Page 9 of Chasing Temptation
“It’s okay. You’re safe now. I’ve got you.” Her body is limp in my arms. She’s exhausted; clearly she’s been locked in here for a few days. “I’m going to get you out of here.”
I push to stand with her wrapped tightly in my arms, but I don’t get to full height.
Dropping back to my knees, I lift the blanket covering her to find that her wrists and ankles are bound together, the rope around her delicate skin then tied to huge hooks in the floor.
“Motherfucker.”
Gently lowering her, I search for something to cut the rope with. Coming up empty, I realise I’m going to have to leave her.My stomach turns over at the thought of her being alone in here once again.
“I’ll be right back and we’ll get you out of here.” As I gently caress her cheek, her tears wet my fingers as I stare into her blue...wait, blue eyes? She moans in pain, pulling my focus. Releasing my hold on her, I race to the door and back to the kitchen.My heart pounds, my legs not able to move me as quickly as I want to go.
Eddie’s nowhere to be seen, but his disappearance doesn’t even really register. My entire world is tied up upstairs, and I can’t think of anything aside from getting her away from here. There’s a knife rack on the counter, I pull out what I hope will be the sharpest of the set and race back to Quinn.
“I’m going to get you out of here, babe. It’s all going to be okay.”
My harsh breathing fills the room as I saw through the rope keeping her here. My heart’s in my throat as images of me walking out with her in my arms fill my mind. I’m going to take her home and keep her safe. She’s never going to have to worry about this lunatic ever again.
The knife slides through the rope at her feet before I start work on her hands. I’m just about to cut through the last few fibres when a whimper rumbles up her throat, her eyes going wide in fear.
I turn to look at what has her attention before something hard slams into my head and I’m knocked off my feet. The knife falls from my hand, clattering to the wooden floor at my side. Everything goes fuzzy. Darkness threatens to consume me as I look up to the person yielding a baseball bat.
“She doesn’t deserve to be rescued. Elizabeth's nothing more than a filthy whore.”
“Motherfucker.” By some miracle, my body follows orders despite the burning pain in my head, and I jump to my feet. I use his shock to my advantage to get a good look at him. He’s dressed like he should be heading to a golf club, not a fucking poker match, with his jumper tied over his shoulders.
He’s not expecting me to get up so easily, and his eyes widen in shock. I step towards him, the muscles in my neck straining, the need to feel him break beneath my bare hands all-consuming.
I’m on him before he’s even had time to blink, but I’m already on the back foot with my head swimming.
I get a few solid punches in before he manages to duck around the side of me. My vision’s still blurry at the edges, and it seems like it takes forever to turn around and see where he’s gone. If he’s touching her, I swear to god I’ll kill the motherfucker.
“Joe,” Quinn’s bloodcurdling scream fills my ears and makes me move a little faster, but it’s too late. The knife I was using to free her is firmly in his hand and he’s moving towards me faster than I can compute. I don’t feel anything as the cold metal cuts into my abdomen, but I do hear Quinn’s continued screams filling the room.
I don’t feel anything until he pulls the knife from my body, then the pain hits.
A roar fills my ears, and it’s not until I find myself flying at him that I realise the noise actually came from me.
I see red and take him down to the floor, my fists pounding into his face over and over. The need to end this motherfucker is all I can think about. A red haze descends on me like I haven’t felt in years, and I find myself totally out of control. I’ve no idea how much time passes as I lay into him. He has no chance of fighting me off. I’m like a man possessed as blood sprays from his face and his ribs fracture under my force.
It’s not until a pair of hands land on my shoulders that I’m dragged from the moment.
I spin, my fist ready to continue fighting, but I falter when I find a copper standing behind me.
“I think you can stop. He seems to have got just a little bit of what he deserves,” he says with a wink. More amusement fills his voice than it probably should, given the situation.
Looking behind him, I find Eddie standing in the doorway with blood running from his lip and an already swollen eye. He looks between me and something behind me, and it’s then that reality comes back.
“Quinn, fuck.” I run over, falling to my knees at her side and pulling her to me. I’m amazed the coppers allow it, but when I look back one of them nods at me, a small smile on his lips. It’s only as I wrap my arms around her and the blanket falls away from her trembling body that I realise she’s naked beneath.
I don’t care that the man who did this is currently unconscious on the other side of the room. The knowledge that he might have touched what’s mine makes me want to do it all over again.
She must sense where my thoughts are, because her cold hand lands on the side of my neck.
“It’s done. It’s over.” Her voice is weak at best. She needs a hospital, that much is obvious, but as paramedics rush into the room, the last thing I want to do is let her out of my arms.
I hold her tighter to me as they tend tohisbody and wheel him out on a gurney,although admittedly they don’t put a lot of care into their actions.
“Shit.” Quinn’s soft, concerned voice fills my ears as she lifts her hand from my side. It’s bright red and the reminder I need about the knife. The sight of my own blood on her hand makes me feel a little queasy.
“I’m fine. It’s just a scratch.” It’s a lie, and we both know it.
I shift us so I can rest my head back against the wall and keep her tightly in my arms. I’m vaguely aware of voices in front of us, but I can’t make out any words.
My limbs feel heavy, but that doesn’t mean I’m going to let Quinn go. I’ve got her back now, and I’m never letting her out of my sight again.
I fight the darkness that wants to consume me, but eventually I lose and everything fades. A weight is lifted from me as I’m totally consumed by darkness. Her blue eyes and soft curves fill my mind, and I just about remember thinking that there could be a worse way to go.
