Page 65 of True North

He had Iris. He had my woman. And he could have been doing anything to her while I’d been sitting on my ass, totally unaware.

“I know what you’re doing, and you need to fucking stop that shit right now.”

I took my eyes off the road for a millisecond to shoot a look at Archer sitting in the passenger seat. Behind me, a trail of cop cars followed, coming in hot with lights and sirens.

“You’re going down the darkest road, thinking worst outcome. Don’t do that. We’re going to get her back.”

My hands clenched around the steering wheel so tightly the cracked leather creaked loudly and my knuckles bleached white. “I can’t lose her,” I said on a croak. “I can’t lose her, Arch. After Cora⁠—”

“You are not going to lose her,” he ground out vehemently. “This bastard’s running scared. It’s what made him fuck up in the first place.”

“Yeah, but running scared makes him desperate. Desperation makes him an even bigger threat. He could hurt her without even meaning to.” Or intentionally.

“We won’t give him the opportunity, brother. You have my word. This night ends with you and your woman cozied up in bed together.”

God, I hoped he was right. I’d do anything for that to be the outcome. I’d pray to whatever goddess it was Iris prayed to. I’d carry crystals with me every goddamn day and let Cheryl bathe me in that sage shit. Whatever it took to bring her home.

To bring her back to me.

Iris

Door or window. Door or window.

I’d been studying my options for escape as Tolliver paced the length of the cabin, back and forth, back and forth, muttering to himself like he was having a whole conversation. As I watched, my panic rising, more of his sanity slipped away.

I had to get out of here before it was too late.

Door or window. Those were the only two options, and unfortunately, a half-drunk madman was in my way of both. I was going to have to time it perfectly, and hope I could outrun him. If he’d been sober, there wouldn’t have been a chance in hell. At least I had that on my side.

I watched him pace and mutter incoherently, silently counting down in my head. I was so fucking scared I had to psych myself up to act. Otherwise, I would lock up with fear. After what happened with Davis, I promised myself I would never do that again.

Five . . .

Four . . .

Three . . .

Two . . .

As soon as I got to one, I shot off my feet and ran as fast as I could for the door. As my fingers wrapped around the knob, he grabbed me by my hair and pulled so hard I fell backward.

“You fucking slut!” he shouted, coming down on top of me. At the press of his weight, something primal and fierce burst to life inside me. Opening my mouth, I screamed as loud as I could, reaching up and digging my nails into his face and raking downward, drawing blood.

He let out a bellow of rage and pushed up, swinging his arm so the back of his hand connected with my cheek. Stars burst in front of my eyes, but I knew I couldn’t slow down. Giving him even a second would make the difference between me getting out or not.

Blinking the world back into focus, I fought with everything I had, screaming and scratching and clawing with every fiber of my being.

“You fucking whore! I’m going to make you pay for that,” he spat out, an evil smile stretching across his face. “Maybe I should see for myself what you’ve got between those thighs. Use you up before I put a goddamn bullet in your head. Let that fucker Hastings know I defiled his bitch before I put her down.”

A whole new well of rage bubbled up inside me at that threat. One man had already taken that from me, and I would be damned if it happened again. I wouldn’t stop fighting.

“No!” I screamed at the top of my lungs, taking my thumbs and digging them into his eyes. As he shot back on a bellow, I brought my knee up and drove it between his legs as hard as I possibly could.

The air whooshed from his lungs on a pained oof, and he fell to his side, losing hold of his gun and sending it sliding across the floor as he gripped his aching balls.

Rolling onto my stomach, I scrambled across the floor, reaching for it right as his hand wrapped around my ankle. As he pulled me back, I flipped to my back, aimed at his head, and fired.

I’d never shot a gun before and missed my target, but I still managed to get him in the shoulder.