’s side window and grabbed Greg by the throat. She pressed her side against the door, her fingers groped for the door handle as the arm pulled Greg through the window.

A guttural cry sounded from Greg’s throat as the monster dropped him to the ground. The flash of a large, dark form crossed over the now open window as the man attacked Greg.

A low scream sounded in her throat. Were they being mugged? She had to escape. Her fingers found the door handle and she yanked it open. She tumbled through the air and landed on the ground, pain shot through her knees and palms but she staggered to her feet.

Sickening crunches of bone against bone sounded through the air followed by sharp, agonized grunts. She made a dead run across the parking lot, her weak legs wobbled and her hair flew in front of her eyes.

A voice boomed behind her but she didn’t slow. Fast footsteps scuffed across the pavement and she wheeled around as an arm locked tightly around her waist, dragging her against a hard wall of chest.

She pressed her hands against his abdomen and tilted her head back to take in her captor’s face. Sharp, ferocious blue eyes burned down at her. His dark eyebrows pinched together and his hard jaw locked.

“Ethan,” she wheezed. Her breath slowed and her muscles turned lax. A chill danced over her skin despite the warm air and her shoulders shivered. She sucked the humid night air in through her nose.

His face didn’t soften.

“Wh—What are you doing here?” She swallowed over the weight of nausea that forced its way up her throat.

His eyes darkened, resembling black coals that shone in the darkness. “Rescuing you from another rapist, being you’re so hell-bent on self-destruction.” Anger rippled his forehead and his teeth clenched into a snarl. She opened her mouth and clamped it shut. Her brain sorted through her muddled vocabulary but nothing, not even an insult, came through the thick fog. Her head swam and her body wavered in his tight hold.

Oh god. Don’t pass out. Not now.

She planted her feet and met his glare. It took all of her energy not to teeter on her feet as she focused on her speech. “Why are you following me?” she asked slowly, using all of her strength not to stumble over the words.

He snorted, bent down, scooped her legs into the crook of his arm, and cradled her against his chest. “Because I’d prefer not to read about your dead body found in a bloody motel room tomorrow morning.”

Every ounce of fight left her body and she let her head drop to his shoulder. Later she could be mad and would make him eatthose words. For right now, she needed to remain conscious and if that meant letting him win one round, so be it.

His hand gripped tightly to her thigh and the other around her back. Her body moved and swayed with every step and the heavy ball of nausea grew bigger and bigger. She squeezed her eyes shut and burrowed her face in his chest.

She sucked in a greedy breath of the faint hint of his cologne. It anchored her to him even more, and the tension in her muscles eased. In one swift movement, he lowered her to her feet. His hand stayed looped around her belly as he fished in his pocket for his keys.

Fire blazed up her throat and she lurched forward. Vomit shot through her lips, splattering to the ground.

“Shit,” Ethan hissed. His free hand swept her hair back and out of harm’s way. His arm firmed against her stomach, keeping her upright as she bent over, wave after wave of liquid expelled from her body. Moisture clotted her mascara together and tears coursed down her face with the force of her heaves.

“Shh. It’s all right, let it out.” Ethan’s warm breath tickled her shoulder, his words soft and coaxing. Her body shook violently; if it weren’t for his solid strength against her she would have crumpled to the ground like a wet towel.

“Guess I don’t have to take you to get your stomach pumped now.” His hand stroked down her arm, chasing the chill from that area of her skin. “Got it all?”

She swallowed and nodded. Saliva coated her tongue and she grimaced as embarrassment crept up her spine.

“Can you stand for a sec?” he asked.

Her hand clutched against his wrist for dear life, but she nodded. She’d stand if it killed her. Stepping over her large puddle of puke, he rummaged in the back of his truck and came out with a T-shirt and a bottle of water. “Here, clean up with this.”

Her hands trembled as she accepted the black shirt and pressed it to her mouth. He moved behind her again, his large hand covered her hip, pressing her back to his front. Her body jerked with every tremor and his other hand held out the bottle of water. She took it and greedily gulped the cool, refreshing liquid.

“Okay now?” His voice was unwavering next to her ear, solid and surprisingly sympathetic.

She nodded again. He opened the passenger door, lifted her into the seat, and secured the seat belt across her chest. Her eyes closed and her body turned lax, as if just knowing she was safe was enough for her to slip into peaceful unconsciousness.

A moment later, the interior light flicked on and he slid into the driver’s seat. Her eyes fluttered open against the glow. She took a deep breath and rested her head against the door. Ethan’s rumbling voice permeated her senses.

She frowned and turned her head to squint at him. Annoyance lit his fiery blue orbs. God, he was hot. His lips moved slowly and a giggle erupted in her chest.

---