Chapter 43

CHAPTER FORTY-THREE

“I know you’re there.”

Chills raced down her arms as Joel’s voice, no longer disguised, floated toward her.

Her heart stuttered in her chest as his face came into view. “Joel. What are you doing here?”

“I came for you, of course.” His head tipped slightly to one side as he studied her, and a smirk lifted the corner of his lips. “Did you really think I was just going to let you go?”

No, she didn’t. Tess had paid the price for that, and now…

Ainsley swallowed hard. “What did you do to my sister?”

His gaze dropped to the knife still clutched in her fist, and one eyebrow shot upward. “I think the better question is—what do you think you’re going to do with that?”

“Stay away.” She brandished the knife in his direction. “Don’t come any closer.”

Joel laughed, the sound grating on her frayed nerves. “You know you won’t hurt me. You don’t have it in you.”

“I’m warning you.” She sliced the knife through the air. “Stay back.”

Her brain was a maelstrom of emotion, but she forced herself to focus. The backdoor was behind her to the left. To get there, she would need to cross the doorway, then get around the table. She slowly stepped in that direction, keeping as much distance between them as possible.

“Put the knife down.”

She flinched at his commanding tone but stood her ground. “No.”

His gaze narrowed. “You’re starting to piss me off. I said, put the knife down.”

Her hand shook as she frantically searched her mind for a way out of this mess. She didn’t have time to analyze her options. Instinct kicked in as he took another menacing step toward her, and she took off at a panicked run toward the back door.

An agonized scream tore from her throat as Joel caught a handful of hair in his fist and yanked her back. She swiped at him with the knife and was rewarded when he let out a howl of pain.

Suddenly the hand in her hair loosened and she pitched forward, hitting the tile floor hard on her hands and knees. She watched with dismay as the knife went skittering under the kitchen table.

“No!” She clawed at the ground and scrambled after the knife, but he grabbed one ankle and pulled her roughly down again. Her chin bounced off the hard floor, and she let out a mewl of pain as it sent a shockwave through her jaw.

A blood-curdling shriek tore from her throat and she fought him in earnest, arms and legs flying. “I hate you! You won’t get away with this!”

Ainsley’s vision went black for a moment and pain lanced through her as Joel’s fist caught her in the temple. Wincing, she fought against him with all her might, funneling her anger and rage into her blows as she struck out at him.

They rolled across the floor, each trying to overpower the other. Joel let out a grunt as one of her knees connected with his groin, but her satisfaction was cut short when he rolled her back under him.

Joel rolled her over and pinned her arms above her head. “Damn it, Ainsley. Look what you did. You wouldn’t have gotten hurt if you’d just listened to me. Why don’t you listen ?” He shook his head at her, his pitch rising with every word.

Her eyes darted wildly around the room, searching for anything that she could to fend him off. She felt Joel’s weight hovering above her as she twisted and writhed, trying to escape his grasp. She struggled against him, slowly inching toward the table.

She was so close. If she could just get to the knife… Her feet slipped on the cool tile, and a scream of frustration broke free.

Suddenly, one of her hands was free as Joel released her, and hope bloomed in Ainsley’s chest. The fleeting emotion was doused seconds later when his palm cracked against her face, snapping her head to the side.

“Shut your mouth, you’re going to draw attention.”

She opened her mouth to scream again and his hand wrapped around her throat, pressing against her delicate trachea, effectively silencing her. Her eyes widened in fear and she stared helplessly up at him.

Panic surged through her veins as she fought for breath, the world around her fading into a blur of pain. She clawed at Joel’s arms, her nails digging into his flesh as she struggled to break free, but his hold only tightened, his fingers crushing the life from her with every passing moment.

Blackness slowly crept in around the edges of Ainsley’s vision and she struggled harder against his grasp. The pressure on her throat receded and pain exploded up the side of her face as a second blow landed hard on her cheek. Tears burned the backs of her eyes as the metallic tang of blood filled her mouth.

“Please…” She managed to gasp out the word.

His weight lifted off of her and she sucked in a shaky breath. The sound of blood rushing through her veins filled her ears, and she could feel every beat of her heart as it threatened to beat from her chest. She could still escape, outwit him, if only…

Stars exploded before her eyes as her skull collided with the ground. “You don’t get to tell me what to do, Ainsley,” he spat, his words like venom as his hands tightened around her throat in a vice-like grip.

And then, just as she felt herself slipping away, a new voice cut through the air. “As much as I’m enjoying the show, it’s my turn.”

Ainsley sucked in a breath as Joel’s head jerked upward, his attention firmly fixed on the man standing just a few feet away. “Who the hell are you?”

“Name’s Wade. And the girl is mine now.”

The man lifted the pistol he’d had concealed at his side, pointed it at Joel and fired.