Total pages in book: 95
Estimated words: 85183 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 426(@200wpm)___ 341(@250wpm)___ 284(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 85183 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 426(@200wpm)___ 341(@250wpm)___ 284(@300wpm)
I should look away, but I can't. For some fucking reason, I can't. I watch in horror as Caleb refuses to rape her. I watch Tor press the gun to her forehead daring Joe to shoot her.
"Do it," she says, her voice weak. She looks like she barely has the strength to sit up, but there's determination in her words that damn near fucking breaks me.
Joe smiles at her, and then, without warning he turns and puts a bullet between Caleb's eyes. I shut my eyes, blowing out quick breaths to numb the pain threatening to overtake me. The sound of that gunshot echoes in my ears, and Tors screams. I can't breathe. I sit down on the pavement. My eyes lock on the screen, staring at the frozen image of Joe's twisted smile.
Waves of anger and grief pound over me. My entire body shakes as I dial David's number and place the phone to my ear. After three rings, David picks up. "Hello?"
"You find him!" I growl. "You find that sick son-of-a-bitch!"
"Jude, you gotta back down a little or you're gonna get arrested before you find him!"
"He killed Caleb.”
“I know. I’m sorry, JP.”
“You find him, David. You fucking find him!" I hang up the phone, clenching my fist around it.
I will find Joe, and I will kill him in a way that the devil himself would find ruthless and unjust.
I finish my cigarette and slip back into Tor's room. It's dark except for the dim lamp at the side of the bed. As I approach her, the shadows play over her bruised cheeks. Her dark hair is fanned out on the pillow. I brush a stray lock of hair away from her face, and the soft strands slip through my fingers. I drag my hands through my hair, pacing beside the bed before taking a seat in the bedside chair. I sit here and just stare at her. I'm not exactly sure what we do now. This is all a game to Joe, and right now, I'm losing. He's not going to stop. He's going to keep coming for me, and once again, she's in the line of fire because I love her. And he damn well knows it. I take Tor's small hand in mine and press my lips to her knuckles.
I never want to leave her side again. All I want is for her to be happy and safe, but now she's as far from those two things as she can be. And nothing can change that.
Earlier today, Tor said she wanted out of the hospital. She said it was too much for her to handle. When I told her no, she pitched a fit and ripped the IV out before storming out of the room yelling for a doctor. They were hesitant to let her leave, but well, she’s fucking persistent. She was given a prescription for antibiotics, and we left.
I glance over to the passenger seat, and Tor's already out. She fades in and out of sleep for the duration of the three-hour drive. There's so much I want to say to her, but I don't, because honestly, as fragile as she is right now, I'm afraid to. Hell, I fear I'm on the brink of a mental breakdown, I can only imagine the shit she is feeling. She startles awake when the tires bump over a dip in the pavement.
"It's okay, doll," I say, reaching over to gently pat her leg as I put the car in park.
I quickly make my way to the passenger side door, opening it to help her out. She pauses and stares up at the house. This is the house where everything in her life went to hell, and now it's the only home she has. I just wonder if that's what she's thinking right now.
I step forward, but she remains frozen to the spot. "Tor?"
She wraps her arms around her shoulders and shakes her head. "He knows," she says quietly, her eyes vacant. "He's coming for me. He knows."
"What are you talking about, Tor?"
She's rambling. She sounds crazy, and I worry maybe she's finally lost the last bit of sanity she had.
"He knows where to find me," she whispers.
I gently turn her to face me as I lean down eye level with her. She's staring straight through me.
"Joe knows where my house is?" I ask. All she does is nod. Inhaling, I glance around the woods surrounding the house as I bring her body into mine, wrapping my arms around her reassuringly. "I swear to God, I won't let anything happen to you. I have guards. Joe’s not stupid enough to set foot on my property."
"He's going to kill you," she breathes, her expression blank.
I rub my hand down her spine and rest my chin on top of her head. "No, he won't. Come on. Just a few days, and I promise we'll leave. I just have to get a few things in place, doll."