Chapter 39
SAM
Shock had given way to a surge of adrenaline as Sam clawed at the hand over her mouth, attempting to dig her feet into the ground but failing miserably.
The pointed edges of her heels only managed to slide across the surface of the marble tile beneath her as she was dragged out into the open night’s air.
The grip on her was vice-like, unrelenting and painful as an arm had circled around her waist and held her there, her mouth covered to prevent her from screaming.
She didn’t need to guess who was behind her, who was yanking and pulling on her so hard that she’d surely have bruises from the force of it. It was Paul.
She had no clue where he was trying to take her.
The museum trailed further and further behind them as he dragged her, passing beneath one of the large metallic arches dotted along the trail path.
The nearest parking lot was in the opposite direction, and while she was only vaguely familiar with the trail they were headed down, she doubted there would be anyone nearby at this time of night.
“I bribed one of the waiters,” Paul finally said, speaking for the first time, “convinced him to take the night off, so I could use his uniform and blend in.”
Light shimmered from above as they began to pass beneath another bronzed arch. Sam fought to turn her head to see where they were going, and when the nearby forest came into view, a renewed sense of fear clanged to life.
If they were completely out of sight, she wasn’t sure what he would do.
“I just wanted us to be together,” Paul continued, ignoring the protests she screamed into his hand. “Why did you have to be like all the others? I thought you might be different.”
Sam managed to wriggle her face enough to free her mouth, taking the chance to immediately bite down on Paul’s hand. His release relented enough that she pushed herself away from him but not enough to be completely free.
“I can’t let you go this time, my love,” he seethed, the stench of the whiskey on his breath wafting into her face. “I’m sorry, but if they catch me this time I’m going to go away for a long time. I can’t do that. I can’t go back to prison.”
Sam didn’t care to find out exactly what the hell that meant, going for the only thing she could think of to get him off of her.
Her knee came up and slammed into its intended target, giving her enough purchase as Paul grunted and doubled over, to pull free of him.
She immediately kicked off her heels and collected the hem of her dress, taking off like a shot back toward the museum.
She had no idea how long she’d been gone, but if she knew Charlie as well as she thought she did, he would be searching for her right about now.
It was hard to run in this dress, as tight as it was around her thighs, but she went as fast as she could. Her feet were screaming in pain from the rough asphalt beneath her, but she didn’t slow.
As she made it beneath the next arch, a hand snagged her wrist and yanked her backward. Enough so that it caused her to lose her balance and fall backward into Paul’s chest.
Paul shoved her against the metallic structure, hard. It clanged against her body, the force of it momentarily stealing her breath. He immediately jumped forward to cage her body in place with his, pinning her there.
“Let me go!” she shouted, the sound cut off as a sweaty palm found its way to Sam’s throat and pressed her back further. A glint flickered in his eyes as he stared at her, something sinister lurking within. She began clawing at him again, using any purchase she had to get him off of her.
“Charlie!” she screamed as loud as she could, coughing as Paul’s grip tightened.
“Shut the fuck up! We have to be quiet, or they’ll find us, and we have to get on the road before they do. I’ll take such good care of you, I promise. You just have to shut the fuck up,” Paul hissed as he struggled to keep Sam in place.
Paul slammed her head back against the column behind her. “You love me!”
“Charlie!” Her voice echoed through the night, or that could’ve been the ringing in her ears.
“No one is—-”
The remainder of Paul’s sentence was abruptly cut off as something slammed into him like a battering ram.
The impact was so sudden that it knocked Paul’s hands from her, but it sent her tumbling onto the grass. She landed with a rough thud onto the soft earth just shy of the pathway, her knees slamming into the ground.
Paul, and whatever had hit him, had rolled away from the light, making it difficult for her to figure out exactly what had happened.
Twinkling lights dotted across her vision, lightheaded from the lack of oxygen.
Her neck was already throbbing from where Paul had his hands wrapped around her throat, further disorienting her.
She squinted her eyes, making out two figures struggling on the ground a short distance away.
The sound of grunts and fists colliding echoed through the air.
Despite the shock coursing through her, Sam recognized the figure now shoving Paul into the ground, nearly sobbing as hands grabbed a hold of her.
“Ch-Charlie!”