Page 81 of Better Run
My heart stops. His voice is gravelly and full of menace. “Cole’s a little testy that you’ve gotten away this long.”
I know I should be running. I feel like a bunny in the sight of a hawk. Maybe if I’m still enough, they won’t see me. I’ll be safe.
The passenger window rolls down, and Cole makes eye contact with me.
I draw in a breath so harshly it makes my lungs hurt. I forgot how big he is. How easily he can hurt me.
I turn and sprint. I run faster than I’ve ever run in my life. I sprint down the side of the road, looking for a place to get over the fence. The road blurs past me. I feel like I’m flying over the ground, but I can’t go fast enough.
Doors slam.
The hot wind whistles past my ears, and my shoes crunch. Oh god, I need to hide. I don’t look to see if they’re following, but I know they are. I can hear crunches and skitters and heavy, fast footsteps.
There’s a downed part of wire fencing ahead. I hurtle towards it and jump over, flying through the field. I narrowly miss twisting my ankle in the uneven terrain. I don’t even know where I’m going until something looms in the dimming light. A barn.
I run to it. The closer I get I can see that it looks old and unused. The sliding doors sag open. I slip inside.
Darkness blinds me for a moment. Then I see I’ve run into an abandoned barn with two stalls on both sides and an opening into a paddock at the opposite end. An old horse barn. I dart to the right and into one of the old stalls. Once behind the wall, I collapse on the bare rubber mats, digging in my bag for the knife I brought.
“Little one.” The voice is deadly calm, coming from the arena. “I missed you. Come out and play.”
The words hold promise and danger. They hang in the hot air. It makes lust settle deep in me.
What is wrong with me? I find my knife and grip it, trying to catch my breath in the stifling heat.
“Kitten.”
I jump. The voice is close. In the aisle I’m hiding in.
“Did you touch yourself without our permission? Make yourself come all over your desperate fingers?”
I swallow.
The other voice speaks up, also close. “That’s a broken rule, little one.”
“Two broken rules…” The first voice speaks up, then abruptly stops.
I hold my breath. Everything goes unnaturally silent. I grip my knife harder, staring at the stall door.
“I told you not to run.” Two massive forms slip inside the stall and roll the door shut with a screech and a bang.
I scream and jump to my feet, darting away from their reach to the back of the stall.
“Nowhere to go.” Cole steps forward. He’s dressed in black pants and a black T-shirt that’s stretched across his muscled body. He has a grin on his handsome face. He looks like he wants to eat me alive.
I know what I’m about to say will make them angry and fuck me harder. It makes my heart race. “I played your stupid game. And I won. I beat you, Jayden.” I swipe my knife out in front of me. “Just needed to come here to get that reminder?”
Jayden’s gaze darkens to completely black. Cole throws his head back and laughs. “Just as cute as I remember.” Cole eyes me and my knife. “You want to cut me again, lemon drop?”
“I want you to back off and go to hell.” I feel more alive right now than I have in forever. My blood sings with electricity.
He just smiles and steps closer. “Do I make your panties wet?”
I glare at him.
“I think we should check.” Jayden also walks closer, hunger all over his dark face.
My back is against the wall. They have me and they know it. They look like lions playing with their food. I slash at Cole when he gets too close, but he just steps out of the way.
