Page 14 of Baited

The rest of the night flew by, and by the time 10:30p.m. rolled around, she was ready to drop. She said good-bye to everyone on her way out the door and then stopped dead in her tracks.

Shit.

She’d completely forgotten that she didn’t have her car. She lifted her gaze skyward and sucked in the humid night air. The sky was black and clear, revealing every star scattered across its landscape. She could wait for Jenny, but the diner didn’t closefor another hour. By that time, she could be in bed and fast asleep.

That was the only convincing she needed. She hiked her purse on her shoulder and headed toward home. At this late hour, Main Street was quiet, but the odd car whizzed past her. By the time she reached her neighborhood, her senses stood on end like staticky hair.

She ran her hand over her smoothed back ponytail and scanned the street. Other than the odd lit window, the houses were still. A slight breeze kicked up, swaying the bushes that lined the sidewalk. She was almost home. Around the corner and down the street. If he were watching her, he would have tried something by now.

She straightened her spine and moved quickly around the corner. Long, scraggly twigs scraped her arm from the unmanicured shrubs, sending an array of goose bumps over her flesh. Her breath picked up in quick pants as her house came into view. The porch light shone brightly, casting a pool of light down her front walkway.

Five more houses and she’d be home.

She crossed the opening of the alley that ran perpendicular between two houses. Dark shapes dotted the narrow path.

Just shrubs. She tightened her grip on her purse strap, crushing it in her grasp. Her pulse surged to a rapid gallop, drowning out the hiss of cicadas from her eardrums.

A flurry of movement charged toward her. She staggered back, and sucked in a breath of the warm, sticky air. The scream lodged in her throat like a boulder, trapped.

Large, black covered hands lunged for her. Her feet scraped across the pavement and a scream wracked through her. The hands locked around her arms and turned her back against his chest, propelling her backward into the alley. Her scream waslessened into a sharp squeak. Warm, moist leather clamped over her mouth and hot breath tickled her ear lobe.

“You’re mine now. Hanna will be so happy to see you.” he hissed. He lifted one arm away from her and slammed something into the side of her head. Pain exploded through her skull and her knees buckled. He held her weight, his hold unrelenting. His fingertips rooted into the sensitive flesh of her cheeks. She twisted and forced her mouth open to take a bite of his fingers.

Her teeth sunk through the soft material, piercing his skin. His hand jerked, not enough to pull away, but enough that she could twist her head.

“Help!” The scream came out over the rough flesh at the inside of her throat. The word swallowed up by the inky blackness. The hand around her body yanked her harder, cutting off her breath.

His palm clamped down over her mouth, preventing her jaw from closing in on another bite. Another blow to her head snapped her neck to the side. Her vision blurred and the object came crashing down again. A scream split the air…but it wasn’t hers.

The fierce clutches around her let go and she plummeted to the ground.

CHAPTER 5

Adrenaline scorched hisveins like a match dropping to kerosene. He sprinted to the sidewalk and stopped to scan the veil of darkness around him. He’d been relaxing on the porch, hoping to catch a glimpse of Riley getting dropped off to ensure she’d made it home safely without her car. The street was quiet, but there was no mistaking the sharp, female scream—Riley. His nerve endings buzzed, and signals of warning communicated to his brain.

He should have grabbed his gun.

“Riley!” he cried again, the word echoed through the street. The thickness of the night air settled on his chest, making every breath a struggle. His eyes adjusted to the black shadows that lay outside Riley’s porch lit walk. He opened and closed his hands at his sides as his bare feet padded swiftly down the sidewalk.

A small mound stretched out toward the sidewalk from the alleyway a few houses down caught his eye. His heart stalled. He sprinted for the unmoving form, sweat rolling down his forehead to collect at his brow. As his sightline of the alleyway expanded, the small mound stretched into a large one. A long river of pale locks stuck out amongst all the black.

Riley.

He skidded to the ground at her side, his exposed knees ate up the rough terrain. She lay on her side, her hand limp near her face as if she’d been shielding it, her shoulders curled in toward her body.

Rage, so hot and violent crashed through the membranes of his brain. He surveyed their surroundings, his gaze skimmingevery sharp, shadowed line of the shrubs lining the length of the alley.

Motherfucker.

He ran his hand over her head, his other hand down her back. Nothing felt amiss, but for all he knew she’d been stabbed…or worse.

“Riley,” he whispered, almost afraid to speak for fear he’d hurt her more. Dammit, he’d left his phone on the floor of the porch, so he couldn’t call 911 or use its flashlight to inspect her. And he sure as shit wasn’t leaving her in the alley for even a second. He wiggled his hand under her neck and carefully eased her into his arms.

“Mmm…” Her brow wrinkled and her lips moved into a pout. He shifted her in his hold and got to his feet. Her body turned as stiff as concrete.

Her legs kicked wildly and her palms pressed to his chest. “No!”

“Riley, it’s me.” As if he’d dropped a cloak of relief around her, she melted against him, her body lax. Except her hands. Her fingers dug into the front of his T-shirt, pinching his skin through the fabric. He carried her out of the alley and to his porch where his phone lay. The yellow glow welcomed them as he ascended the stairs. Illumination from the porch light touched her hair and a small, dark red patch coated the side of her head.

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