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CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

ANNA

T he pain wracking my body was so acute that I could hardly bear to breathe.

Sharp aches ripped through my stomach, and it was obvious the baby was in distress, but I had no way of doing anything about it. My head was starting to clear, but my body was broken. My torso was battered from where Daisy had kicked me so many times, and it felt like she’d cracked a rib or two.

My hands were bound in front of me, and I lay on my side, the taste of vomit and blood like acid in my mouth.

It appeared they’d put me in a living room inside an old house, not exactly abandoned, but going by the eighties-style furniture, it hadn’t been lived in for quite a while.

I’d passed out again after Daisy beat me. God only knew how long I was out for, but I was jerked awake by crippling pains shooting through my belly. I hadn’t made a sound, though. Daisy wasn’t in the room, and I didn’t want to alert her to the fact I was awake again in case she came back to finish what she’d started.

My head jerked as the sound of Daisy’s voice filtered in from the next room.

“Justin’s been gone for hours, Ace. He should have been back ages ago.” A pause, then , “I need you to come and get me. I’m stuck in this dump with Hendrix’s bitch, and it’s only a matter of time until they find us.” Her voice rose with panic . “I’ve been here days, Ace. I’m already sticking my neck out even being in town. Just send somebody and get me, okay?” There was another brief pause, and Daisy’s voice lowered again. “What do you mean don’t kill her? I have to kill her; she knows too much. That was the plan: kill her, and Hendrix hits rock bottom.”

My attention was suddenly pulled away from Daisy’s voice by a soft whooshing sound. I lifted my head, biting back a moan of pain, to see a dark figure climbing through the sash window on the opposite side of the room.

My heart jolted, and a wave of relief washed over me, closely followed by a stab of unease.

The fact he crept through the window indicated he wasn’t working with Daisy, but I couldn’t be sure. In fact, he was more likely to be an accomplice.

I squeezed my eyes shut, trying to keep my shivering body under control while blocking out the sound of Daisy’s conversation from the next room. My heart hammered so hard in my chest that I could feel the pounding in my ears, and my blood surged with adrenaline.

A hand shook my shoulder gently, and a deep, raspy voice murmured, “Hey. Can you walk? I need to get you out of here.”

My eyes snapped open, and I almost wept with relief as I took in the concern filling the stranger’s blue eyes. His hair was dark and unkempt. It obviously hadn’t been cut in a while because it curled around the collar of his tatty old jacket. He looked to be in his mid-thirties, though his skin was so tanned and weathered I couldn’t be sure.

“Thank you,” I whispered. “I’ll try, but I may need to lean on you. Is that okay?”

A metal blade flashed, and he slashed through the zip ties that bound my hands before pocketing the knife. Then, he reached out and gently grasped under my arms to pull me up. “Come on.”

My sharp intake of breath was audible as I rose from the floor. My knees shook so badly they felt like Jell-O, and I worried they’d give way under me.

“The door’s locked,” he whispered. “So we need to get you through the window. It may hurt, but once we’re out, I can carry you. We just need to lose the crazy chick, and I’ll get your man to you. Okay?”

My heart clenched. “You know Hendrix?”

“I met him today,” the guy murmured, gently pulling my arm across his shoulders and leading me toward the window. “I’m Charlie.”

“Anna,” I replied, my throat heating with emotion. “Thank you, Charlie. Thank you for everything.”

“We’re not home and free yet, sweetheart,” he muttered. “I’m not armed, and the crazy chick is, so we gotta get the hell outta here as quick as we can. I may have to throw you through that open window.”

My lips cracked into a smile. “One more bruise won’t hurt, Charlie, and I’d rather get one from escaping the crazy chick than take another beating from her.”

We approached the open window. “Gonna lift your ass onto the ledge and help you swing your legs over, but you’ll have to drop down yourself. Don’t matter if your legs don’t hold. I’ll be right out after to pick you up. Okay?”

I jerked a slight nod and rested my hand on his shoulders, waiting for him to grab my waist and lift my ass onto the ledge. He stooped down and pulled my feet up, helping me to haul them over until they hung outside the window. Without hesitation, I dropped my body onto the grass and dirt and immediately crumpled into a heap.

That was when the gunshot rang out.

My heart jolted and my head whipped up just as Charlie jumped through the window. My heart began racing, and a sharp ache swept through my belly, making me cry out.

“We gotta go,” he said urgently, stooping down and tugging me into his arms.

A loud shriek came from inside the house, then Daisy appeared at the window, her face as mad as hell, brandishing a gun.

Charlie whipped around, pulled his arm back, and punched Daisy across the temple.

With a cry, she flew back inside, a loud clattering thud reverberating as she landed.

Then, before I knew it, I was lifted into Charlie’s arms, and he was sprinting through the undergrowth away from the house. The sound of running water hit my ears, and I realized we were close to the river.

“Hold on to me,” he ordered. “The terrain’s rough.”

“Are we near The Lincoln?” I cried out, threading my arms around his neck while trying to ignore the pains shooting through my stomach.

“We’re on the same land,” he confirmed, carefully edging his way through some trees so as not to lose his footing. “It’s about twenty minutes on foot. I can do it in twelve, fifteen tops.”

I jumped as another gunshot splintered the air around us.

“That was close,” Charlie muttered, his breath coming in pants. “We should thank our lucky stars that she’s a terrible shot.”

Heart hammering, I craned my neck to try and spot Daisy and see if I could gauge how close she was. It was dark now, though the full moon lit up the inky black sky, allowing me to catch a flash of movement a few hundred yards behind us.

I twisted my neck forward again. “Head for that big cluster of trees,” I suggested. “At least they’ll provide some cover.”

“She’s used two bullets,” he panted, his chest heaving from the exertion of hauling a heavily pregnant and injured woman through the countryside. “I think she’s got a SIG Sauer P365. That means if the chamber was full, she’s got no more than eight bullets left. If I can get her to shoot and miss, she’ll run out of ammo, and I can turn on her.” He glanced down at me. “I’m not a man who beats on women, but if it’s a choice between us or the crazy chick, I’ll forget my morals for once.”

“You won’t hear me arguing,” I told him flatly. “She had no problem beating on me or my baby. If I had a gun, I’d shoot her ass.”

His eyes dropped to my belly, then lifted to roam my face. “You need a hospital.”

“Yeah,” I agreed, almost bending double as a cramping sensation ripped through my belly. “There are doctors at the hotel. If you could get us back there, we’re covered.”

Another deafening crack filled the air, and Charlie stumbled. “Fuck.” He let out a strangled cry. “I’m hit.” He slowed down, and his feet faltered as he dropped to his knees and laid me on the ground.

“Where?” I asked, rolling to my feet and running my hands frantically down his arms. “Charlie, where did she hit you?”

“My shoulder.” His eyes closed against the pain. “I’m sorry, sweetheart.”

“No. No. No.” Tears filled my eyes. “I need you to be okay, Charlie. Please be okay. We’re so close.”

His eyes slid to meet mine, and I was taken aback by the bleakness in them, a stark reminder of what we were up against.

My gaze darted over Charlie’s shoulder to see Daisy come stumbling through the undergrowth with her gun in hand as she approached us.

I don’t know what came over me.

Suddenly, the pain and terror faded, giving way to pure unadulterated anger.

This bitch had hurt me and my baby, all because a man humiliated her. Charlie was right. She was crazy, but I could be a crazy bitch, too. I had nothing to lose; she was gonna kill me and Charlie anyway, so why the fuck wasn’t I fighting back?

Sophie’s voice washed through my mind so clearly. It was like she was there, whispering in my ear.

Remember, a rock or dirt thrown in the eyes can be just as effective. No-holds-barred, bite, scratch, fight dirty... It will allow you to get away.

My fingertips brushed the ground, feeling the gritty grains of the dirt particles. I made a cupping motion with my hands, gathering as much as I could. With my mouth twisting into a sneer, my eyes lifted to meet Daisy’s. She was already starting to swing her weapon through the air, ready to aim it straight at me.

I had nothing to lose.

While her arm was extended, I took my chance. Surging forward, I rose to my feet and threw a handful of dirt into her face.

She shrieked in pain and twisted sideways, her hands flying to her eyes.

I scrambled toward her, almost doubling over from the pain ripping through me. I lunged and grabbed hold of the gun she still held in her hand that was jammed against her face. Then, tussling it away from her fingers, I stepped back, cocked, aimed, and fired, watching with a satisfied sneer as she fell onto the ground with a loud cry.

Blood pooled at her stomach, but I didn’t bend down to check on her. Instead, I turned and limped toward Charlie, who was still on his knees, except now, his neck was craned while he stared at me, his mouth agape.

“Jesus,” he croaked.

“We gotta go,” I stammered. “I can’t hold on much longer. The pain...” Tears filled my eyes as I watched Charlie stagger to his feet, his good arm grabbing my waist as I swayed with the shooting aches filling my insides.

“Come on, sweetheart,” he muttered, guiding me through the trees. “We’ve got this far. We gotta make it back, or what was the point, huh?”

I swallowed the bile rising through my gullet and tried to force one foot in front of the other.

That was all I needed to do, put one foot in front of the other, rinse and repeat, and hopefully, it would be enough.

Suddenly, it was like the weight had been lifted from my shoulders. Resignation set in, and my arm tightened around Charlie’s back as I held on for dear life while he more or less dragged me through the foliage in the direction of the clubhouse.

The thought of imminent death didn’t scare me anymore. The pain was so great, so immense, that I honestly didn’t see how I’d survive. But if God took me—if He decided it was my time to die—at least it wouldn’t be by Daisy's hand.

Fucking bitch.