Chapter 36
Chapter Thirty-Six
SIERRA
The air around Evelyn’s house is too quiet. There isn’t any traffic on the street of the rented bungalow.
My first disappointment is finding an empty driveway at her house.
The homes on either side have children’s toys scattered on the lawns. Both look sleepy and unoccupied at the moment. This time of the morning is squarely within working hours for the blue-collar people who live here.
There are no signs of life at all at Evelyn’s.
Her Toyota is gone. If I didn’t know in my heart she is missing, I’d think she could be at the hospital where she works as a surgical tech.
Only, I know.
She’s gone. Maybe dead.
Evelyn would have answered my calls by now if she was okay. She would have been desperate to find me too because she was so worried about Bryan.
After cruising around the block, I pull to a stop at the curb in front of her place. Maybe that’s a mistake. Maybe I should park far away and walk in.
I’m not sure.
I’ve never tried to run from killers before. But the neighborhood is so quiet, I take a chance.
After a quick glance around, I make my move—a nervous rush to the back of the house to check the canal. My stomach sinks even more.
The boat is missing too. A rope dangles in the water from the dock.
This isn’t really a surprise. If my memory is correct, her boat was the boat I was on that night. The hull was broken from our crash onto hidden rocks.
I turn back for the car, but something has me pausing. Maybe I should check the back door…
I glance around. No neighbors can see the protected entryway. Shrubs block the view of any nosy people who might think I’m a burglar.
My palm is covered in cold sweat when I reach for the doorknob. A shot of fear rushes through me.
The knob turns. The door inches open.
I lick my lips. My heart races.
God, should I go in?
With my heart racing, I’m frozen in indecision.
Come on, Sierra. I need to look.
I expect the door to creak like a horror movie. But the hinges have been oiled.
Cool air rushes out and a dim interior draw me forward. All the blinds are pulled.
Once I’m past the threshold, an acrid smell of old rotting trash hits me.
As my stomach tightens, I feel around for a light switch. Which apparently isn’t located by the door. Damn my luck.
With a shiver, I step into the darkness.
The skin on my neck prickles. But whose wouldn’t in this situation?
My eyes struggle to adjust. The interior comes into focus slowly. There are dishes in the sink. Flies circling the closed lid on the trashcan. The cord for the light hangs from the ceiling in the middle of the room.
I reach for it.
A sinister laugh freezes me. “I told the guys you’d come.”
The gigantic man, dressed in black from head to toe, emerges from the gloom of the living room.
Oh god! I skitter backwards, my gaze stuck to his hard and unmoving eyes.
Missile sights. I’m the target.
I now know what meeting the grim reaper feels like.
Wheezing, I turn to run. The next instant, I’m flying through the air. A vicious kick to my side crumples me like I’m a rag.
God. He’s fast. How did he reach me?
Crying out in pain, I scrape at the linoleum. My whole body shudders from the intense pain in my chest.
A sickening laugh is right by my ear. His massive body flattens me. “Not so fast, are you?”
“Pl-please, no!”
With rough hands, he twists my arms behind my back. A heavy knee notches between my shoulder blades. More air squeezes out of me. Sparkles of light flicker in my vision.
When his hands go to the waistband of my pants, I scream.
He shakes me. “A taser… interesting. Ever felt one of these things? They hurt like fuck.”
“Please, let me up. I don’t know what you want from me.”
The terrifying sound of Zip Ties makes me jolt. The plastic cuts painfully into my wrists.
“From you? Nothing but your life. From your brother? Now, that’s a different story.”
He rises from me, suddenly. The weight on my back is gone. I twist and try to scramble away.
Ah! The pain is unbearable. My ribs are on fire. Nervy, hot pain rips across my body, making me suck in air.
The attacker glares down at me. “I didn’t say you could move.”
I scream when he shoves me on to my stomach again.
His hands are brutal. His cruel laugh tightens my skin.
“Feisty thing. I could have a real good time with you. And maybe I’ll take some of my frustration with your fucking brother out on you while I’m at it.”
My mouth snaps shut. Terror sizzles beneath my skin like white hot electricity. Shaking overtakes my body. I have to get away.
This man is going to rape me before he kills me, unless I do.
But he’s so much bigger. My hands are bound. I’m injured. A wave of emotion hits me. This is how I’m going to end.
I feel an enormous regret. Cole would have protected me. I was too hotheaded. Too broken to see the danger.
I wish he was here.
I should have trusted him.
I love Cole.
Wait. What?
I. Love. Cole.
Now I’ll never get the chance to tell him.
And I’ll never get the chance to tell him I understand he was trying to protect me from Bryan, because whatever was happening to him was dangerous.
Far more so than either of us could have imagined.
A heavy boot pushes against my shoulder. “No! Don’t kick me!”
“I see that scares you, hotshot. What was your call sign again? Stinger?” He laughs darkly. “Let’s see how the Stinger likes to get stung.”
The air suddenly snaps around me. Every muscle in my body contracts. The bastard tasered me!
When the taser’s electric grip releases me, I scream through my clenched teeth. “You son of a bitch!”
I’m seething. Spitting mad. But as much as I want to pummel this man’s face, kick his ribs and taser him, I’m helpless.
Nothing in my body is working like it should. My wires are crossed. My head is pounding.
He gets down in my face. “Awe, look at you. You like the pain, don’t you? Sexy as fuck.”
Horror tightens my throat. I’ve never been so afraid.
The fear is cold and swift, like a sword slicing through me. It severs my senses.
The dark gleaming eyes of a monster watch me.
This is how I’m going to end. Bound. Used. Murdered by a man who gets his rocks off on watching me suffer.