Page 145 of Say My Name

Abruptly, he sits on the bed, snatching my wrists and bringing me down with him.

“I was supposed to have his life,” he whispers, his voice mirroring his apparent anguish.

“I know you were,” I say, easing the letter opener down.

Guy lowers his head slightly, and as we sit on the bed, side by side, I raise the letter opener and bring it down, pushing it through the fleshy part of his thigh until I hit bone. He lunges forward, screaming in pain, and I take off.

My flip flops fly off as I hightail it out of the master suite, running as fast as I can to the kitchen.

There’s a knife block on the counter, and I grab the biggest one on my way out the back door.

I can still hear Guy howling at the top of the stairs when I race into the darkness. I sprint for the forest, hoping the night hides me as I race through the yard.

My breath comes out in quick pants as I run, clutching the knife to my chest, finally making it into the forest’s protection.

I hear the leaves crunching underfoot as he tries to catch up with me. The sound is uneven, like he’s limping.

“Chloe, you bitch,” he calls out.

And then, suddenly, it’s quiet. The only sounds I hear are the cicadas chirping along the lake’s shore.

My feet burn from the ground’s weapons. Every rock, shrub, and thorn has pierced my bare feet, making it harder to run.

I slip behind a tree, letting the moonlight guide me. I glance around as my nerves throb with fatigue. My heart pounds against my chest, and I suck in some air, trying to quiet it down.

“I know you’re out here, Chloe,” Guy calls out into the stillness.

He’s to my left, not too far away, and I move as silently as possible, cursing the noisy leaves underfoot.

If he catches me, I’m as good as dead. I’ll fight the whole way down, but his gun trumps the knife in my hand.

Blending in with the shadows, I keep moving in the direction I hope I’ll find a road. In all honesty, I’m fucking lost. I can only hope for a road, or a house. Or a miracle. Because there’s nothing out here but me and a killer.

I rub my belly. “I’m so sorry, little baby,” I whisper.

Every fiber of my being keeps me moving, trying my best to distance myself from Guy.

“Chloe,” he calls again, only this time it sounds like he’s further away.

This gives me hope, so I take off running.

Please, let me make it out of this alive.

Chapter 44

Devereaux

I pull into Guy’s driveway about the same time as Roman and Ledger.

“Is he here?” Roman asks as he hops out of his SUV.

“Don’t know.” I pull my gun from my waistband. “Go around back and I’ll go up the front.”

Roman and Ledger make their way to the rear of the property, each taking a different side of the house.

The house is a small bungalow on the edge of downtown. It’s dark, and there are no neighbors around, only a dog howling somewhere in the distance.

“Chloe,” I call out, stopping to listen for her to answer.

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