The predatory look on his face caused my heart to stop. I couldn’t breathe. All I could do was sit here while he stretched his neck from one side to the other as if he was getting ready for something.
Hewasgetting ready for something.
Preston Whitley was preparing to attack.
This was bad.
All logic went out the window. The only important thing now was getting away.
Before I could form a coherent thought, I slipped under the rising metal and knocked my glasses off. Not even that overrode the frenzy of hysteria tearing through me. While my hand twitched to grab my comfortable brown frames, my legs took off, carrying me as fast as possible.
Where I was going, I had no idea. I just had to go. The only thought floating through my mind as my feet furiously pounded against the wooden floor was, ‘Thank God, I didn’t actually need those lenses to see.’
“Where are you going?” Preston called out. “There’s nowhere to fly away to, Little Bird.”
The air swept over me, cooling my skin. That was when I realized how little clothing I had on. The only thing protecting me were scraps of fabric called underwear. Suddenly that felt like the most important thing.
Blankets!
My eyes sought out the bed as I turned and headed in that direction. But there was nothing on the mattress for me to use—no pillows or soft comforter, only a sewn-on fitted sheet that refused to come off. And to make matters worse, my chest was already heaving for air.
I crouched down at the side of the bed to catch my breath and cursed my sister’s name.
Trina wouldn’t have this problem. While I was chasing down my next story, she was at pep rallies and playing volleyball at the beach. Who’d have thought something like cheerleading would ever be useful? Now, I kind of wished I signed up for that stuff instead of panting for air while trapped in a room with the man who stalked me for two years.
The man who was still stalking me.
Preston was barely exerting any energy. He simply turned in my direction and casually made his way over. And why not? I wasn’t going anywhere, and this wasn’t a chase. It was pathetic.
No, goddamnit. I am not this meek!
If Preston Whitley wanted to come at me, I’d fight him tooth and nail.
“What are you going to do with that rope?”
My eyes widened.
The rope!
I still had it in my hand. It was a makeshift attempt at a weapon but still a weapon. Besides, it wasn’t as if I had anything better.
Or did I?
My attention twisted to the other side of the bed and the shiny black lamp on the dresser. The rope slipped from my grip as I jumped up to roll over the mattress.
Preston’s deep voice boomed through the room as my feet touched down on the ground. “You sure you want to do that?”
Hell yes, I was sure.
My hands shot out, snatching up the lamp. It was heavier than I thought—not at all easy to wield. Plus, I had to jerk the cord out of the wall. The weird thing was that the bulb stayed lit. But I had bigger things to worry about.
I turned around to face the predator approaching.
A grin curled the corner of his mouth when he saw me, but it was the condescending tsk that really pissed me off.
“You’d have been better off with the rope.”
“You better leave me alone!”
