Page 82 of Never Give Up

But the laughter is hard and full of anger. “You mean your boyfriend? Didn’t take long for you to turn into a slut and pass it around. That’s supposed to be just for me, Maya.You’remine. Don’t you remember that?” He laughs. “Don’t you remember those long hours in the dark room training for the job you stole from me?”

Queasiness rolls through me as I slowly move my hand to my back pocket for my phone.

His eyes zero in, but I’m short enough and close enough to the island he can’t see.

I hold up my hands. “Just an itch, that’s all.” What’s he talking about? Training together? “You were dispatching?” That’s the only training I’ve done.

I put my hands down and make a show of scratching, then come around with the phone, pressing down to unlock and hold it between my thigh and the counter, and hit 911.

“I was.” He nods, his smile fading. “Until they washed me out and kept you, and I had to get creative with how I watched you. How I stole my moments.”

“You should go.”

“You’re mine,” he says, an edge coming to his voice. “We have a connection.”

“No, we don’t.” I can hear the voice from the phone so I raise mine. “You attacked me. I don’t know you. And now you broke into Brian’s house. He’s a cop. He’ll come and help and probably put a fuckin’ bullet in your head for breaking in and threatening me.”

The already deranged look on his face morphs as he smiles again, showing too many teeth and way too much of his insanity. “He’s out of town.”

He lunges at me and I grab the phone, sliding it into my pants as I rear back and make a run for it. Not my pocket, but my actual pants, sliding it between my thighs in an attempt to hide it. I hope like hell that my call went through. Hoping they have the call. Praying I can get out.

But he’s there, diving for me and he catches my arm as I almost make it by him. Right on the counter.

Near the knives.

Without a thought, I grab one.

“You can’t hurt me anymore,” I sneer, brandishing the weapon. “I’ve seen your face now. Trust me, the only way you could have me is by rape. You’re no man, and I’ll never give in to you.” I’m yelling at him, trying to get him angry so that he’ll make a mistake. If I can just get him to make a mistake, then I have a chance to get away from him. A chance that I didn’t get the first time.

I stare into the eyes of a crazy man, one who has nothing left to lose.

“Oh, my love. You still don’t see it. I didn’t have to rape you. I didn’t even have to touch that pretty little pussy of yours. I just took what fate said was mine. You couldn’t stay away. And when I saw you last night, I knew. It truly was kismet that you were brought into my life.” His words make my stomach clench. “You belong to me.”

Iknowhim.

He’s inside Brian’s house, and he tried to kill me.

It’s time to fight.

Because I can’t die.

Not when I finally have a reason to live.

The adrenaline flows through my veins, along with the terror.

I grip the knife tight. “Come near me and I’ll stab you.”

He lunges and I go at him with the knife, slashing down and slicing into his arm.

But he’s still there, and he barrels into me, knocking me down and yanking the knife from me in the same moment.

I scream again as he bites into me with cruel fingers, pulling me into him.

“You bitch! That fucking hurt.” I try to kick at him, bite him, but he tightens his grip, then slams me into the wall and lets me fall.

I hit the ground, and his blood is all over the floor where I land. I scramble to get away from him, but he doesn’t let me go.

And then he drops down, pinning me to the ground, grinning at me.

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