Page 13 of Bound

“No!” Dropping to my knees, the man stumbled forward, causing his hand to shift up my neck and tangle in my hair.

Huffing under his breath, he grunted in frustration. “Fine, you don't want to walk on your own, then I'll do it for you.” Before I could react, he wrapped his arm around my waist and threw me over his shoulder. “We can do this my way.”

“Help! Help!” Screaming at the top of my lungs, I slammed my fists against his back and kicked my legs. “Someone help me!”

A devious chuckle escaped his lips as he tightened his grip around my waist. “No one can hear you, Princess, not back here.”

“You can't do this! Let me go!” My legs flailed, arms slapping and scratching. I just wanted to hurt him so he would drop me. I knew if he dropped me, if I could just get my feet on the ground, I'd fucking run.

“Icando this, because I don't have a fucking choice.”

Growling, I let out a screech that sounded more animal than human. Rocking and jerking my body, I refused to give up and let him just take me.

“Fuck you! I won't go with you!”

“You can try to hurt me all you want, it won't work.” Shuffling me up higher on his shoulder, he strolled through the darkness with me hanging over his back like dead weight.

Lifting my head to look behind me, I could see we were getting closer to the street. A few cars drove by, the streetlights creating a lighthouse effect with the parked cars.

When we get to the road I'll scream again. Someone will hear me, there are too many people around for no one to notice what he's doing.

Keeping my muscles braced, I waited for my moment. I had it all planned out in my head. Once we were at the street I'd scream for help, I'd kick and yell, and I'd force someone to notice us.

Peering from the corner of my eye, I anxiously waited for the road as his feet pressed on without pause. The streetlights grew brighter and brighter, slowly engulfing the darkness around us. Without warning, the man took a hard left, pulling a solid metal door open and slipping inside.

No! No, no, no!

Freedom was right there, it was right there and now it was gone.

“What are you doing? Why are you taking me in here?!” Pushing my hands against the top of his shoulder, I attempted to wriggle myself free. “Go back to the road! Take me back to the road!”

“Sorry, that's not how this is going to work.”

“I just want to go home.” Tears filled my eyes as I felt the safety I longed for slip between my fingers and disappear. “That's all I want to do, I just want to go home.”

“Yeah well, I'm sorry, I can't grant your wish.” Laughing again, his voice raked my spine and turned my insides into a bubbling inferno. “Home isn't an option, and it might never be.”

What the hell does that mean?

Why wouldn't I ever be able to go home?

Oh my God. . .

Is he going to kill me too!?

The thought crushed my heart, stomping it into a million tiny pieces. I didn't want to die, I wasn't ready for that.

“Please, just let me go. You don't have to kill me, I'm not a threat to you.”

Firm fingers dug into my hips, slinging me around and placing me back on my feet. But he didn't let go, slipping his hand up my arm, he dug his fingers into my bicep.

“Kill you? Do you think I just. . .” Pausing, his eyes fell over my face. “I'm not going to kill you, at least not if you don't make me.” A slight smirk teased his lips as his lids hooded. “Sit.” Forcing me down into a chair, he took a small step back. “There's nowhere for you to run, so if you really don't want to die, then I suggest you stay put. Running. . .” Pausing, he pushed his shirt back to show me the handle of his gun in his waist. “Runningwillget you a bullet to the back of the fucking head.”

Curling my fingertips under the chair, I squeezed hard, cutting my nails into the cushion. “Look, I don't know who you are, and honestly, I don't care. What happened was between you and that other guy, it doesn't involve me.”

“It didn't involve you, but the second you stepped foot in that bathroom with me, you dragged yourself into this.” Tugging his phone out of his pocket, he thumbed the screen and held it to his ear. “It's me. . .”

The man turned slightly, keeping me in his peripheral vision. I couldn't hear everything he was saying, only catching quick phrases I had no way to make sense of.

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