Page 26 of Protected by the Sheriff (Magnolia Falls #2)
Olivia
I wake up with a headache worse than anything I’ve ever felt before. As I run my hand up along my scalp, I feel a goose egg. It’s a pretty sizable knot on my head. That’s when I remember Knox confronting me in my office and knocking me over the head with the butt of a gun.
Trying to find my phone, I check my pockets and realize he’s taken it.
How could I have misjudged him so badly?
He’s threatening to sell me to the highest bidder, and I never had any inkling that Knox was dangerous.
This man was a friend, someone I allowed to take part in my business, and I trusted him.
How could I have been so wrong? I never even suspected he was in cahoots with the sleazy land developer that gave me the creeps.
Not only is he working with him, but they are blood.
The air hangs heavy and still, a thick, muggy blanket clinging to my skin.
Sweat prickles, despite the lack of exertion.
I don’t know how long I’ve been unconscious.
As my eyes roam the large room, I try to figure out where I am.
It’s a crumbling, paint-peeled structure, and the floorboards groan faintly under my unstable feet.
The scent of damp wood, mildew, and decaying leaves hangs in the air, a nauseating odor that stings my nostrils. There is debris all over the floor and the windows are broken, which looks to be how all the leaves and debris are coming in from outside.
High above me, there is a faded, peeling sign that says Magnolia Falls Ski Resort , but it’s obvious that this place has been abandoned for years, maybe even decades. As my heart pounds, I frantically make my way to the door and try the knob.
When I turn it and see it’s locked, I whimper.
Looking around for an alternative escape route—a window perhaps—my hands tremble.
It’s clear I’m still uncoordinated from the hard knock to the head.
That’s when I hear a chuckle and look up to see Bryan and Knox.
They are watching me like I’m a hamster in a cage.
“Ms. Lane, I told you I was going to get that property the easy way or the hard way, and you chose the hard way. It’s unfortunate that you didn’t listen when given the chance to sell your property to me,” Bryan admonishes.
Scowling at Knox but praying he finds it in his heart to help me, I straighten my spine and lift my chin up. “You won’t get away with this. Everyone who knows me knows I would never sell my tattoo parlor.”
“When you disappear from town and we have a signed contract in hand, they won’t be able to do anything about it. They’ll think you were just trying to avoid that pain-in-the-ass sheriff and ran out of town.” Knox laughs. The sound coming from him doesn’t even sound like the Knox I know.
As I look at him puzzled, I ask, “Was anything real with us, Knox? I thought we were friends. I allowed you in my business, my home, and you were part of my life.”
“I wanted you, Olivia, but you rejected me at every turn. I can get any woman I want and will never be your doormat. Since you chose someone else over me, a decision had to be made, and no way was I letting you walk away from me and live happily ever after with that jackass.”
My chin quivers and my eyes burn as I try to hold back the tears. “What’s going to happen to me?”
Knox pulls out some papers and unfolds them, then he removes a pen from his pocket.
“You will sign this contract giving complete control of the property and land to my uncle’s real estate development company.
Then you will be transported to a buyer who is paying a large sum of money for a sex slave. ”
I gasp, hearing the details out loud.
“And you thought your pussy was special,” he scoffs. “You wouldn’t cooperate with me, but I promise you, you will comply with anyone you come across at your new place. There won’t be a choice unless you want to die.”
A loan tear rolls down my cheek. “How could you do this to me?”
“How could you possibly choose him over me?” Knox asks with furrowed brows.
“He treats me like a human being and would never sell my body to another man, no matter what I did. That’s enough to show me you were never man enough for me in the first place.”
I feel a hard knock to the side of my cheek and the sting of getting hit in the face a second time feels like I’ve hit a brick wall.
I stumble down onto my knees, where Knox jerks a handful of hair and pulls my head back until we are staring into each other’s eyes. His are filled with hatred and anger.
“I’m done dealing with this relationship nonsense,” Bryan announces, seemingly to us both. “Make her sign the papers and get her to the buyer. You can keep your cut and send me the rest of the money when you deliver her.”
With that parting command, Bryan walks out of the disheveled lobby, the silence punctuated only by the rhythmic slap of his shoes on the floor. My eyes dart around the room, taking in the splintered remains of what must have been furniture.
With a sharp jerk, Knox pulls me up by my hair, the sudden movement making my head spin and my neck ache violently. “Get over here and sign these damn papers, Liv,” he snarls, his voice raspy.
He pulls me to a rickety table and lays down the papers and ink pen in front of me. “You have no choice now,” he says, his voice hard and cold, “and I’m not going to keep playing these childish games.”
The weight of the situation presses down as I bend over the table, Knox’s presence a looming shadow behind me as my mind races for a solution.
With him distracted by my ass, I grab the ink pen and strike out behind me.
Then, using my foot, I connect with a powerful blow to his groin.
Turning, I raise the pen, its cold metal a stark contrast to Knox’s warm skin, and plunge it into his neck with all my might, the blood quickly welling.
A strangled sound escapes his lips as his fingers tighten around his throat, his face turning purple, his eyes wide and bulging in a look of utter shock.
As he pulls the pen out, blood surges and sprays profusely from the wound in his neck.
Though unable to speak, he lunges, catching my ankle and sending me crashing to the floor.
The impact sends a jolt through me—a jarring crack that resonates in my bones.
Frantically, I kick and fight, my fingernails scraping against the foul-smelling, rotten floorboards as I desperately try to escape his hold.
I get enough control to kick him in the face as he crawls behind me, and this makes him let go of my ankle.
My life depends on me getting away from him or fighting him long enough until he passes out from blood loss.
It looks like I’ve hit something major because there’s blood all over him, the floor below us, and myself.
His skin is becoming pale, and it looks like any energy he has is fading fast.
I only hope that it’s enough.
Running across the lobby, I choose one of the long hallways, the faded carpeting underfoot muffling my steps, and the musty scent of mildew filling my nostrils.
The brightly lit main room was a stark contrast to these shadowy, silent halls.
I have to use my hands to feel along the walls.
At some point, I reach a set of stairs that I slowly climb, trying to stay silent.
I could practically get lost in the vastness of this building. Hopefully, I can find a place to hide.
The hair on the back of my neck stands up and I know Knox is close behind, but I can’t see him in the darkness. I can hear a gurgling sound and heavy breathing, as if he’s struggling to get enough air.
I hear a sickening thump as something hits the floor, then a wet, gargling gurgle, and finally the heavy sounds of something tumbling down the stairs.
The sounds of my own ragged breathing and shuddering sobs fill my ears as I realize, in a wave of icy terror, that I’ve killed someone. Though self-preservation demanded it, I’m consumed by guilt and a profound sadness that feels like a heavy weight.
Unsure if Knox is truly dead and with the lingering doubt of Bryan’s departure, I ascend the shadowy stairs, my hands tracing the wall until I reach another hallway, its darkness heavy and unsettling.
Pushing open the door to what appears to be a guest room with its faded floral wallpaper and an old broken bed, I step inside and close the door softly.
With a sliver of light from a grimy window, I’m able to find a closet and get inside, hiding in the furthest corner with the door closed.
I sit with my knees to my chest in the corner and rock back and forth as I cry as quietly as I can, hoping Mason realizes I’m missing and is able to find me soon.