Page 41 of The Fence Between Us

Two days ago, Skye wouldn’t have doubted Rabble would come for her, no matter where she was in the world. But after she ran away from him, she wasn’t so sure anymore. Rabble might be lost to her completely now. Not to mention she’d ignored every single one of his phone calls, text messages, and voicemails. Maybe he wouldn’t even care to look for her.

Their friends had enough going on with the upcoming parade and the concern for Bekah’s safety. The likelihood of anyone knowing she’d been taken against her will was slim, and that knowledge alone was enough to tear down a few more blocks of her resolve and sanity.

The door clicked open, and Skye whirled around, hurrying to put as much distance between her and the intruder as she could.Dylan strutted through the door, his self-assurance proceeding him like the peacocks at the animal sanctuary, preening and full of themselves.

He leaned against the door, making sure it closed securely behind him. Fear shivered down her spine. She had never seen this particular look on his face before. The gleam in his eye was pure satisfaction at seeing his prey cornered and helpless.

Skye pulled herself up to her full height and squared her shoulders to make herself look bigger, more like a threat. She wished she could meet his eyes, to stare him down with all of her fury, but she couldn’t quite force herself to meet his gaze for longer than a few seconds. Long moments passed in silence as they sized each other up. Whatever Dylan saw made him smirk a little more. He was nearly licking his lips in excitement.

“I hope you like the dress.” His gaze flicked to the garment bag that hung open, the poofy skirt threatening to spill out and pool on the floor.

Skye’s face twisted. “It’s awful.”

As Dylan drew his eyebrows together, his lips twisted in disdain. “I chose it myself.”

“Well, it’s horrendous.” Everything else she wanted to say wouldn’t quite convey the hatred she had for him and his dress.

Dylan’s smile boarded on a grimace, “I know you aren’t in love with this idea right now, but you’ll come around. I’ll be a good husband. I’ll help you accept it, to take on your role, and we’ll be truly happy. Did you honestly expect me to walk away for good? You need me, Skye.”

Skye’s blood boiled and her ability to hold her tongue vanished, “I’m not struggling, you imbecile, and yes! I thought I’d never see you again. That’s what normal people do when they break up.”

She regretted her outburst almost immediately. He didn’t deserve the satisfaction of her answers.

“So naïve. You can’t escape the life you were born into. Seeing you for the first time at college, knowing I needed to pursue you was painful. I must say though…” He leered at her, making her feel exposed in her leggings and tie-dyed T-shirt, “I warmed up to the idea of marrying you quite quickly.”

Dylan exhaled a small sigh and wrangled his expression back to bland disinterest. “You and I are both just pawns. The difference is I’ve accepted my position, and I don’t think the life we’ll build together will be that awful at all.”

Like oil-slicked claws, he raked his gaze over her, and the filth of his words coating her skin made her want a shower.

“I’ve never cared about my father’s job. He wanted to be mayor, not me. He and Gayle can scheme all they want; I want no part in this.”

“Too bad, sweet-cheeks.” He stalked toward her, caging her against the wall with his arms, the smell of her stepmother’s pot roast and sweet tea on his breath. “The sooner you accept your role in this family, the better. Between your father and mine, they’ve built up a little political empire. They have plans already in motion. The next step is you putting on that white dress, and we get married. The officiant will be here within the hour. And Skye, you know what I’m most excited about?”

“You’re going to tell me whether I want to know or not.” Her voice trembled, and she hated herself for it.

He leaned down, his lips brushing the curve of her neck, upward, making her shiver. His hot breath rushed out against her ear. “Taking that wedding dress off.”

Skye didn’t think; she just reacted. One moment Dylan’s mouth and words were terrorizing her. The next moment, he kneeled before her on the floor, his hands tucked tightly around his privates. Her knee smarted a bit from where she struck him.

“You bitch!” he screeched, reaching for her.

She scrambled out of the way and backed toward the window. Gingerly, Dylan rose to his feet and limped out the door, slamming it behind him. She realized two things at once: She really was going to throw up, and climbing out of the window was the only chance she had to escape.

Chapter 25

Rabble

Night had officially fallen, its multitude of stars dotting the sky as Declan and Dash drove their trucks down the road Rabble knew so well. As one, they hit their headlights, allowing the beams to go dark and they continued on, driving by instinct and the light of the moon. Rabble tried to focus on anything that might keep him sane on the drive. Through the open window, the song of the crickets and frogs hiding in the weeds reached him. Fireflies, though less than he remembered, danced across the shadowy stalks of grass, their little glowing lights like beacons, urged them onward.

Declan pulled the truck off the road, next to Dash, just before the bright white gravel driveway leading to the mayor’s house. Rabble gripped the seat buckle, his fingers cramping with the effort to keep from pressing down and releasing the lock. Skye was somewhere in that house. He could feel it.

Dash jumped out of his truck and jogged over, speaking through Declan’s open window.

“How do you want to play this?”

Declan’s usual goofy, joking personality was replaced by a more serious version, a man on a mission, with a purpose and focused drive. This version of Declan would do whatever it took to win, to beat the odds, to emerge victorious.

Declan kept his eyes glued to the long driveway and the house beyond it. “We have a lot of unknowns here.”

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