Page 58 of Boss

“The accounts. The wire transfers. Does anyone have the account numbers?” Tarek asked.

“No. I have everything in my office under lock and key...”

“Destroy everything. Do you hear me. Today. Every trace. Wait to hear from me....”

A door slammed. It was the front door. Tarek ended the call before he raced out of the parlor. He went straight for the front door, opening it in time to see that Kassidy was on the run. She stumbled a few times and struggled to flee in the large but soft drifts of snow. It was a mile’s drive from the front door to the road. And the snow had already blanketed his land. It was uncanny how hard and fast it fell. He stepped out into the storm and squinted up at the grey storm clouds. The sky was gone and the temperature was dropping.

Tarek groaned and headed down the steps. His neighbors were spread ten to twelve miles apart so no one could hear her screams for help on his eight-thousand acres of land. He started toward his truck and paused, thinking that the woman was a survivor. He respected that.

23.

Kassidy glanced back over her shoulder. He was outside and running for her and he was smiling. Terrified, she stumbled and fell in the snow. Kassidy willed herself to get up, to run faster and not weaken. But she didn’t even see the road ahead, just snow and more snow. She was up and running when he caught her. She swung and hit him hard in the face, aiming for his eyes with her nails. A tactic her ex-boyfriend had taught her in self-defense. She clawed at his face, scratched him good. Then they both went down, the snow cushioned her fall but the fall hurt like hell. Stunned, she lost the battle. Tarek seized the opportunity, grabbing both of her arms and pinning them above her head. She felt as if she were pressed down on top of a block of ice. Her head sank into the snow and his face came close. The scratch she gave him had blood trickling down his cheek.

“You want to play rough?” he asked. Was he excited? The creep! She squirmed. “There’s nowhere to go, Kassidy. No one knows you’re here.”

“You bastard!” she shouted at him. “No wonder your own father wants to destroy you, you evil fucking bastard!”

His eyes darkened with anger. “I’m done playing games with you!”

“Good! So am I!” she shouted back, bucking her hips and kicking her legs. He tried to rise and bring her with him by holding her wrists. The separation between them gave her the advantage she needed. Kassidy drove her knee up swift and fast, hitting her target. Tarek yelped in pain and fell off her. He grabbed his gonads. Kassidy got to her feet while he howled in agony face down in the snow. She looked to the road and then back to the house. Her eyes soon landed on his big truck. She dropped next to him, and dug in his pocket for his keys. She found the keyless remote before Tarek tried to recover. He grabbed at her arm, but she was able to snatch away. And this time when she was up and running for his truck, she had no intention of stumbling or falling. This time she knew she had to run for her life.

24.

The pain was so intense tears stung his eyes. Agony covered his pelvis, and made his knees and legs weak. He literally had to lie still for the suffering to subside. But that was a mistake. She had his keys, and it felt like only seconds before he heard the revving of his truck’s engine. Tarek sat up. He held his groin and squinted with snow covering his lashes. He had underestimated her, again. Fuck! She was getting away. He staggered and stood up. Blood and snow was on his face. And his truck, his pride and joy, was charging straight for him. Tarek had to jump out of the way. The damn woman had aimed to run him over.

“Kassidy!” he roared in anger.

She drove erratically toward the front gates.

“Kassidy!”

Tarek limped to his house. He didn’t have another car. He’d have to head to the stables, and pray her fear and inexperience in this type of weather played on his side. If not, he was fucked. He didn’t realize as he limped away that his cell phone was left behind in the snow. And by the time he reached the stables the heavy downpour of frosty white had covered his cell phone completely.

25.

There was something wrong. She tried to steer the truck but the slightest turn left or right of the wheel sent the vehicle veering in that direction. What the hell kind of truck was this? He had totally rigged it for his driving preference. She fumbled with the gears sticking out of the steering column for the wipers, and found them just in time to see the road.

“Shit!” she screamed. There was forest just beyond the road. The truck surged in speed and swerved off his land onto the main road. She recovered by cutting the wheel hard left. It spun into the turn. The truck barely kept from toppling over the embankment on the side of the road. She corrected herself out of the spin and sped on.

“Yes! Yes! Yes!” Kassidy cheered. She hit the steering wheel with glee. She’d gotten away. She’d beaten the bastard. She glanced up into the rearview mirror to see if he had another monster vehicle in pursuit. Relieved to see there was no one after her and she was home free. Kassidy exhaled and her eyes returned to the road. It was then she saw the fox. It stood paralyzed on the snow-covered road staring directly at her. Kassidy slammed on the brakes. The bed of the truck and back wheels swung left and she turned the wheel right but not in time, the truck flipped. She screamed in horror.

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