Page 12 of His to Burn
I felt myself tense, too, listening for whatever had him on edge.
Hoped it wasn’t me.
The seconds ticked by, intense, and then…
I heard it.
Faint at first but growing ever louder.
Footsteps.
They were muffled, not particularly hurried, but they were footsteps nonetheless.
For want of anything else to do, I reached up and wrapped my hand around the man’s strong forearm, trying—and failing—to get free.
“What—”
He cut off my words by tightening his hold on my mouth, his thick fingers smashing my lips against my teeth.
Escaping his hold was impossible, so Istayed still and bided my time. I’d be out of here soon enough, and I looked forward to punching this asshole in jaw.
From the looks of him, it would hurt me more than him, but it still gave me something to look forward to.
I chose not to think about how he’d respond when I did.
Those footsteps got closer, and for a split second, hope bloomed in my chest.
Then, I noticed it…
Something about the footsteps seemed…off.
It was a weird thing to think, and I wracked my brain trying to explain what bothered me.
I couldn’t count the number of times I’d heard footsteps coming down this very hall.
The lower-pitchedthudof polished loafers, theclick-clackof high heels.
The rhythmic pound of canes and walkers.
The smooth, barely audible roll of wheelchairs.
I’d heard them all.
But I’d never heard anything like this.
There was a rhythm to the steps, but instead of the crisp strides of a lawyer, the more casual stroll of one of the guards, or the vaguely confused-sounding, tentative steps of a visitor who had lost their way, these were different.
The approach was near silent.
The sound of feet hitting the floor was muffled, quiet in a way that was so disconcerting, I realized I was clenching my fists to try tostay calm. Or as calm as I could be trapped in this stranger’s arms.
It struck me then, that feeling I hadn’t been able to place, and as insane as it was, I knew it was true.
Because that feeling told me there was a predator outside.
Told me that I was prey.
I couldn’t deny that feeling any more than I could deny my next breath.
