Chapter 45

CHAPTER FORTY-FIVE

Ainsley stared in stunned horror at the man in the doorway, then back to Joel who lay on the ground, unmoving. A dark pool of blood had begun to gather around his torso, and Ainsley’s stomach flipped violently. She swallowed hard and ripped her gaze away, turning back to the man who’d saved her.

Ainsley tried to scramble to her feet, but Wade leveled the gun at her, stealing her words. “Where do you think you’re going, missy?”

She froze, trapped between the table and chairs behind her. Automatically, she raised her hands in front of her. “P-please. I?—”

“Huh uh.” He shook his head. “Not done with you yet.”

Ainsley’s heart rate kicked up as Wade loomed over her, his eyes gleaming with a malevolence that sent a chill down her spine. For a fleeting moment, hope had sparked within her when he first entered, believing he was there to rescue her. But that hope was quickly extinguished as his words sunk in.

Ainsley shrank back as Wade lifted the pistol in her direction. He chuckled, the ugly sound washing over her. He stroked the barrel of the gun over her face, tracing a cold, hard line along her jaw, along her throat, and down at her sternum.

Tears pricked her eyes as he grasped his belt buckle and released it with a soft metallic click. She clenched her eyes closed, the sound of leather sliding through the belt loops barely penetrating the sound of blood rushing in her ears.

“Look at me!”

She forced herself to meet his gaze as his fingers dug into her cheeks and turned her face to his. The man glared down at her. “Do you know who I am?”

Stricken with fear, unable to speak, she shook her head.

“I know who you are.” She tried to jerk away as he trailed a finger over her jaw, but he pressed the gun harder into her chest, making her blood freeze in her veins.

“What… what do you want?”

His eyes were wild, filled with a mixture of rage and twisted pleasure. “He killed my brother,” Wade snarled. “Did you know that? How does it feel to sleep with a killer?”

Ainsley recalled Dare’s story about Wade’s brother, Cy. “He didn’t mean to kill him. He?—”

Her head whipped to the side as his hand connected with her cheek. “Shut up!”

Tears pricked her eyes as pain radiated across her face. Wade didn’t want help. He wanted revenge. He wanted blood. And he wanted her to suffer before she died.

“That bastard took my brother away.” She flinched as spittle flew from his mouth and spattered her face. “He ever tell you about that gunshot wound? Courtesy of my brother, before that asshole killed him in cold blood.”

“Please, I?—”

“I dreamed of killing that bastard,” Wade said. “Then, all of a sudden… you came along.” Wade pointed the gun at her face. “I see the way he looks at you. He loves you, doesn’t he?”

Ainsley couldn’t form words through the haze of fear surrounding her. She flinched away from him as he tapped her forehead with the pistol, her back bumping the leg of the table. “I asked you a question. Does he love you?”

“Y-yes.” Her voice shook, her body trembling fiercely.

“I loved my brother, too. He was the only family I had left, and that motherfucker took him away,” he seethed. “Now I’m going to show him how it feels.”

Her heart skipped a beat as she stared into his eyes, feverish with retribution. “Take your shirt off,” he commanded, his voice dripping with sadistic anticipation. “I want to see what the sheriff’s been sampling.”

Oh, God.

Every cell of her body froze. She’d expected him to kill her, but this… Her stomach churned, bile creeping up her throat.

“What?” His gaze darkened. “You’re good enough for him, but not for me?”

Ainsley’s breath came in shallow gasps. She felt the room closing in on her, the acrid smell of unwashed flesh mingling with the tang of blood pooling on the floor beneath her. Joel’s lifeless eyes stared at her, taunting her. Unless she came up with something, and quick, she was going to end up just like him.

“Do it!”

Trembling, Ainsley reached for the hem of her shirt. Her hands were slick with blood, the metallic scent filling her nostrils. Her mind raced, desperately seeking a way out. She couldn’t fight him off—he was too heavy, too strong. But she couldn’t just give in. As she lifted her shirt, Wade’s eyes darkened with approval. Fisting his hands in her shirt he ripped the fabric away, exposing her skin to the cool air.

Wade’s touch was like fire, scorching her skin as he traced the contours of her body with the gun. Her mind screamed for escape, but her body was paralyzed with fear. He roughly grasped her breast, plumping the flesh. He grinned lasciviously as he worked the cup of her bra down until her nipple was bared.

Her stomach twisted into a knot and she turned her face away, unable to look at him. She needed a plan, needed?—

From beneath the table, a subtle glint of silver caught her attention and her heart leaped. The knife was still there, hidden just out of Wade’s sight. If she could get to it…

Wade’s hands roamed her body, his touch growing more aggressive. She had to act fast. Summoning every ounce of strength and willpower, Ainsley shifted slightly, inching closer to the knife.

Suddenly his hands left her body. “Take off your pants.”

Ainsley froze, her fingers just inches from the knife. Wade watched her intently, eyes blazing. Her muscles trembled as she reached for the snap on her jeans, her fingers clumsily fumbling with it before finally managing to push the button free of its hole.

She pushed the fabric down her thighs, until she reached the spot where he was suspended over her legs. He shifted his weight so he hovered slightly above her then grabbed her jeans. He gave a hard tug, yanking them down her legs and pulling her with them. A soft cry escaped as she fell to her back, and the back of her head smacked against the chair.

Wade yanked on the fabric again and hope leaped in her chest. Ainsley used the motion to push herself backward, fingers searching for the knife. Her heart slammed against her rib cage. She had to find it. Where the hell was it?

Wade grinned as one foot pulled free of the fabric, then the other, just as her fingers brushed the hilt of the knife. Relief exploded through her chest as she wrapped her fingers around the cool metal. She had one chance. One shot at survival.

The floor was slick with blood, and she slid through the sticky liquid as he pulled her closer. His eyes were bright as he stared down at her. Rage simmered in her blood, spiraling outward to the tips of her fingers. She pulled the knife from its place under the table and Wade’s eyes widened as his gaze landed on the weapon.

“Wh—”

The rest of the word was cut off as she lunged forward, her hand cutting a swift arc through the air. He jerked backward, but he wasn’t fast enough. The blade slashed through the soft flesh of his neck, sending a spray of blood spattering across the wall and floor.