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Michael nodded but didn’t respond.

The cabin was located off a long gravel road. The team of men were making their way slowly through the woods on either side of the road to surround the cabin. It felt like it was taking forever. Bradley wanted them to run, but they had to be perfectly quiet, so they didn’t spook the lunatic inside the cabin.

He was angry with himself for not insisting that security keep watching her. He could have forced the issue, but he hadn’t wanted to be overbearing when she was upset with him. It didn’t seem like the right way to win her back. Now, he was just praying his mistake wouldn’t cost her life.

He couldn’t take it anymore, he had to get out of the car.

He opened the door and stepped out.

“Damn it, Bradley, I told you to stay in the SUV,” Michael said in a tone just above a whisper. “I don’t want them worried about you interfering.”

“What’s going on?” he demanded.

“Nothing yet. We’re waiting for the men to get in position.”

The team leaders radio crackled, and a static laced voice said, “in position,” followed by a second voice repeating the same thing.

The leader spoke into his radio. “Do you have a visual on the suspect?”

“Team Alpha has a visual, but he’s too close to the hostage to take out safely. Looks like he’s got a knife.”

“Fuck.” Bradley swore and Michael sent him a glare.

“If you get a clean shot, you have permission to take it.” He received confirmation from both teams.

“We’re not waiting,” Peter said. Before they left, they’d each grabbed a gun from Michael’s gun safe. Bradley was confident they could move faster than the team currently trying to move into position.

“So, let’s go,” Michael finally relented. And when the team commander’s back was turned, they set off through the woods.

41

DARCI lost her battle not to cry, and the tears were flowing freely now.

Kaden was pacing back and forth in front of her. He had tied her to the chair but had yet to hurt her. She felt like that wasn’t going to last long.

Along with the scalpels he had laid out other scary looking tools and a hunting knife. He brandished that.

“I’ve been waiting for this for seven years,” he said as he stopped in front of her. He used the knife point to trace a line down her cheek.

“Don’t cry. I thought you liked it when men did mean things to you. Isn’t that why you write that disgusting blog and go to those parties with all the other whores?”

“That’s consensual and completely different,” she managed to get out through her tears.

The backhanded slap came from nowhere, landing forcefully on Darci’s cheek. Her head snapped back. She jerked her hand instinctively to cover her face, but the rope prevented her from doing so.

“Shut up. I’m going to do dirty things to you and you’re going to enjoy it. If I think you’re not enjoying it, I’m going to start cutting you.”

“Please don’t do this,” she begged.

The hand holding the knife flew towards her and a searing pain shot through her arm as the blade sliced across her shoulder.

“I said you better fucking enjoy it. If you want to die right now keep crying.”

He laid the knife on the table next to the chair and reached for the button on his jeans. “Let’s see how well you suck cock,” he sneered.

Darci shut her eyes, shaking her head as the pain grew worse, and blood flowed down her arm.

“No, no, no.” She was repeating it when the door flew open.

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