Page 79 of Hide and Seek
As if on cue, the masked stalker appears in Knight’s bedroom door, a single black rose dangling from his fingers, and as I stare back at him, my hand falls away from my ear, my thumb skimming over the red button, ending the call with Iz.
The phone falls right out of my hand, dropping to the ground as a wave of overwhelming emotions plague me. Fear. Hurt. Heartbreak. But most of all, rage.
This man, whoever the fuck he is, is responsible for taking Laith’s life, and I’m not about to sit back and let him have whatever he wants now. The game is over, and I don’t care what I have to do to finish it. All I know is that he won’t get away with this. I won’t allow it.
The rage fills my veins, pulsing through me until all I see is red.
“YOU KILLED HIM!” I scream, the words tearing my throat to pieces.
The stalker lifts the rose, dragging it across the front of the fucked-up mask as if smelling it, and as he keeps that heinous stare on me, his head cocks to the side like a fucking psychopath. “You broke my rules.”
“I’M NOT PLAYING YOUR FUCKING GAME ANYMORE. YOU KILLED LAITH. HE DIDN’T DESERVE THAT.”
The asshole takes a calculated step forward, putting him that much closer to me and blocking any path I might have had of getting out of here. “Tsk. Tsk. Tsk. What did I tell you about screaming, little kitten? I much prefer when you’re purring for me like the good little whore that you are.”
Fucking asshole.
“You’ll never touch me again,” I spit through a clenched jaw. “You won’t get away with this.”
A condescending laugh rumbles through the bedroom. “Oh, sweet, naive kitten. I already have.”
He takes another deliberate step, and my heart kicks into gear, racing faster than ever before. When he cornered me in my bedroom, I was all too eager to play the game in order to survive, but now that I’ve somehow broken his ridiculous rules, I have no idea what he’s got in store for me. Is this where it ends? Have we reached the finish line of this deadly game?
“Stop. Don’t come any closer.”
His stare seems to laugh at me, and I realize just how outmatched I am. This man is a beast. He’s just as tall as Knight, and just as broad, with obvious muscle hidden beneath his black clothes. I don’t stand a chance, but I have to try. I have to get away and survive somehow. I can’t let this be the end.
I inch toward the back of the bedroom, hoping to entice him out of the doorway, and when he shifts with my movements, I realize that I might just have a chance. At some point, he’s going to want to get closer, and when that happens, I need to make my move. I need to be ready.
“Don’t even think about it, kitten. You know what happens when you break my rules. Don’t make me take somebody else from you,” he murmurs. “Who shall I take next? Your little boyfriend? Or perhaps the fashion designer. Izabelle, is it?”
Fuck.
“Hmmmmm, kitten. You’re running out of crutches, and soon enough all you’ll have in this world is me.” I shake my head, refusing to believe it. I’ll die before he even thinks about taking somebody else from me. “One by one. They will all fall like toy soldiers.”
“If you touch any of them . . .”
He laughs, and as he takes a step toward me, I make my move, sprinting toward the door, and running for my life. My feet pound against the ground, my heart racing faster than ever before as the desperation eats me alive.
I barrel toward him, and in a flash, his hand snaps out, bracing tightly around my throat as my body crashes heavily against his. I feel his stare through the mask as I grip his hand on my throat, trying to suck in a breath, but there’s no use. He’s too strong.
“Oh, kitten. I’m disappointed,” he rumbles, stepping into me and forcing me back, one hasty step after another until the back of my knees are pressed against the edge of Knight’s bed. “You’veplayed so eagerly up until now.If you scream, you fail. If you run, you die.And kitten, you will die.”
My eyes widen with fear, and before I can even attempt to get away, he lifts me right off the ground, his grip on my throat like nothing I’ve ever felt. Then with an overwhelming show of strength, he throws me down against the mattress, releasing his grip on my throat.
I gasp, sucking in a desperate breath, the sweet oxygen burning in my lungs, and I waste no time trying to pull away, but his big hand clutches my ankle, holding me down. He reaches into his pocket, producing a thin rope, and I frantically try to get away, kicking out and throwing my body. If I could just get to my feet, maybe I could throw myself through the window and somehow get to the road before he catches me, but it’s no use. I’m already a slave to his wicked desires.
He knots the rope around my ankle before tying it to the end of the bed, and when he does the same to my other ankle, I’m left to his mercy, my thighs spread wide.
Tears well in my eyes as he climbs onto the bed, crawling right over me until his big knees are braced on either side of my waist, and he simply holds out his hand with expectation.
“Play the game, kitten, and I might just spare you.”
Horror rises in my chest, and I reluctantly lift my shaking hand from the mattress before gently placing it into his, terrified of what’s about to happen.
“Both.”
I swallow over the fear and give in, placing my other hand straight into his. Once he has both of my wrists, he pulls them behind my back and ties them beneath me, the rope painfully cutting into my skin.
