Page 19 of Fatal Collision
He shoves me forward, and I set off running before I understand what’s happening. The urge to escape pushes me deeper into the forest, propelling me into the night and urging me to get away while I still can. Branches smack me in the face, I stumble in my heels, and protruding roots threaten to trip me up as my heart kicks against my ribs.
I need somewhere to hide, and quickly, but where?
“Little thief,” his voice booms from somewhere behind me, and my heart jumps to my throat as a startled gasp escapes my lips.
“Shit!” I look around in panic and then dart for the nearest tree to hide behind, crouching low.
Up ahead is a hollow trunk, like a scene straight out of Stranger Things. I debate my options and worry my lip, peering around the tree. There is no sign of Kane yet, but it’s only a matter of time before he finds me. I can’t be out in the open like this. A furtive glance at the trunk again, and I curse my life choices that led me here.
Here goes nothing.
I push away from the tree and sprint across to the other trunk. My knees crash into the pine needles and soggy leaves in front of the opening, and I carefully crawl inside. The space is too cramped for me to sit upright, so I carefully tuck my knees close to my chest.
How the hell did I end up here? One minute, I was choosing a lipstick shade before deciding it was too much effort for a douchebag who forced me to show up at the race under duress. Next, I’m hiding inside a mustytree trunk in the middle of fucking nowhere, while Kane Ravencourt hunts me. He’s so high up the food chain that I shouldn’t even be a blip on his radar, but here I am, shivering with fear and anticipation.
A twig snaps, and every muscle in my body stiffens. I press my hand over my mouth to muffle my whimpers as his footsteps draw nearer to my hiding spot.
“At first, I was pissed.” His deep voice carries through the towering trees. “How dare this insignificant, plain girl from the Falls pull a gun on me. Did you really think I would let you get away with what you did?”
One step closer; more twigs snap.
“Not only did you think you could steal from my father—which was amusing, by the way—but you also thought you could touch my dick with that smug look in your eyes. Seriously? Like I wouldn’t suffer wet dreams like a sexually frustrated virgin after that stunt? You waved a carrot in front of me, little thief, and now there’s only one way out of this—me fucking you face-down in the dirt until cum seeps from your every hole. I won’t stop until you’re ruined.”
A heavy silence falls for a moment, broken only by a gust of breeze that ruffles the leaves outside my hiding space. It stirs them up, then his voice comes again, dangerously close.
“You can hide, but I will find you.”
His long legs appear in front of the opening, and hefaces away from me while patiently searching the woods, which makes me shamefully wet. My ankles press against my pussy, and I can feel how aroused I am.
Carefully shifting forward onto my knees, I look out through the hole, hunkering down due to the cramped space. The gun is right there, tucked into his waistband and basically just waiting for me to snatch it. I bite my lip, the flesh tender between my teeth. It has to be a trap, right? Why else would he stand within reach with the weapon on full display unless he’s inviting me to crawl out and grab it? Still, the urge to act on those impulses tingles my limbs. After all, it would be so easy. Right?
Fishing his phone out of his pocket, he swipes the screen.
Don’t do it,my mind whispers, but do I listen to that voice of reason? Of course not. Don’t be silly.
I slowly shift forward, careful not to make a sound. Any moment now, he could look back and catch me, and he would make good on his promises to shove my face into the dirt and?—
He shifts slightly while typing something on his phone, and my heart stops beating altogether. I freeze, halfway out of the trunk, when his phone rings. The shrill tone echoes through the trees, and he stares at the lit-up screen for long minutes. But he doesn’t answer, and I wish I could see his facial expression as he ignores the call.
The air around him no longer feels playful or sexual.Maybe it’s my imagination, but it’s almost as if a chill sweeps through the trees.
I shake off these weird thoughts. The only thing important right now is getting that gun off him. That’s all that matters. And I need to use this moment while he’s distracted to my advantage.
With that thought in mind, I crawl closer, quietly and carefully, my knees wading through pines and leaves. My heart pounds its frantic fists against my ribs like a caged, terrified prisoner shouting for me to abort the mission. To hide. To get away.
I reach up and carefully inch the gun out while Kane types on the screen, distracted by his own thoughts. It slips free, and a victorious smile spreads across my lips. I need to hide again, so I quickly fall back as quietly as I can until I’m safely inside my hidey hole.
To say that I’m giddy would be an understatement. After all, I successfully stole the gun from him. But the excitement doesn’t last long because the tinny sound of my ringtone blares from my dress pocket. Oh shit! I scramble to silence my phone, but Kane grabs my ankles and hauls me out.
“No. No. No,” I cry, clawing the soil, trying to find purchase. Kane flips me over onto my stomach, and I frantically kick at him, luckily managing to keep him at bay long enough to reach the hole in the tree and grab the gun I dropped.
My fingers have only just closed around the handlewhen he drags me back out and smacks my bare ass as my skirt rides up, making me yelp and struggle to escape again.
“Where are you going?” he asks as he sits down on my squirming legs and peels the gun from my fingers. He tosses it aside then secures my wrists behind my back, and when he shoves my cheek into the ground, moist dirt settles in the wet trails on my cheeks.
Why am I crying? Am I frustrated?
Angry?
