Page 28 of Preyless
Pausing behind a tree after minutes of running, I tried to control my breathing as I lifted my hand in front of my face.
I could hardly see myself.
How the fuck were they going to find me?
For the briefest of moments, I hoped to God that I wasn’t actually going to get murdered in the woods.
But…at least they gave me an orgasm first, if that were the case.
Almost as if they had heard my thoughts, I heard the distinct sound of multiple leaves crunching, and then a solid thud against a tree directly in front of me. My head snapped up at the sound, and I swallowed roughly as I saw Casey’s knife embedded into the tree. The same knife that had just cut me mere minutes ago. A dark laugh that sounded far too close for comfort echoed immediately after. “Oh, c’mon now, darlin’. We know you can do better than that. We may be some old, geriatric men…but this is just insulting.”
My eyes widened.
How thefuck…?
Aiden’s voice rang out next. They both sounded like they were directly behind me. “Keep going. I know you ran harder than this for him. Fucking go!”
My heart sank for the briefest of moments.
But then adrenaline kicked in full force.
Just like they wanted.
I pushed my body away from the tree behind me and sprinted from the sounds of their voices. Leaves and twigs crunched beneath the weight of my stride, and my breathing came out in rushed, heavy pants. I felt my hair yank on branches as I flew beneath them, and I winced as one particular tree branch swiped directly at the cut on my abdomen from earlier.
As I kept running, my eyes widened at the sight of lights emerging from the tree line. Lights from the neighboring, beachside hotels that John constantly talked shit about.
I stopped short at the realization and ducked behind another tree.
Fuck. Fuckity, fuck, fuck.
If I kept running, I’d be in clear lighting. Not only would they find me—but the likelihood of some poor, random tourist finding me would be even higher.
My head shook immediately.Fuck no.It wasn’t even an option to consider.
I turned my gaze behind me and swallowed roughly.
My only option was to turn around.
I didn’t give myself a second to overthink it.
Forcing a deep breath into my lungs, I swiveled once again and ran right back in the direction that I came from. My legs and lungs ached simultaneously, and I realized then and there that I wouldabsolutelybe going back to the gym if I wasn’t murdered by the end of the night.
My skin itched as I pushed myself forward even more. I didn’t know if I had much more strength to continue. I was sure I had run over three miles by that point, and exhaustion was quickly settling into me.
Trent’s voice filled my head as I ran.
“What a little whore you are. I wonder if you spread your legs in town when I’m not around. Is that why you don’t want me anymore?”
Tears lined my vision.
“My pathetic excuse for a wife.”
The sound of a gun clicking.
“I should’ve killed you when you killed our baby.”
I stumbled as my feet stepped on a stump, and my thoughts were cut short as I slammed into the ground below me with anoomph. I crumbled to the forest floor as all the air was knocked out of my lungs. A breath wheezed out of me, and I gripped a handful of leaves in an attempt to get my grounding.
