Page 125 of Whispers of You
Shadow began circling, letting out another whine.
Nash’s brow furrowed. “I think she’s confused.”
That little flicker of hope I’d been holding onto burned to ash.
And then a scream split the air.
44
WREN
I couldn’t helpthe scream that slipped from my lips as Jude jammed the gun into my ribs. I didn’t want to give him the power that came with knowing that he’d hurt me, but the pain was too great. White-hot, blazing pain ripped along my side and pulsed deeper with each shove Jude gave me.
“Shut up,” he snarled. “You ruin everything. I should’ve known. That’s the way it’s always been.”
His words barely penetrated. I was too focused on trying to breathe through the pain.
“Walk,” Jude barked.
I struggled to get my legs to obey, but they shook with the effort. “I can’t,” I wheezed.
Something was wrong. A rib had to be broken. A punctured lung, maybe. It was too hard to suck in air.
Jude sneered at me. “You can, and you will. I’ve worked too hard for this to have you screw it up now.”
“How long have you been planning this?”
The corner of his mouth kicked up. “Longer than you can imagine.”
He shoved me forward, back toward the barn, and I stumbled, the ropes on my wrists digging deeper. A fresh wave of agony swept over me.
“I really didn’t think lover boy would be able to stay away from you for as long as he did. Guess he didn’t love you that much, after all. Really had to work to get you two back together so he’d feel the pain of losing you all over again.”
A few weeks ago, Jude’s words would’ve cut. Now, they simply glanced off me. Because I knew that Holt had fought hard to stay away because of how deeply he loved me. It was misguided and dumb, but Holt had thought he was doing the right thing. And I saw that now.
“I had to get creative to get him back here, too. Couldn’t let him get past the ten-year mark.”
My steps faltered.
He only grinned wider. “Did you know that monkshood can cause heart attacks and is virtually untraceable in the blood?”
“Nathan.” My stomach roiled. He’d given Holt’s dad a heart attack, knowing it would likely force Holt back to Cedar Ridge—back to where Holt was within Jude’s reach.
“There are all sorts of opportunities to slip something into someone’s water bottle while on a search or running drills. Too many to count, really. I was hoping it would be harder, more of a challenge.”
I tugged on my ropes, trying to see if they had any give now. Nothing. “He could’ve died.”
Jude shrugged. “Collateral damage.” A scowl pulled at his mouth. “But even with his poor dad sick and injured, Holt took his sweet-ass time coming home. Just shows how selfish he is—”
“Might be, but you need to take that out on me, not innocent bystanders.”
Holt stepped out from between the trees, and my heart ricocheted around in my chest. The riot of emotions warred with itself: hope and terror, relief and rage. But most of all, love. For this man who would do anything to keep me safe.
Jude tightened his grip on my hair as he used me as a shield. “Hey, best friend. Took you long enough.”
Holt’s gaze swept over me, assessing the situation in a single breath. “Let her go. I’m the one you want.”
He started toward us, gun raised. But there was no good shot, and Jude knew that.
