Page 52 of Their Stolen Obsession

“Goddamn it. Forget what I said!” She shook her head in frustration and hurried into the room. “You have to leave.”

Knoxlee held out her hand to me, and her catlike facial features were striking. Sharp green eyes, high cheekbones and full of expression. With her up this close, the light illuminating behind her figure, she was equal to a feline Egyptian goddess. Her lips moved, but no sound came out and every fear went away. I was mystified by her and bound to kneel at her feet until she slapped me.

“Liv? Did you hear me?” Knoxlee asked with narrowed eyes full of desperation.

“I can’t,” I mumbled on repeat and shook my head.

“Yes, you can, Liv…” Knoxlee said as she took my face in between her hands and stared me straight in the eyes. “Someone broke into Pitrone’s territory, and they are taking them down.”

I whispered, “What?”

“Preston’s fucked,” Knoxlee answered, letting go of my face and grabbing my shoulders, “But you have to run.”

The gunfire came closer. Fear came back and haunted every fiber of my being.

I shook my head. “No. It’s not safe out there.”

“I know, but it’s not safe—” A loud bang that made my eardrums ring interrupted her explanation.

We ducked down, held our ears with our hands, and I realized there was an explosion. Holy shit! This was crazy!

Knoxlee pulled at my arm. She forced me to my feet and closer to the door. My eyes went wide with fright at the sight of smoke coming from outside and common sense hit me. I couldn’t stay put. There was bound to be a fire somewhere, and it was only a matter of time before flames consumed my prison. I had no choice. I had to escape.

Knoxlee pushed me out into the hallway.

“Run! Don’t look back!” she shouted at me as her voice echoed down the hallway, and my legs sprang into action.

Tears of terror streamed down my face, and I didn’t stop running. Smoke had me choking until it had dissipated. I didn’t turn back as I heard Knoxlee’s continuing efforts encouraging me toward my freedom. The voice of an angel I’d never forget as her motivation cut off, and I was alone again.

Knoxlee?

She wasn’t behind me. Knoxlee must’ve gone in the opposite direction.

Horrified, I ran faster. My bare feet hit the floor with the notion of eyes targeting me. The sensation crept up my back as I sprinted into a vast room with long dinette sets and chandeliers overhead. The gunfire was all around me, and I had to ignore the panic because I couldn’t stop. I’d be dead.

There. Up ahead. A door.

I had to reach for the handle. I must get out of danger before I meet a gruesome fate. There was no time to pause, make up another plan, or second guess anything. My racing heart and heaving chest propelled me forward; I could only run. One beat. Two beats. Three. Four. Five. I counted the organ beating inside of me to ensure I was still alive.

Suddenly, the watchful stares locked on me and crept deep into my core, into my soul, and latched on, unable to let me go. My gut screamed at me to stop, and my body reacted. I came to a screeching halt right in front of a gigantic mirror. The two men I’d longed for reflected back at me.

Sin and Saint. My phantoms. The predators had found me, and they locked onto their prey.

Wide-eyed, shocked, and trembling with disbelief, tears of joy streamed down my cheeks. They savedme. The men who haunted me, owned me, and loved me were taking me home.

Bullets flew past me in slow motion, like a fucking action movie. I wasn’t Trinity from the freaking Matrix and couldn’t dodge worth shit as the mirror came crashing down, and I let out a blood-curdling scream. The glass hit the floor, and chandeliers overhead came collapsing all around me. I realized my mistake as soon as pain pierced me, and agony wreaked havoc on my body. I fell to the ground, realizing a bullet had struck me.

“No!” I heard my phantoms shout.

The sound of gunfire was intense. Everything was a blur as stars danced and made me want to black out, but I wasn’t ready. I didn’t want to go.

I curled up into the fetal position, trying to shield myself from harm because I was still breathing. I hadn’t died. Not yet.

Twenty-Nine

Her Predator

Sin