Chapter 47
FORTY-SEVEN
“Wake up, angel,” a voice cooed in my ear. “It’s almost time to go.”
My eyes were hazy as they tried to open, exhausted despite my lack of movement. Every bit of my energy had gone into my escape attempt, but nothing worked. At one point, the duct tape loosened. However, in my excitement, I’d missed Jack walking through the door. He reinforced every piece before returning to my phone to check on the progress of his plan.
“Let me go, Jack,” I whimpered. As much as I wished it was an act, ?I could barely speak at this point. My hoarse throat croaked out the word, “Please.”
He ran his hands down my cheek, then along my jaw. “I wish I could, Devyn. Maybe, if you hadn’t decided to ruin me, I would have considered it.” His hand jerked back, gripping my hair so hard, my neck seized. “You only have yourself to blame.”
As Jack pulled back, he reached into his back pocket and pulled out a knife. My body pushed back in the chair instinctively, wanting to get as far away from the blade as possible. When pressed with fight or flight, I geared toward fight mode, and I’d do whatever it took to get the hell out of Jack’s clutches. But when he brought the knife closer, I was utterly helpless, only able to sit back and watch.
“Stay still,” Jack said. “Or this will go a lot worse for you.”
I nodded, continuing my docile act. He sliced through the tape on each of my wrists, and my arms fell to my side, almost in pain from being in one position for too long. Then, he freed my legs, and it was so tempting to kick out and run, but there was no way I could escape him, not in my weakened state. As Jack helped me stand, my bladder cramped, and I folded over in pain.
Jack sighed as he dragged me up. “Get yourself together, Devyn. You just have to hold on a little longer, and it’ll all be done.”
“Bathroom,” I croaked out, looking up to plead with Jack. “I can’t hold it anymore.”
He groaned, shoving me toward the door on the other side of the room. As I tried to settle on the toilet, I fell to my knees. Jack shook his head at my pathetic state. “Get up and do it quick. You have two minutes, and then I’m coming back in, whether you’re done or not.”
As soon as the door slammed closed, tears of relief formed in my eyes. Using the toilet as support, I pulled myself up and shook my legs to regain some strength. Although they were sore and cramping, I still had some energy left.
I looked around the room, hoping for some way of escape. As I turned, a small window came into view. It was barely big enough for my body to fit through, but I had to try. I rushed over and tried to open it, but it was painted shut.
“Come on,” I whispered, running my nails along the cracks. “Please open.”
I almost cried out when the paint started to flake off, opening a little more with each shake of my hands. When it finally came loose, I almost cried. One step closer to freedom.
“One more minute,” Jack called out from the door.
That was barely enough time to climb out of the window, but I would do it or die trying. There was no way I was walking to my death like a good, obedient girl. With that thought, I pulled together all my remaining strength and climbed on top of the toilet.
I looked down from the window and saw a slight drop, but it wasn’t enough to deter me. With one last look over my shoulder, I dragged my legs through the window, then fell to the forest floor.
“Fuck,” I whispered as a bolt of pain climbed up my leg. I’d definitely messed up my leg, but it wasn’t enough to stop me from running. Maybe it was the adrenaline, maybe it was determination, but either way, there was no way in hell I was letting Jack catch me. If I got far enough into the woods?—
“Devyn!”
Jack’s roar from the bathroom pushed me forward, and soon, I was running so far, the cabin was a distant memory. My bones creaked and my muscles ached, but I refused to stop, no matter how much I wanted to. I had to be close to someone. There had to be a house nearby. If they could only get me into town, I could get to Gray, and nothing would happen to me once we were together.
As I imagined his muscular arms wrapping around me, I failed to notice a branch jutting out of the ground. My foot caught it as I ran, sending me tumbling forward into the dirt.
Branches and rocks sliced through my palms and knees as I tried to cover my face and head. Once I eventually came to a stop, I stared up at the branches above me, willing another breath from my lungs. Keep going, Ace. I could feel his words skitter across my skin. Just a little longer, Devy, you can do it.
I nodded to the Gray in my mind, too afraid Jack was nearby to speak out loud. Pushing up from the ground, I tried to take another step, but my body crumpled to the ground before I could. The slight throb in my ankle now seared with agony, and I had to bite my lip to keep from crying out. Using my good foot, I scooted until my back hit a tree, trying to breathe through the pain.
Once it started to subside a little, I reached down and untied my shoe. Shit, it was already swelling. Not a good sign. Based on the amount of pain, I’d definitely broken something, and there was no way I could outrun anyone in this condition.
“Fuck,” I cried as my head dropped into my hands. I needed a plan, some way to get further from the cabin. With each passing moment, Jack was probably getting closer. I tried to stand, but my weight immediately buckled. My hands stung as I landed back in the dirt. The distance started to waiver in my vision, the dark spots from earlier returning to the corner of my eyes. Every blink felt heavy, like I’d sell my soul to sleep soundly in my bed.
Don’t give up, Ace. Gray’s words spurred me on, and I tried to crawl toward the trees in the distance. My nails dug in the cold, hard ground as I dragged myself inch by inch. By the time I reached the trunk, my arms burned, but I was still so far from where I wanted to go. As my body collapsed against the icy surface, tears pooled in my eyes, destroying my already-blurry vision. “I’m sorry,” I whispered to the universe, hoping somehow, they’d make their way to Gray. I tried. I really did. But when my eyes slowly closed, I was helpless to resist the incoming darkness.