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Which made it that much more frustrating as she tried to picture that day in her mind again.

“Come on out, Pepper,” Alex yelled as she and Roxie ran. “I only want to mark you up a little bit.” He’d said that so faintly, she had barely heard him. “Maybe carve my name into your chest so those men know you belong to someone already. I’d love to fuck your unconscious body as they watch. Knowing you would be helpless to even say no gets me harder than when you fight back.”

She wanted to puke at his words.

“Come on, Pepper.” The hiss of his words felt like they were right over her shoulder. She pushed her legs harder, moved faster. “I know you like the dirty talk.” His voice was like oil, smooth, yet full of slime.

Stumbling over a log covered by the snow, she took a moment to catch her breath when his next words slithered up her spine. “I want you, Pepper. I’ve never had this obsession before. You’ll be my first. I’ll whip you into the perfect sub. Leave beautiful scars across you perfect ass as I take you. You’ll bleed for me, Pepper.”

Those words. They made her sick. He was sick.

Crawling closer to the stain on the ground a few feet away, Pepper sat on her knees. “I’ll pray for you, Alex. For your soul to find peace. For you to make amends with your choices.” Closing her eyes briefly, she said, “Alex, I forgive you for hurting me. I forgive what you did. But after this moment, I will not think of you again. You will be banished from my thoughts and life.” Taking a deep breath, she finished, “May peace be with you, Alex.”

Getting to her feet, she left. Her back to the cave. She was done.

Free.

Chapter Sixteen

Rolling over, Nick reached his hand out to bring Pepper to his chest. Instead, it landed on a hard, muscled back. Opening his eyes one at a time, he looked around the room, nearly blinded by sunlight. She was nowhere to be found.

“Ace!” he yelled, jumping from bed. “Pepper’s gone.”

Rushing from the room, he heard a thud as Ace got up, stopping short when he saw her and Roxie curled up on the window seat sound asleep.

Just as his heart rate was returning back to normal, Ace collided with his back, making them both tumble to the floor, knocking over a small table as they went.

Before either of them could move, they heard a thud and watched as Pepper dropped to the ground and crawled into the corner by the fireplace. A wild look crossed her eyes as she scanned around for danger.

“Shit,” Ace cursed, both of them rushing to her side.

“Pepper?” he called quietly, placing a hand on her knee. Her entire body vibrated with fear.

“Come back to us, baby,” Ace murmured, rubbing his hand through her hair.

It took a few minutes of them speaking gently to her, assuring her she was safe before she gave a shuddering breath and looked up to them. Tear marks tracked down her cheeks, and her pupils were dilated.

His first thought was PTSD—Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. It wouldn’t be the first time he’d seen it in an assault victim.

“You okay, sweetheart?” he asked her, holding out a hand for her to take. Ace took her other one as they helped her to her feet.

“You startled me is all.” Her cheeks flamed with embarrassment.

“Nothing to be embarrassed about,” Ace consoled her, wiping the few remaining tears from her face.

They led her to the half-finished kitchen, sitting her on a stool as Nick let Roxie outside, leaving the door partially open so she could come back in. “You want some tea?” he asked her, thinking she needed something to calm her and not the jolt caffeine would cause.

“Yes, please.” Her voice was still low, and she struggled to look up at them.

As he set the kettle to boil, he leaned back against the counter, watching her, unsure of how to ask her what he was thinking. She spoke before he could. “I don’t have it.”

He and Ace had shared a look before he asked, “Have what?”

“PTSD.”

“No one said you did.”

“But you’re thinking it,” she countered.