“Don’t run, you fucking bitch!”
Boots slam against the ground behind me. Closer.
I push forward, lungs burning, heart slamming against my ribs.
Knox. I remember what I did to Knox when he chased me that day.
I dive low, snatching up a fistful of dirt, and fling it behind me. A grunt, then coughing and swearing. It slows him, but not enough.
“Knox!” I scream at the top of my lungs, tears blurring my vision. I should’ve told them where I was. Should’ve left a sign. Now it’s too late.
“He won’t come for you.” The man chuckles, cruel and certain, his fingers tangling in my hair. He yanks me back, hard.
I lose my balance and crash onto my back. The impact sends a sharp jolt up my spine, stealing my breath, and then fireslashesthrough my thigh.
A sudden sting, wet and blinding, like lightning under my skin. I cry out, but the sound is swallowed by the chaos.
He sliced me.
I felt it, but adrenaline roars through me, masking the worst of it for now. My fingers claw at the dirt. No time to think. No time to feel.
I kick wildly, grabbing at anything I can reach—dirt, rocks, whatever’s close enough to throw. Anything to keep him away.
“Feisty little thing, aren’t you?” he taunts, his voice thick with amusement.
Then his boot slams into my stomach.
I choke on a gasp as paincrashesthrough me.
He presses down, harder—and I feel somethingtearinside. My body threatens to give up on me, dark spots dancing in my vision, nausea tightening like a noose around my gut.
“Let me go!” I thrash, clawing at his leg. Blood soaks into my jeans.
But he doesn’t budge.
He looms over me, smirking like he’s already won. His grip locks around my legs, pinning me as his foot drives deeper into my stomach.
I can’t breathe.
“Knox…” It slips out broken, barely above a whisper. A last, desperate plea.
“Aspen!”
The growled words cut through the chaos a second before something slams into my attacker with bone-crushing force.
They hit the ground hard, the impact rattling through the earth beneath me. I scramble back, heart hammering, then I collide witha pair of legs.
I scream, twisting until I look up.
“Max!” The name rips from me, raw and choked.
“We’re here, sweetheart.” His eyes soften for a second before flicking toward Knox.
Knox is a blur of raw fury, fists driving into the man with punishing force. The guy tries to fight back. Useless. Knox overpowers him with terrifying ease.
Then, crack.
The body goes limp.
