Page 69 of Never Fear (Whiskey Ridge)
I was possibly exaggerating the number of women I saw Lance entertaining around the diner, but he was in no way loyal to her, regardless of the number. I had hoped, though, that she’d spare me, given the way she clearly had no idea about his other flings. But as I stared at the tip of the gun, I was certain my hope was futile.
I wasn’t afraid of death. In fact, I sometimes thought the concept of it was beautiful. To fall into eternal peace seemed almost blissful. But there was no guarantee of where I’d go or what the outcome would look like. And that hit me as I refused to blink—refused to breathe—with the gun pointed at my face. There’d be no more laughing with Brynne. No more hating Mondays or feeling the rain on my skin. No more hot baths or late-night movies.
There’d be no more Austin.
That realization hurt the worst. It stained itself on my heart, blackening the organ where it’d become accustomed to the beat of his. His would go on, though. Mine would just…stop.
Maybe that little slice of fun I had with him was enough. Perhaps I was greedy, and this was the world’s way of showing me I’d bitten off more than I was allowed to chew.
“Shoot me, then.”
A hideous smile crept onto her face, so unlike the overly flashy ones I’d seen her wear before. “Your begging is sweet.” She ran the barrel down my neck, the cool metal leaving a trail of goosebumps. “Maybe I’ll draw it out. Have my fun like Lance would have.”
“That sounds like fun. Wanna experiment?” Sometimes, I really needed to hold my tongue. But fuck it. I was already knocking on death’s door.
“Where should I start?”
If I hadn’t been dizzy from the head trauma, I’d have thought she drooled.
“The hands, maybe,” I suggested. “Oh, that’s right.” I yanked on the rope. “Too bad they’re tied.”
“Nah, start with the tongue,” a deep, comforting voice offered. One that felt like home. One that made my heart kick up its pace while simultaneously making my mind whirl.
My head whipped up to find Austin standing by a wooden crate about thirty feet away.
Behind the skeleton mask, his eyes met mine. “She’s always had an attitude.”
Monica couldn’t hide her smirk before she turned to glare at him. “I assume you’re here to save your little bitch.”
Austin shrugged, tucking his hands into his hoodie pocket so casually it almost hurt. “You’re just taking care of a problem for me.”
A fissure threatened to split my heart in two. What the fuck was he talking about?
Monica’s teeth showed then, her wicked smile on display. “It seems we both have a problem to eradicate here.”
He didn’t bother responding as his eyes roamed over me from afar. I hadn’t realized my hands were shaking, or that my foot had gone numb. I could only feel the treacherous pounding of my heart.
Monica faced me again, grabbing my hair and yankingmy head back. I bit back my shriek, fighting off the urge to squeeze my eyes shut.
“Hear that? Your little boyfriend wants you gone, too.” She laughed, the sound anything but nice. Then she forced a dramatic pout. “How sad for you.”
But he couldn’t, right? He had to be bluffing, but?—
He’d told me he loved me, but was he lying? Had he faked all of this?
I shouldn’t have trusted him so easily. I was a fucking fool.
“Then do it,” I gritted out. “Fucking do it.”
She pressed the gun to my lips, her smile never dissipating. “Like he said. I’m starting with your tongue. Open up.”
Of course, this was my fucking fate. Luck was never on my side, and tonight only proved it.
I parted my lips, allowing death past the confines of my fear. All my fight had left me. There was no getting out of this. I’d been a fool to hope Austin would come for me. Instead, he made the trip simply to join in on Monica’s twisted fun.
The cold metal of the gun pressed against my tongue, and an icy tear slipped down my cheek as I clamped my teeth down around the barrel.
A loud bang ricocheted off the walls of the warehouse, and now, I let my eyes close. Or maybe that was death pulling me into its sweet embrace.
