Page 107 of Break the Barrier

“What’s the plan?”

I clench my jaw, my grip tightening on the steering wheel. “First, we’re gonna grab some backup.”

“CT?”

He knew, of course, he’s not stupid. CT has been there for me in every fight I’ve ever had, and I had a feeling I’d need him for this one too.

“Yup.”

“Then what?”

I rack my brain, thinking over the options, and one dawns on me. “Then I go visit a friend.”

40

thea

There wassomething to be said for foresight. Though I never imagined this was where I would end up.

When I come to, my vision is blurry like someone hit me in the head one too many times. My arms strain over my head, tied roughly with rope to something above me.

I sit on something kind of soft and most definitely not clean.

And Eric is sitting in a chair, staring at me.

My blood runs cold at the sight of him. It’s not the evil look in his eyes, it’s not the way he’s twisting his hand around a knife, it’s not even the way his eyes graze over my body like I have something to offer him.

It’s just the sight of him.

The person who verbally and physically abused me.

He looks at me like he did near the end of our marriage, like I was the scum under his shoe he so desperately wants toscrape off.

I don’t want him to know how intimidated I am. How I feel my muscles locking, how my bones tremble when I pull against the restraints.

Tears fill my eyes, but I desperately blink them back, telling myself to stay calm, to be brave.

“That’s useless, Thea.” His cold eyes latch onto my startled look when he speaks.

“What do you want, Eric?”

God, is that how I sound? My voice is breathless and breaks over his name. I want so badly to sound brave, like I’m not at all terrified of his unpredictability.

“You know exactly what I want.” He leans forward, resting the knife on his leg, his hand still holding it, and he sighs. “Problem is, I’m not sure you’re capable of giving it to me.”

I’m so happy I broke up with Logan. I’m so glad that Lue is home and safe right now, and I don’t have to live the rest of my life, no matter how short that is, wondering if I dragged others down with me.

I close my eyes and take a moment to feel relief.

“You know.” He stands, coming closer to the pee-stained bed. He takes his hand and runs his fingers over the bed, close enough to my leg that I want to cringe away from him. “You used to be a lot easier to deal with.” He sighs, sitting on the edge. “I thought you’d be happy to see me, wife.”

“You are not my husband.”

His eyes darken. “Right. That would be the cowboy.” He clicks his tongue and looks at me in disappointment. “Such a shame, he’ll get so much sympathy for becoming a widow.”

I already knew that’s where Eric would take this, that he wouldn’t be satisfied until I was dead. But knowing it and hearing it aloud…

Realization hits me, and I know that it never mattered. Everything I did to protect my family, my friends, my husband, none of it matters because he wouldn’t have stopped until right this moment.