Page 75 of Stand: Part One

“That’s my girl.”

Darren then leaned back, raised his wrist to his view, and pressed a button on his watch.

“Ten minutes … starting…now,” he said.

My eyes widened with alarm. “What, right now?”

He wanted to do this right this second? I was barely warmed up.

“Right now.”

Fuck.

Springing to my feet with a groan, I took off straight for the trees.

“Camaro, stay,” Darren ordered as she grumbled and shuffled to a stand.

She was such a good girl, but it was definitely best that she sit this one out.

Given my current status, it would take me about fifteen minutes to get to the base point from here on foot. It would probably take Darren only five to catch up to me before I made it. And that was assuming I didn’t tire or trip over anything.

I kept myself at a steady jog, not wanting to dispel all my energy for when Darren eventually caught up to me. I needed to save some of it for the eventual fight that was coming my way.

Catching me wouldn’t be enough this time. He had to pin me down, meaning I still had a fighting chance. It was slim, considering this would be the first time we fought since my injury, and my body would be rusty, but whatever. I’d still get a punch or two in.

I didn’t have much semblance of time out here, but the further I got, I had to assume it had been at least eight minutes. I could feel my pace starting to slow, my hips straining as I pushed my muscles a little more than usual.

God, this fucking sucks.

After another minute, my stride turned into a power walk, which was bad news since Darren was probably already headed my way. If I pushed myself, really pushed myself, I could make it to the base point in five minutes from here. And five minutes was all Darren needed to catch up to me.

Fuck it, Jaden. Just push it.

Ignoring the ache in my hips, I picked up my pace and sprinted through the trees, running hard and keeping my stride. My lungs and legs were on fire as I forced oxygen through my system, but I could feel that I was close. And then panic spiked in my stomach as my ears caught the distinct sound of branches cracking behind me.

My heart fluttered. Darren wanted me to know he was coming.

Fuck.

I didn’t dare look back and instead allowed the adrenaline to rush through my body, giving me the extra burst of energy I needed to hopefully finish this.

The ten-foot silver pole was finally in sight as I tore through what was left of the distance, my feet pushing hard into the uneven ground beneath me. I almost allowed a flicker of victory to spark in my heart when I was actually close enough to reach out with my arm. But before my elbow had even straightened, a hard band of steel wrapped around my middle and hauled me right off the ground.

Growling, I went with the momentum but swung my legs low to wrap my feet around the back of Darren’s knee and sent us tumbling straight to the ground. We rolled into each other until I found myself looking down at a wild-eyed Darren, a wide animated smile on his face. We both paused for a moment, long enough for me to realize he was flat on his back with me on top, straddling his hips while his hands clutched my wrists in each hand.

I cocked a brow. Now, how the hell did we end up here?

My eyes glanced ahead of him, locking on the pole that we were only twenty feet away from. Tugging on my wrists, Darren kept them trapped, but in that second, I lifted both of my knees up and pushed my legs out right into his upper arms, kicking hard. His grip loosened just enough for me to slip through and bolt from his body.

But I made it only a foot before his hand struck out and snatched my ankle, yanking me back down to the ground. My hands kept me somewhat upright as I caught myself in the grass, turning my head over my shoulder to swing my other leg out, aiming for his head with my heel. Darren easily ducked under it, but as he lunged forward, I was able to twist myself around and lift both knees to press my feet into his hips, preventing him from fully pinning me.

With all the strength I had left in my legs, I pushed as hard as I could and sent him flying over my head. He landed behind me with a groan, a smile cracking across my face as I shot forward, the pole nearly within my grasp.

I reached out, and my fingertips were inches away when Darren’s arm wrapped around my hips. He yanked me hard away from the pole and slammed me down into the grass. My fist struck out, clocking him right in the mouth, but he didn’t even react as his fingers hooked into my skort and thong and ripped them down my thighs.

Vaulting my upper body forward, I connected my elbow with his jaw, the blow naturally doing absolutely nothing to deter him from his objective. His other hand then shoved down on my chest, pinning me in place as he finished tugging my clothes down my legs.

I tried to keep my knees together as best I could while wrestling with his arm, but he had no issue yanking them apart and pressing his body between them. In a last-ditch effort, I wrapped my legs around his torso as tight as I could, barricading my now exposed pussy against his body and blocking his entry.