Page 80 of Baited

He let out a howl and spit flew from his mouth. She swung again, this time she got his kneecap and he went down.

Before she could swing again, he tackled her legs and she careened backward. She landed hard on her tailbone, the wind whooshed out of her lungs, and the back of her head slammed against the kitchen cupboards. Stars flashed in front of her eyes.

Michael rose to his feet and tore the bat from her loose fingers. His high-pitched voice permeated the fog that had settled over her. A moan caught in her throat and she forced her eyes to stay open.

His hands gripped her ankles, and he yanked her toward him. Her butt slid out from under her and without the reflex of her hands to stop her, her head smashed into the floor.

Panic flooded through her, drowning her. “No, let me go.” She kicked and squirmed, but he dragged her across the floor.

His long, lean arms didn’t waver as he pulled her across the kitchen and down the laminate floor in the hallway. She twisted in his grasp, her feet bucked against his hold. She grabbed the edge of the wall and clung.

He was going to kill her. Her heart beat in her chest like a caged wild animal.

Ethan.

She had no way to tell him, no way to leave a clue. He’d look for her, but not until he was aware she was missing. That could be hours. She could be dead by then. Michael gave a yank on her legs and grunted. Her ankles stiffened and her fingers dug into the drywall.

“Dammit, Riley. You’re only making this harder on yourself.” He dropped her feet to the ground and got on top of her. His thin, wiry face filled her vision. His hand sunk into her hair, lifted her head, and slammed it against the floor.

Her ears rang. She kicked and thrashed, her fists connected with every inch of him she could reach. He lifted her head again, but this time she was ready. She flung herself forward and raked her nails across his face, his glasses scattered to the floor and three, bright red lines emerged on his skin.

“You’re going to pay for that.” His voice dropped low, almost to a caress. His fist came down on her cheekbone, and her head bounced off the floor.

Darkness closed in around her, Ethan’s name slipped out of her lips.

CHAPTER 23

She was finallyhis. Between Riley and Hanna, he had the perfect combination.

Riley’s disappearance would cause ripples—that, he expected. But eventually it would smooth out, just like Hanna’s disappearance had. And he had two to last him for a while. After this, he’d go back to his usual careful self and only prey outside of his hometown. The problem was Riley’s FBI agent ex-boyfriend. Sure, they’d had a spat at the bar and had supposedly broken up, but what would he do if she turned up missing?

He couldn’t take any chances.

He pulled his baseball cap down low and inserted the tiny tools into the back door of Ethan’s house. It was broad daylight, and the worst time to be doing this, but he had no choice. Now that he had Riley, it was only a matter of time before Ethan came looking for her. Even if he wasn’t interested in her anymore since their fight, Ethan was a loose end that he couldn’t have floating around.

The lock gave under the pressure and he swung the door open. He had to make this quick. He tucked his chin and made a beeline for the kitchen. His gaze landed on the old gas stove against the wall and he smiled.

Rudy, the property owner, hadn’t changed out the appliances since he’d last been in the property. For a short time, Michael had managed a few rental properties in town and Ethan’s had been one of them. Not that there were that many anyway. Michael brought his fingers to the dial on the gas stove and turned it. Not high enough to start a flame, just enough to let thegas seep out. In minutes, the house would be as combustible as a bomb.

All it needed was the trigger and boom.

Good-bye, Ethan.

***

The breakfast burritohe’d just run in to grab sat untouched in his lap. The icy air conditioning blasted over his face, making the sweat at his hairline cold. He’d tried to call Riley to make sure she’d made it to work, but she hadn’t answered or returned his text. It’d been almost a half hour since she’d left Brian’s.

Nate slurped his coffee from the driver’s seat. “Is there a hair in your food or something bro?”

Ethan swallowed hard and shook his head. He wrapped the food back up and tossed it in the paper bag. “Nah, just have a bad feeling. Riley still hasn’t gotten back to me.” Acid burned the back of his throat. “Something’s not right.” He turned in his seat to face Nate.

Nate shoved the last chunk of breakfast sandwich in his mouth and wiped the ketchup from his fingers on a napkin. “Did you text her?”

“I sent her a message already and no reply. If you’re done, let’s swing by the restaurant.”

“Sure.” He shoved his wrappers in with Ethan’s food and shifted into gear.

Ethan laced his fingers together and slowly cracked each knuckle. His forearms bunched with each jerk of his fingers. Bile eroded the lining of his stomach.

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