Page 27 of Waging War
CHAPTEREIGHT
Ben
Son of a bitch!
This woman is going to be the death of me.
I haul ass after Hazel, cussing myself the whole way for accidentally leaving the door open. I should have known she’d bolt the first chance she got.
Despite the thought of her injuring herself or me losing my head if she manages to get away, something feral spreads through my chest, and I race after her like a dog hot on the scent.
A wicked smile curves my lips.
I’ll catch her. And when I do, there will be punishment.
I didn’t bother putting my boots or jacket back on. She’s gotten enough of a head start as it is, and even though my feet are swiftly growing numb, I’m enjoying the chase.
I watch her tear through the middle of the rundown apartment complex. The sound of her little footfalls slapping against the cold cement drives me even faster. It won’t be long before she’s forced to stop. If my feet are already cold, hers are sure to be frozen.
Besides, Hazel can only get so far before she realizes she’s stuck.
“There’s nowhere for you to hide!” I’m gaining on her, but she’s faster than she looks as she zig-zags between the buildings.
Her sarcastic laughter warms my frozen limbs. “Catch me if you can, asshole!”
Hazel hooks a hard right between two buildings, and once we clear them, we’re spit out into a barren field. The underdeveloped land stretches for another mile at least.
Mud flings up behind her heels, coating her bare legs in a film of darkness. It’s not long before her movements become jerky and frantic as she spins around with panicked eyes.
Rain slaps against my face and arms as my feet slide against the freezing earth. “Hazel! Stop!”
She drops to the ground, uncaring that she’s coated in dead grass and thick, icy mud.
“Hazel,” I murmur, carefully stepping up behind her. The newly scabbed and temporarily forgotten wounds covering my back ache against my soaked shirt.
A bolt of lightning skitters across the sky in the distance as the rain gradually begins to let up.
My heart clenches seeing her like this. Like an injured wild animal trying to gnaw its leg off.
I reach for her, but she lashes out.
“Don’t touch me!” She struggles to get her feet beneath her before treading on solid ground. “Don’t. Touch. Me.”
The finality of her tone unnerves me. She’s slipping through my fingers, and I’m alarmed by how much it frightens me. “I need you to come inside.”
Soft droplets trickle down her face, matting her hair against the smoothness of her pale skin. It’s dark, but I can clearly see the rigid set of her shoulders. For the first time, I notice her pert little nose and the feminine point of her chin. Spatters of mud fleck across her cheek, hiding the freckles I’ve come to enjoy more than I should.
“I’m done being a prisoner, Ben. Ican’tlive this way.” The tightness in her throat gives a desperate undertone to her words. “I won’t.”
“I know—”
“What do you know? You have no idea what it’s been like being cut off from the world, my bike, and my family. I’m trapped here, helpless, and even when I manage to break free, I still can’t escape.” Hazel gestures around us with a sweep of her arms. “I’m stuck God knows where, confined to seven-hundred square feet of space,alone.”
A burst of bitter cold wind chokes me. “What do you think I’ve been doing for the better part of a year? I’m not allowed to see my family. I can hardly take a piss without Diablo knowing, so don’t tell me I don’t know what it’s like. You have no idea what I’ve been through.”
Mud squelches as she stalks toward me. The slap she delivers is dramatically enhanced by a clap of rolling thunder.
“Don’t patronize me, Ben. Youchosethis. You could have saved me. Cooper would have taken me back, but you denied me my freedom then, just as you are right now.”
