Page 54 of Screamer
That’ll do.
I slow my pace to yank my gun out of my ankle holster, grateful that I wear it at all times. After ensuring the safety is off, I run as fast as I can in the direction I think the voice came from. Seconds later, I hear the same man talking shit to someone.
Skidding to a stop when I see Roxie, I scan the area. Jace is standing next to the tree that Roxie is tied to, and he’s holding a whip that appears to be dripping blood from the tip. The sun is starting to set, and with the forest surroundings, it’s hard to see.
Roxie is naked, and slash marks crisscross her torso. Her head hangs limply to the side, and there’s something covering her mouth. There are also three others tied to different trees and either unconscious or dead, and I can only assume they’re the friends who were coming for a visit.
“Jesus,” I whisper harshly.
“I knew she couldn’t resist calling you,” Jace says calmly. “Which is why I started the party early.”
“You’re a sick fuck, you know that?”
He drags the whip through the dirt. “I’m okay with that. Wanna know why?”
“Why?”
“Because sick fuck or not, I’m the one who will be walking away from here with Roxanne on my arm.”
If she can even walk.
I lift my gun and aim it at his head. My brain screams at me to pull the trigger, but I don’t. Not yet. I need answers first. Roxie is going to have questions, and I’ll be damned if I take away her chance to know whatever it is that will make her feel better when this is all over.
“Roxie, sweetheart,” I call to her. “C’mon, Rox, wake up for me.”
She tries to lift her head and moans.
“Her name is Roxanne,” Jace seethes.
“Why are you doing this?” I ask.
“She agreed to be my wife, and that’s what she’s going to be,” he says as if I should’ve known the answer.
“And then you beat her,” I remind him. “She left you, Jace. She doesn’t love you.”
“You think I give a shit about love?” he snaps. “It took me two years to make Roxanne marriage material. I had her right where I wanted her.”
“She’s not an animal,” I growl. “She’s a fucking human, and she deserves so much more than you.”
“Like what? You?”
“Honestly, it doesn’t even matter if it’s me or some other man, as long as it’s not you, as long as she’s happy.”
As soon as the words leave my mouth, I realize how true they are. Losing Roxie would probably kill me, but the most important thing is that she’s happy. If she’s alive and not with Jace, I can live with that.
“Mmmm,” she moans, forcing my gaze to waver from Jace. “S-Screamer?”
“I’m here, sweetheart,” I say.
She lifts her head at an agonizingly slow pace and locks her eyes on mine. “Kill him.”
Without missing a beat, I squeeze the trigger. The bullet goes through Jace’s chest, and I’m at Roxie’s side before his body even hits the ground.
“Fuck, sweetheart, I’m so sorry,” I whisper as I work the ropes wound around her body and the tree trunk.
“F-for what?”
“For letting him get to you. I should’ve known you weren’t safe. I should’ve kept you gua?—”
