Page 93 of Lost on Ice
“Or what?” he cackles. “What are you going to do? Kick my ass? Not before I slit her fucking throat.”
Damn it, he’s right. If I make a move toward him, he could kill her with a flick of his wrist before I even get close. Even though ever fiber of my being is screaming to beat this fucker bloody, I know I have to be smarter than that. More strategic.
I need to make sure he can’t hurt Abbie first.
I try to calm my tone as much as possible. “You don’t want to hurt her. Not after all you’ve done to get her. Just drop the knife…”
Westbrook lets out a bark of cruel laughter. “Trying to appeal to my affection for her, huh? All right, maybe you do have some brains under that stupid meathead exterior. Not many, though. You really think I wouldn’t rather kill her than let you put your disgusting hands on her again? At least if she’s dead, I’ll know another man isn’t helping himself to what’s mine.”
My heart is hammering and my rage is bubbling up within me and I know I’m going to lose control of myself if I’m not careful.
“Let her go,” I hiss. “She doesn’t want you. You’re smart enough to see that.”
The doctor tilts his head and gazes at me with a mad glint in his eye. “You think you know her so well? You don’t know her like I do.”
Maintaining eye-contact with me, he leans down and drags his tongue up her cheek.
“Should I reach into her panties and see how wet she is for me?” he taunts. “How about I fuck her in front of you and you can watch her come on my cock? Then you’ll see how much she really wants me, even if she doesn’t realize it yet.”
At his vile threat, something inside me snaps. Red bleeds into my vision and a visceral, primal roar tears through my throat as I charge toward them. Westbrook appears stunned and drops Abbie’s hair.
I slam into him as I grip him, tackling him to the floor.
“Jake!” Abbie screams.
Pinning Westbrook down, I grab the wrist of the hand still holding the knife and try to slam it against the floor, hoping to loosen his grip. He’s stronger than he looks and maintains his hold on the knife. Thrashing violently, he manages to dislodge me. I lose my balance and topple off him. Westbrook pounces on me, bringing the knife down, but I grab his arm just in time to keep him from sinking the blade into my chest.
“This is better,” he cackles. “She can watch you die, and then she’ll realize that she belongs to me.”
“She’ll never be yours,” I snarl. “It doesn’t matter if I’m dead or alive.”
“Well, let’s put that theory to the test then, shall we?”
He puts more weight behind the knife and my arms begin to ache as I continue holding him up. He’s a lot stronger than he looks.
“Please, no!” Abbie is shrieking. “Jake, you can’t die! Lilah needs you!”
Her words hit me like a physical blow. Why would she say that Lilah needs me? Is this her way of saying she’s mine? But she said she wasn’t…
Fuck, it doesn’t matter right now! Whatever she meant, I have to survive, not only for Lilah — but Abbie, as well.
If I don’t make it out of here, neither will she. I have to save her.
However, my momentary shock costs me. Westbrook manages to overpower me enough that he shoves the knife into my shoulder. Pain rips through me, and I let out a roar. At the same time, my adrenaline surges. The sound of sirens in the distance startle Westbrook and he looks up and away from me. I take advantage of the distraction and shove him off me and follow after him to pin him to the floor.
Bringing back my fist, I slam it into his face. Once. Twice. After the third hit, he slumps back, unconscious.
It’s only then that I realize that Abbie is still screaming.
“Jake! Oh, my God! He stabbed you! Are you okay? Jake, look at me!”
The adrenaline is starting to wear off and the pain in my shoulder is growing so intense, it’s overwhelming. It’s like fire has been poured into my veins and is burning away my muscle down to the bone.
It’s pure agony.
Pushing to my feet, I stagger toward Abbie. Her face is wet with tears and she’s struggling against the ropes. I’m afraid she’s going to really hurt herself if I don’t get her free.
“You’re okay,” I gasp, reaching her. “You’re going to be okay.”
