Page 272 of Under Her Skin

‘I’m going to kill you now, Jess, nothing can stopme.’

He rammed his forearm against her throat and as she began to choke, he pulled a knife from his pocket. Jess, knowing that this was it, tried one lastthing.

‘I’m pregnant, Jules. I’mpregnant.’

He smiled. ‘So I hear. Congratulations. But I don’t care. I’m going to kill youanyway.’

It was over. Jess struggled but as she felt Jules’s knife begin to slice into her belly, the searing pain nothing to the terror she felt for her unborn child. She could smellblood.

‘No, Jess,no!’

A frenzied cry, close, so close, Theo was dragging Jules from her. Jess rolled onto her stomach, clamping a hand over her wounds, pushing the thought of the baby away. Please, little bean, hangon.

Theo was pounding on Jules, the two men locked in a death fight. ‘Jess, get away, get out now!’ Theo was screaming at her. Blood-loss was making her light-headed. Not again. She crawled to the stairs and almost tumbled down them. There was something she could do. Something Jules had missed in the fight. Something Theo had forgotten. Slowly, painfully, she crawled her way into the livingroom.

Theo,his immense strength almost leaving him when he saw Jules stab Jess – again – grappled with the other man, wanting more than anything to break this monster’s neck, pound him into the dust. Jules, his knife gripped in his hand, swiped at Theo, one, twice before making contact. The knife tore through Theo’s shirt, slicing into the skin of his chest and Theo jerked back, away from the knife. Jules caught him on the temple with the hilt of the knife, making Theo’s already concussed head swirl. Jules took him out by the knees and Theo was on the ground.Vulnerable.

Jules laughed, raising the knife to plunge it into Theo’s chest… then his head exploded, his eyes bulging with surprise. Jules’ body slumped to the side, blood gushing from the fatal head wound. Theo, still stunned, looked up to see his beautiful Jess, her hand clamped over the bloody wounds on her stomach, holding the gun she’d just used to killJules.

Dropping the gun, Jess stumbled towards Theo and he was up, grabbing her as she slumped into his arms. He scooped her up and went downstairs, cradling her in hisarms.

‘I’m okay,’ she said weakly, ‘it’s not that deep, I’m okay, I’m okay.’ Theo reached over to grab the phone, called911.

In the distance he could hear sirens and almost collapsed withrelief.

Theo and Jess, blood-soaked, exhausted, gazed at each other and started to smile, despite theirinjuries.

‘It’s over, my Jessie. Allover.’

She started to laugh, tears rolling down her face. ‘I know, my darling, Iknow.’

Theo grinned, kissing her tears away as the sirens got ever closer and now he could hear shouting. Max. Hismom.

He heard them break down the door in their frenzy to getin.

‘In here,’ he hollered then pulled her lips to his again. ‘Jessie….we’re going to get out of here, and get all fixed up , and then it’s just you, me and the Bean. For all time,Jessie.’

‘For alltime….’

Epilogue

Theo Storm gazed at his beautiful wife as she stood on the podium, addressing the graduating class of her alma mater. Her old boss Gerry stood proudly next to him and nudged him as Jess’s speech came to anend.

‘From research assistant to the CEO of the biggest charitable art foundation in the world. Girl donegood.’

Theo grinned at him. ‘Yes, shehas.’

His eyes didn’t leave the woman at the front of the gathering. Pregnancy had made her skin glow, the lustrous hair grow longer and healthier, her large brown eyes shining with happiness. The light summer dress she wore skimmed over her swollen belly, swollen with theirchild.

Jess finished her speech and flushed scarlet with pleasure as the audience leaped to their feet. Theo knew they had followed everything that had happened to Jess, knew every horror and knew every triumph. They had made it, and finally, she wassafe.

Theo couldn’t imagine being happier and as he went to meet her as she stepped off the stage, he enclosed her in his arms and kissed hertenderly.

‘I’m so proud that you chose me to love,’ He said, gazing into her eyes. Jess kissed him, her lips curving up into a smile againsthis.

‘I’m the lucky one, Mr. Storm,’ she replied then glanced down, ‘I’d suggest we go home and celebrate but I think someone else has otherideas…

She started to laugh as Theo looked panicked. ‘Come on, big guy,’ She took his hand started to lead him back to their car, looking more beautiful than he’d ever seen her, ‘Let’s go meet ourdaughter…’