Текст книги "Physical Distraction"
Автор книги: Tess Oliver
сообщить о нарушении
Текущая страница: 14 (всего у книги 14 страниц)
I braced my shoulders and wrists for pain as I lifted my lower body. I got in a solid kick to his back. He stumbled forward and fell to his knees.
Landon hopped back to his feet, and his nostrils flared wide as he turned around with his gnarly whip. It came across my back, slicing through my flesh like butter. Instantly, blood ran in warm rivers down my back. I held my breath to bear some of the pain. I was relieved that he hadn’t touched Tashlyn with the whip. His torture device flew through the cold air again, striking me, leaving my shirt and skin in shreds.
“You always had a smart mouth, Wolfe. But I guess this’ll shut you up for good.” He pulled out the knife I’d used to slit Draven’s throat. It was still coated with his blood.
Gregor shoved it against my throat.
“No, please,” Tashlyn pleaded.
Gregor sneered up at me. “Isn’t that sweet, she’s begging for your life. Bet you never had anyone give a damn if you lived or died before.” He lowered the knife. “I think we’ll see just how much you return that affection, Wolfe.”
He turned back to Tashlyn and made sure to stay out of the circular reach of my legs. I twisted and turned ready to pull the fucking skin off my hands, just to get free. Gregor pushed apart the panels of Tashlyn’s ripped shirt. Tears flowed down her cheeks, and she tried her hardest to squirm out of his reach. He dragged his finger along the scratch on her belly, then pressed his blade against her. She cried weakly as he pulled the tip of the knife along her skin.
“Like ivory silk, young and supple,” Gregor growled.
“I’ll fucking kill you,” I yelled.
He grinned at me over his shoulder and lifted his arm back. The flesh shredding whip dropped back ready to slice the air and Tashlyn’s skin.
Tashlyn closed her eyes. I futilely kicked out, hitting nothing but air.
The hatch was thrown open and daylight poured into the hole. A loud roar followed and a tall figure flew at Gregor, knocking him to the floor. Dane snarled like a wild fucking animal as he grabbed Gregor’s hair and snapped his head back. He pounded Gregor’s face into the floor, splattering blood in every direction. The sickening sound of bones crushing echoed through the shelter. Dane lifted Gregor’s head back and smashed it into the ground again. Gregor was limp but that didn’t stop my brother.
“Dane, it’s done. Let us loose.”
Dane thwacked the asshole’s head a couple more times before finally letting go. He hopped to his feet and looked at both of us. “Shit, good thing I came.”
“Yeah, bro, it’s a damn good thing. The chain running along the pulley is hooked to the wall over there. And there’s a knife under that bastard somewhere to cut Tashlyn’s ropes.”
Dane stared down at the second body on the floor. “Hell, is that Draven?” he asked as he stepped over him.
“Yep, that’s Draven.”
Dane unhooked the chain, and it rattled through the pulley. My hands were numb from being above my head, but my shoulders felt instant relief. My tattered shirt was soaked with blood, and it felt like the skin on my chest and back was on fire. “Right here on the side of the cuffs is a button, Dane. Open these up.”
Dane released the metal bands around my wrists. “Fuck, this is like one of those medieval torture dungeons,” he said with disbelief. “Dad told me to come here and find you. He said I needed to watch your back like you’ve always done for me.”
“We watch each other’s backs, Dane.”
I shot over to Gregor’s lifeless body and turned him to look for the knife. It was still gripped in his hand. I yanked on the knife. He groaned, somehow managing to grip it tighter. But not tight enough. I wrenched it from his grasp and leaned down over him. His face was a flattened mess, and he struggled to take air in through his shattered nose and decimated jaw. “I should let you just lay here and die a long, torturous death, like your victims. But I’m kind of a selfish asshole. I want to know that I was the one who killed you.” I shoved the knife into his throat. Landon Gregor, the man who’d masqueraded around town as a respectable citizen for years but who was hardly even a human being, choked to death on his own blood.
I raced over and cut the ropes on Tashlyn’s hands. She pulled them free and collapsed into my arms. Dane and I helped her out of the shelter. Several state troopers and a few townsfolk, including Finn and Everly were hiking down toward us.
Everly’s face was pale white and stained with tears. She raced past everyone. Tashlyn pulled her arms from around me and ran to her friend. They hugged.
“Thank god, you’re all right,” Everly cried.
“Who called the state troopers?” I asked as the three men tromped slowly down the steep terrain toward us.
Everly took a deep, steadying breath. “I did.” She looked at Tashlyn. “When my uncle knew about the place you lived and I was sure I’d never said a word to him, some things started coming back to me. Mindy, the friend who died in the fire, she’d told me she was upset and that it had to do with my uncle, but after the fire and with him pulling me to safety and everything, I’d pushed it out of my head. I guess that’s why he was nearby when the fire broke out. I was at the store, thinking about everything, and I decided to call my mom. She confessed the entire horrid story to me. I saw Jem and then Dane ride through town and I figured they were heading to Phantom Curve. I knew something was wrong.” Everly looked toward the shelter and then back at us. “My uncle?”
“He’s dead,” I said.
Everly closed her eyes and absorbed the news, but there were no tears.
The troopers reached us.
I stepped forward to meet them. “Sir, there are two dead bodies inside the shelter. One of the men, Landon Gregor, is responsible for the missing girls.”
Chapter 34
Tashlyn
I stroked Jem’s hair as he slept soundly with his head in my lap. The cuts on his chest and back were mostly healed now but the scars would last both of us forever. My eyewitness testimony and a sharp lawyer had gotten any charges of murder on Jem dropped. He’d been acting to save my life and his own. Alcott Wolfe died the night before he planned on turning himself in to police. Jason Rockfield, Landon’s last remaining accomplice was arrested and is awaiting trial. In the midst of the nightmare, we’d solved the mystery of the missing girls. It didn’t bring any of them back but finding the remains helped bring closure to the families. Because of Jem, I’d been the only girl lucky enough to escape the monster, Landon Gregor. It almost seemed as if our destiny to be together had started back on that deadly curve in the road.
I stared down at the blank notepaper. A postcard wasn’t going to cut it this time. I’d kept her completely in the dark because I didn’t want to worry her but it was time. I tapped the pen on my chin. There was so much to tell her, I wasn’t sure where to start. Then Jem stretched and snuggled his head tighter in my lap and the words flowed.
Dear Aunt Carly,
I’ve met the most wonderful man. His name is Jem. But to tell you how fantastic he is, I have to start back sixteen years ago when I was seven . . . and Jem was eight.
Epilogue
Tashlyn
I pulled the tray out of the oven and waved my hand over the slightly burned cookies. I nearly dropped the entire tray as Jem’s hands wrapped around me from behind. He kissed the back of my neck as I put the cookies down on the counter. “Watching you bake Christmas cookies is making me horny as hell,” he growled against my ear.
I spun around in his arms, and he pulled me closer. “Your oven is temperamental. Half of the cookies burned.”
“Uh huh.” He kissed me. “Now let’s finish this baking session in the bedroom. And bring some of the icing along. I know just what to do with it.”
“We don’t have time. Finn and Everly will be here soon. And Dane is going to pick up Sage as his dinner guest.”
“The biter?”
I laughed. “He’s been seeing her regularly. She’s talking about moving in with him. I’m glad for him. Aren’t you?”
“Yep. So, about that quickie in the bedroom. I’ve been shoveling snow off the walk for an hour, and I’ve got quite an appetite.”
“There are cookies behind me,” I suggested.
“Cookies aren’t going to cut it.” He took hold of my hand and led me from the kitchen down the hallway. He stopped just short of the bedroom and pressed me between his body and the wall. “See, what you do to me. I can’t even make it to the bedroom.” He started unbuttoning my pants, but then took hold of my face and kissed me.
I gazed up at him. “You sure are good at those long, hard, getting down to business kisses.”
“Don’t like to waste time.” He smiled. “What the heck did I do right in my life to deserve you, Woodstock?”
“Hmm, let’s see. I think it was something you did sixteen years ago. Then it was just a matter of time until I found you again. Whatever you did in between doesn’t count.”
He lowered his mouth to mine again. “Uh, have I mentioned lately, darlin’, that I’m fucking nuts about you.”
“You have, but I never tire of hearing it.”
“Good, cuz I’m fucking nuts about you.” He pressed his mouth over mine.
More Sinful Suspenses from Tess Oliver
All available to read free with Kindle Unlimited!
That Time with Sugar
Moonshine
Private North
View Tess’s full catalog of titles.
Subscribe to Tess Oliver’s newsletter and receive a free book!
Tess loves to hear from her readers! Here are some ways you can reach her:
Website
Email ([email protected])
