Page 92 of Wretched Heart
He thinks I’m being compliant. It’s how I survived with Hugo as a brother. I knew when not to fight back, but I can defend myself. I will defend myself.
Ray releases some of the tension on my arm so he canreach for my free hand. I let him think he can take it, but I bend my elbow at the last second and jab it backwards. I hit Ray’s chest hard enough to wind him, and when he topples back with a grunt, I heave myself up.
My bedroom is in darkness, but I haven’t closed all the blinds, and there’s enough moonlight to catch my first glimpse of my adversary. Ray’s wearing black, and although I catch the glint of his belt, I don’t see a holster.
Scrambling off the bed, I grab the brass lamp on my bedside table and swing it as Ray lurches towards me. The heavy base glances off the side of his head. The blow isn’t enough to stop him, but it stalls him long enough to allow me to make a bid for escape. If I try to leave the house, there’s a good chance he’ll catch me, and I don’t have time to reach my bathroom and lock the door. But if I run fast, I can put more distance between us. I know every room in this house, and I know which ones have locks and which windows I can climb through.
As I’m racing towards the stairs, I feel a tug on my t-shirt. I lurch forward in an attempt to pull away, but Ray’s stronger than he looks. He yanks me backwards, and I’m pulled off my feet. My scream is cut off as I land on the wooden floor with a sickening thud.
Gasping for air, I don’t allow myself time to register the pain. I crawl on my hands and knees, setting my sights on Hugo’s room. There’s a balcony outside his window. If I can make it there…
Ray grabs my hip, and as I kick back, my foot connects with something soft. A high-pitched grunt confirms I found my target, but my bare foot does little damage to Ray’s balls.
“Stop fighting, you stupid bitch!” he shouts, bearing down on me again. “I’ll knock some sense into you if I have to!”
As I go to stand, a hand wraps around my ankle. Ray pulls me back and I hit the floor again. I grab hold of a nearby table leg, and I just hold on.
Chapter 33
Hunter
“We have to turn the plane around,” says Mace.
I drag my gaze from the shredded divorce papers to my brother, annoyed that he gets to be the one to demand we turn back. Maddie deserves more from me. At the very least, she deserves a say in our future. She’s my wife, and it’s time I stopped letting my older brother dictate our next chapter.
“We’re not turning the fucking plane around for anyone,” Ash says, his voice as soft as granite. “We have a job to do.”
Mace lifts his cell phone. “The Emerson’s jet took off from Chicago as soon as Alice’s feet hit the ground, and it’s heading for the airfield we just left. Whoever’s onboard has business in Brimstage, and you can bet they’re not interested in the fucking paper mill.”
My stomach hollows. Barrett’s going after Maddie. “Tell the pilot to turn back. Now!” I yell at Mace as I scramble for my phone. My brother races to the front of the plane, butmy focus is on Maddie. I dial her number, and then I wait. And wait. “Fuck! She’s not picking up.”
“Jake, get over to Maddie’s place,” I hear Ash order, his cell pressed to his ear. Jake must sound too casual because Ash loses it with his next instruction. “Right. Fucking. Now! We need to secure her by any means. Find her and keep her safe until we get there.”
I have to grab hold of a seat as the plane tilts. Mace reappears. “We’re about twenty minutes behind Barrett.”
“It’s a trap, isn’t it?” Reid says, looking at me. “This whole thing with Alice was to get us away from Brimstage.” He’s gathering up his papers, including the pages Maddie had shredded. None of us want to look at the evidence that proves she was braver than any of us.
“Barrett needed us out of the way so he could make his move,” I’m forced to agree. “And it’s going to be his last damn move if I have anything to do with it.”
“We will get back in time. Right?” Reid asks. “Twenty minutes is nothing. And Jake’s going to be at the house before anyone else can get to her.”
I want to believe he’s right, but before I can dare to hope, the sound of Maddie’s scream cuts through the silence. Fear like I’ve never known before consumes me, and I grab Mace’s cell. It’s a live feed to the Corbyn house, but it’s only audio.
I can’t see what’s happening. I don’t know who’s with Maddie, or what they’re doing to her. I have to stop myself from crushing the phone in my fist. It’s my only connection to my wife. I can’t do anything but listen on helplessly. My heart pounds in my chest. I should be there, not thousands of feet in the air.
“Stop fighting, you stupid bitch!” a man shouts. “I’ll knock some sense into you if Ihave to!”
“That’s Ray,” Ash mutters above the sound of struggling.
“Get off me, asshole!” Maddie shouts, and I’m only marginally relieved that she sounds more pissed than afraid. “Fuck you and fuck Barrett! You’re not taking me anywhere! I do not belong to that limp-dicked douchebag! I belong to Hunter. And I’m going to enjoy watching him cut off your balls for touching what’s his!”
I notice Ash smirk. “Just give Maddie another ten minutes with him, and Ray will be regretting his life choices,” he says, attempting to reassure me. “He’s not going to hurt her, Hunter. It’s not Ray’s style.”
“He’s an ex soldier,” I remind him. “And a dead one for threatening my wife.”
We listen to Maddie being bundled out of the house, and then silence falls. It’s worse than listening to her struggling because now I have to fill in the gaps.
“Do you think he’s taking her to meet the plane?” Reid asks.
