Page 115 of Never Die for a Sinner
“So, I want to go.”
He chuckles dryly. “Sorry, sweetheart, but what you want doesn’t really matter, does it?” He steps closer to me, his eyes darkening. “You signed your life away to me. That means when I tell you no, it means no.”
“So, what? I’m just supposed to wait around until you decide you want to fuck me?”
His frosty blue eyes meet mine, and a shiver slips down my spine at the warning in them. “I mean it, Ava. If I find out you went to that party, I’ll fuck you right there for everyone to see.”
“No, you won’t.”
I can tell by the look in his eyes that he most definitely will.
He stares at me long and hard for a moment, and I force myself to hold his stare. He’s not in control of me. I’m not a child.
“Try it.”
Levi Cross is the worst man I have ever met, and I stand by that statement wholeheartedly.
I mean, what anasshole.
Not that I really expected anything different. He’s been nothing but cruel and rude to me, save for when he wants to fuck me. He didn’t come see me when he got home last night. In fact, I didn’t hear him return at all.
Well, screw him. I’m not going to wait around for him to decide I’m worthy of his touch again.
It’s a nice day when I step out the back door and head toward the hiking paths that weave through the forest. I actually have a day off for once, so I decided to spend it hiking instead of waiting around inside to run into he who must not be named. It’s warm, but not hot, and there’s a nice breeze blowing through the autumn leaves that makes everything smell like the crisp, mountain air.
I’ve always loved the trails behind the Cross Estate. The main path cuts right through the tall trees, and it feels like a totally different world from the glitz and wealth that haunt the Oak Ridge Lodge.
I take my time because I have all day, enjoying my stroll and taking paths I’ve never been down before. One in particular is slightly overgrown, so just because I can, I start down it, with no intention of following a map.
This is what I enjoy. The quiet calm that can only be found when you’re alone in the forest.
There’s no one to bark orders at you. No one to cast shifty glances your way simply because you exist.
. . . No one to control your every move.
It’s just me and nature, and the longer I walk, the more I find myself wishing I didn’t have to go back.
It’s not until the quiet rumble of thunder sounds overhead, somewhere in the distance, that I pause and look around.
Where the fuck am I?
I’m surrounded by trees on all sides, and when I turn around, I can’t for the life of me tell which way I came from.
To make matters worse, the sky overhead is dark, and the clouds are moving rapidly, meaning a storm is coming. A shiver moves through me at the breeze that rolls through the air, and suddenly I’m cold, my light jacket no longer enough to keep me warm.
Well . . . shit.
I look up through the trees, and the thunder grows louder, as if warning me to get home before I’m stranded.
Oh, this is bad.
“Hello?” I call, but it’s no use. There’s no one around here for miles, and I’m not even on a path.
I’m well and truly alone.
Okay. This is really bad.
I reach for my phone, only to find my pockets empty. And then I remember . . . I left it in my room so I wouldn’t have to deal with Levi today.
