Page 43 of Shadow

Olivia chuckled. “I am. I didn’t ask you to fuck me, just help me. Can I give you my shoes?”

He frowned. “Your shoes?”

“Hide them for me. But somewhere easy to find. I’m playing hide and seek with Ripley.”

Noah rolled his eyes. “I don’t know what any of this means, but if I get to watch even just a part of it, I’m in.”

She grinned and pulled off the heels. Running would be easier without them.

After leaving Noah, she asked a few others to tell Ripley she’d gone in different directions. Then she sprinted for the gate that led to a grove of trees. It was all still Exposure property, so she wasn’t trespassing.

When she found the perfect group of trees to hide in, she slowed her breathing and waited. Since this was going to be a rough scene, she’d taken her smartwatch off and asked a woman outside to hold it for her. There was no sense in letting it get broken. Not to mention, Ripley would use the GPS on it to track her. He didn’t always play fair.

But that meant she didn’t know how much time had passed, and all she could do was wait.

Every sound made her jump, and adrenaline coursed through her.

A twig snapping set her on high alert. He was coming.

“Olivia, I know you’re out here. And when I find you, you’re going to wish I hadn’t.”

Her heart slammed into her throat. That fucking wasn’t Ripley’s voice. And she didn’t recognize it.

Was it the person who set her bar on fire? Or had Ripley taken her lead and involved someone else in the scene?

It was ridiculous to think it was the arsonist, right? Nobody knew she was at Exposure tonight. Her mind raced with a thousand thoughts that she struggled to quiet so she could hear whoever was approaching.

“You better run, little girl.”

The voice got farther away, which meant they’d gone the wrong direction. But she heeded the stranger’s warning.

Breaking into a full-speed run, she went deeper into the woods.

When her lungs were burning, she stopped against a tree and took in large gulps of air.

If the owner of the strange voice had heard her, it didn’t sound like he was coming after her yet.

She glanced around, her heart still slamming against her chest. Rolling her shoulders, she prepared to run again. As she pushed off her back leg, a shadowed figure stepped out from behind a tree less than three feet in front of her, and she screamed as she turned to run back the way she came.

She didn’t get very far before powerful arms wrapped around her.

“Got ya. I hope you’re ready to hurt.”

Her ears recognized it was Ripley, but her body and brain still tried to get away as he forced her to the ground.

Twigs and rocks scratched at her skin, and when she screamed, dirty and debris got in her mouth.

“That’s it, Olivia. Scream all you want. I like it. It makes my cock so hard when you struggle. Hope you’re not too attached to these clothes.”

And then she heard a ripping sound. He was ripping her dress with his bare hands.

The cool air raised goosebumps all over her hot skin when it was exposed.

“Please,” she whimpered. “Don’t.”

“Don’t what?” he taunted as he unclasped her bra. Cold steel brushed her shoulder as he sliced one strap with his knife. “Don’t fuck you? I’m going to do a lot more than that.”

He yanked her panties off, again ripping them with his hands, and reached around her to stuff them in her mouth.

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