Page 86 of Loving Bad

"Goddammit!" he yelled as he held his head. Adrenaline pumped through me. There was no time to waste. I scrambled off the bed, my pain forgotten as I kicked into survival mode.

My eyes shot to the door. He had the key in his pocket so there was no way I could get out that way.

The only other option was the window that wouldn't open. I had to break it.

I grabbed the lamp and I swung it against the window, looking away. The window shattered. The groan that came from my injured kidnapper reminded me I was running out of time.

Frantically, I tried to clear as much of the broken glass as I could so I wouldn't cut myself too much while trying to climb out. I glanced back quickly to see Eric get to his knees, but he was still clutching his head and groaning.

I couldn't waste any more time so I put one leg through the broken window and I held onto the top of the window frame to keep my balance. Freedom was within my grasp.

More groaning from behind me made me panic, and as soon as my foot touched the ground outside, I pulled my other leg through. I winced as pain shot through me. My skin had caught a jagged piece of glass.

The sight of Eric getting to his feet and looking in my direction made me pull my leg through despite the pain from the glass cutting through my skin. No pain could compare to the pain he would inflict on me if he caught me now.

Once I was out, I tried to get away as quickly as I could. I couldn't run—I was too injured. It was dark, but the soft light that illuminated from the surrounding houses was enough for me to see where I was going. I stumbled a couple of times, scraping my knees. No matter how bad the pain was, I got back to my feet and kept going. My face, stomach and leg hurt, but I couldn't concentrate on that pain.

I brushed my face and looked down to see dark liquid on my hands. It took a moment to register that it was my blood. The fear that Eric was just behind me kept me going even through the pain. I felt the blood run down my leg as I hobbled along.

I didn't know where to go and a wave of dizziness hit me. The world began to tilt and I dropped to my knees on the road. I took a deep breath and closed my eyes for a moment before I opened them, hoping everything would remain still.

"Hey!" I heard someone shout and fear gripped me as I looked up to see car headlights. A car had stopped with a screech just a few feet away and a guy got out. My blurred vision meant it was hard to make out his features and I cowered away from him.

"I'm not going to hurt you," he assured me as I felt his hand on my arm.

"Please," I whispered as I looked up at him. There was so much packed into that one little word.

"What happened?" he asked as he looked at my battered face.

I swallowed hard.

"He...Eric..." I couldn't say any more without the emotion of what had just happened to me pushing through to the surface and I felt the tears begin to run down my face.

"It's going to be okay," he assured me softly and I felt the warmth of a jacket enclose my shivering form. I wasn't sure if I was shivering from the fear or the cold.

He wasn't Eric, but I still didn't trust him.

"I'm going to pick you up and put you into the car so I can take you to the hospital," he told me as I felt his hands underneath me.

"No," I tried to argue, but I was already in his arms and he was carrying me to his car.

"I won't hurt you. It will take time for an ambulance to get here. It will be quicker if I drive you to the hospital," he tried to explain.

Logically, what he said made sense, but I was so freaked out that it was hard to trust anyone. I pressed my limbs together to try and deal with the pain as he sat me down gently onto the passenger seat of his car.

The adrenaline that had pushed me began to dissipate and suddenly I felt so tired. The full force of the pain hit me and I tried not to give in to the darkness that was waiting for me.

I needed to feel safe before I'd let go.

The car started up and I heard the roar of the engine. It felt like forever but was probably only ten minutes before the car stopped. My eyes were closed, but I opened them to see where we were and relief flooded through me when I saw the fluorescent name of the hospital shining down on me like a beacon of hope.

The stranger opened my door and I looked at him. For the first time, I could see his features perfectly, my blurred vision gone. He looked mean, with his head shaved and various tattoos on his neck and arms. He looked like the type of guy who should be responsible for the shape I was in.

"Thank you," I whispered hoarsely. There were still good people in the world and, with that thought, I began to lose consciousness, giving in to the darkness. For the first time since Eric had kidnapped me, I felt safe.