Page 38 of Mine

“Shut up! Shut up!” she hissed aloud as a torrent of tears streamed down her face.

Why? Aren’t you proud of yourself? Bravo! Hey, you really ought to get a good look at your handiwork. Oh, he looks so beautiful right now. Go on...look.

“I SAID,SHUT UP!!”she screamed, yanking the fob to the Mercedes from his pocket.

Stuffing Nikki into the dark reaches of her mind, Lexi stood from Kade’s bleeding form and ran towards the front entrance. She couldn’t believe she had gone through with it. It was over.

She was free.

Grabbing her abductor’s coat from the metal hook next to the door, she shimmied the heavy fabric over her shoulders. Zipping the coat to her chin, she stopped herself from looking back. Adrenaline and endorphins were flooding her muscles, causing her mind to move in a thousand different directions. There was no rhyme or reason for her actions, now. All she knew was that she needed to get away from the cabin as quickly as possible.

Throwing the door open, she ran as fast as she could towards the SUV, paying no mind to the snow-covered gravel slicing into the soles of her feet. Holding onto the driver’s door handle, she pressed the unlocking device and pulled the vehicle’s door open. Jumping into the driver’s seat, she quickly slammed the door behind her and pushed the ignition button. Expecting the hum of the powerful engine, she was shocked when only the radio turned on. The song“Closer”by Nine Inch Nails blared through the premium speakers lining the cabin, drowning her in an overwhelming base.

Confused as to why the power train wouldn’t start, she angrily slapped the mute button on the steering wheel. Scrunching her flushed face, she pressed the ignition switch once again. To her dismay, the engine still wouldn’t turn.

“GOD DAMMIT!” she cried, wiping another flood of hot tears from her eyes. “COME ON!”

Frantically looking around the dash, she searched in vain to find a solution to the problem. There had to be a reason why the SUVwasn’t starting. Even with the frigid temperature outside, it was a brand-new SUV. There was no reason for it not to work.

Your foot,Nikki said with a sigh.Put it on the fucking brake and try again.

Pausing a moment to look down at her tingling feet, she growled at herself and slammed her right foot onto the black brake pedal. Punching the ignition switch for a third time, she laughed in crazed relief as the engine purred to life.

“There...see? You can do this! You can do this!” she told herself. “He’s gone. He’sgone!”

Putting the Mercedes into drive, she kept her focus strictly on the windshield ahead. Turning the steering wheel, she slowly circled the vehicle around to leave the cabin. Without warning, the gravity of the situation hit her. Just what the hell had she done?

Teetering on the edge of a panic attack, she stopped the SUV and closed her blurry eyes. Focusing on steadying her erratic breathing, she tried to imagine all the things she would be able to experience again now that she was free. In just a matter of hours, she would see the man she was meant to be with. She could almost feel Leo’s loving arms wrapping around her, his lips nuzzling against her neck. She could even hear his warm voice whispering sweetly into her ear, saying her name repeatedly.Lexi...Lexi…

“LEXI!”

Snapping her eyes open, she yelped in shock as Kade slammed his open palms against the icy glass of her driver’s side window. His hands leaving bloodied handprints in their wake.

“ALEXANDRIA!”

Not believing what she was seeing, she screamed in terror as he slowly dragged his beaten body to the front of the Mercedes. With his split face contorted, she could tell that he was filled with rage and pain.

“WHAT ARE YOU DOING, ALEXANDRIA?” he snarled, punching his closed fists down upon the hood of the vehicle.

Frozen in sheer panic, she stared at her captor like a deer caught in headlights.No.He wasn’t there. This was just a sick figment of her imagination.Kade was dead!There was no way he could have survived that head injury.

“GET OUT OF THE CAR, NOW!” he growled, once again pounding his sticky hands against the black fiberglass.

“You’re not real…you’re not real!” she sputtered.

Oh, but he is,Nikki replied.Just run him the fuck over! But make sure to really kill him this time, ok?

“GET OUT OF THE CAR NOW, ALEXANDRIA!” Kade repeated.

You’d better hurry, Lexi! Do it!

“Ok, ok!” she said.

Reaching for the gear shift, she put the SUV into reverse and backed the vehicle away from Kade’s heaving form. Shifting into drive, she swallowed hard as she watched him shake his head in disapproval. Holding her left foot on the brake pedal, she tapped her right foot on the gas; just enough to rev the engine in warning. It was clear that even after everything that had happened, he still didn’t believe she had the guts to leave him.Nor did he believe she had the power to kill him. She would prove him wrong.

Narrowing his dark eyes, Kade stood his ground as he called her bluff. “YOU’REMINE,ALEXANDRIA!” he screamed, his mouth spitting scarlet red blood onto the white snow before him. “YOU WILLFOREVERBE MINE!”

Choking back a sob, she nodded once and tightened her grip on the steering wheel. Giving him a wistful grin, she felt her heart squeeze. No matter how hard she may fight the truth, she knew that he was right. He had left an indelible scar on her soul she would carry for the rest of her life. Until she took her last breath, she would belong to him.

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