Page 19 of Sentinel

Tex is installing the new lock on my front door, as I pick up a picture of me and my parents from the broken end table by the couch. Surprisingly, the frame remains intact, and I gently stroke my fingertips across the glass as if I could feel their faces again. After their passing, I thought that I’d never get over the heartache. But somehow, I did and made a good life for myself, even if things aren’t perfect at the moment. I worked really hard to become a woman my parents would be proud of, and I’m not going to let someone like David take that away from me.

“Cute kid. Is that you?” Tex’s low rumble pulls me from my thoughts as he peers over my shoulder. He gets the fun task of being my babysitter for the night while Gabe and his brothers are out looking for David.

“Yeah, that’s me and my parents… before they died. I think I was seven or eight at the time. It’s one of my favorites, so I always keep it close by. I never go anywhere without it.”

Tex nods his head in understanding. Then he looks around at the mess and says, “I think we’re gonna need a few more trash bags, but we have to get back to the clubhouse soon. Sentinel gave you one hour here, Emma. One hour.”

Tex isn’t as large as Gabe, but he’s still over six feet of lean muscle. His dark eyes and dark hair paired with that golden complexion certainly make for an extremely attractive guy, but no one compares to my man. No one.

“I know, I know. One hour. I just needed to get a few things.”

“Alright, I’ve got more trash bags in my saddlebag. I’ll go grab them while you get your shit.” He shoves more of the broken furniture to the side, stacking it in a pile to be picked up by one of the prospects later when he brings the truck.

He walks to the entryway but turns to look at me over his shoulder. “Lock this door when I leave and don’t open it for anyone. I’ll be gone two minutes tops.”

“Two minutes.” I give him a mock salute, and I’m pretty sure I hear him mutter “troublemaker” under his breath as he stalks out.

I lock the door, then turn towards the hallway to head to my bedroom when a loud shot pierces the silence, and I instantly freeze. I know Tex is armed, so I’m hoping like hell the sound came from his weapon. But my hopes are dashed as another boom rings in my ears and the new lock on my front door is shot out.

“I’ve been waiting for you, Emma.” David’s raspy voice is like nails on a chalkboard, causing goosebumps to rise across my skin.

I don’t dare turn around to look at him. I just know I need to get the hell out of here.Right now.I immediately shift into escape mode, but David grabs my long black hair and pulls me back towards him. The pain in my scalp brings tears to my eyes as I claw at his hands, trying to get away.

He sweeps my feet out from under me and takes me to the floor, the rough landing forcing the breath from my lungs. As I struggle for air, he straddles my body, pinning my arms to my sides beneath his legs. I see nothing but hatred as I look into his eyes, and I silently pray that Tex is okay and on his way to back to me.

“You thought you could leave me? That I’d let you go? I’ll always find you, Emma. Always.” His face twists into an ugly sneer as he rears his fist back and punches me hard in the face. Then, as my vision fades to black, the last thing I remember is his voice whispering ominously in my ear. “You belong to me, Emma. You’re coming with me, bitch.”

* * *

I’m moving.My face is killing me, my head’s going to explode, and my eyes are heavy… like lead. And I’m moving.Why am I moving?

I struggle to blink, and my blurry vision begins to clear. I find myself slumped over in the passenger seat of an unfamiliar car. I try stretching my jaw, which only causes more pain, then I remember why everything hurts.

I panic and look to the left, seeing David behind the wheel. As I contemplate reaching for the door and throwing myself out of a moving vehicle, an object jabs me in the side.

“Don’t even think about it, Emma.” I peer down at what’s poking me in the ribs and find a black handgun in David’s grip.

Shit!This is so much worse than I thought. If I’m in his car, then Tex wasn’t able to stop him. I’m praying that he’s only injured and not dead.Please don’t be dead, Tex.

I’m not sure how long I’ve been out, but I need to get my bearings. And I need to stay calm and extract information. I have to buy some time to figure out a plan.

“Why are you here, David?”

“I told you I’d never let you go, Emma. I meant that shit.” He’s driving with his left hand, while keeping the gun zeroed in on me with his right.

“But it’s obvious you didn’t want me. I know you were having an affair. Youhurtme.” I try my best to remove the anger from my voice. This is not the time to piss this man off.

“You belong to me, Emma. You are mine to do with as I please. You don’t get to leave. Ever!” He screams the last word, and I know his mental state is teetering on the edge. But I need to keep him talking.

“How did you find me?” I look out the window and see we’re still inside the city limits, which offers some relief. Hopefully, that means Tex will be looking for me soon.

“You’re a stupid bitch, aren’t you? I’ve been following you. I’ve had a tracker on you since almost the beginning, Emma. I always know where you are.” My brow wrinkles as I think about what he’s just said. “The fucking picture, Emma. I know you don’t go anywhere without it. Now, you don’t go anywhere without me either.” He smirks, and I want to slap the expression off his smug face.

“The custom picture frame you gave me. For my birthday.”

“Quite clever, don’t you think? Of course, I had trackers on your phone and car too, but you were smart enough to ditch those. But not the picture. Or at least, not the frame.” He glances at me from the corner of his eye, before he nudges the barrel of the gun more firmly into my ribs. “I’ve known where you were since the day you left, Emma. And I’ve been watching you with that biker trash for days. I know you let him fuck you, didn’t you? I could smell him on your fucking sheets, bitch! I told you I would fucking kill you if you left. This is all your fucking fault!”

He’s clearly unraveling, so I need to proceed very carefully right now. “Did you… did you vandalize my car too?” I don’t know why I ask, since something tells me I already know the answer.

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