Page 84 of Catch My Fall

He’s the one who gave me the scar on my face.

A new wave of fear rattles through me and I have to bite into my bottom lip to stop from sobbing and giving myself away.

I watch his feet pace the carpet as he continues searching, moving across the room to the built-in closet. Seeing that I’m not there, he shifts to sit on the bed, the springs straining under his weight.

His feet are just inches from my head.

“You going to come out from under there or am I going to have to drag you out?”

I place my hand over my mouth as I release a shuddering breath.

He’s known I’ve been hiding under here all along, he’s just been playing with me.

“I quite like the idea of the latter, but it’s your choice, girl. Either way, the end result will be the same.”

Clutching the gun in both my trembling hands, I aim the gun at his leg, and without a second’s hesitation, I pull the trigger.

The kick-back startles me, the crack of the gunshot piercing my eardrums.

The man roars in agony. He collapses to his knees cradling his bloody calf where the bullet pierced straight through his flesh.

His eyes find mine as I try to scurry to the opposite side of the bed, but I’m not quick enough. He grapples for my foot and drags me backwards.

I screech. The carpet burning my palms and chin as I’m pulled out from under the bed on my front.

“You fucking bitch!” he shouts, turning me onto my back before climbing over my body. Straddling my hips, he slaps me, the sting radiating through my face.

He’s twice my size, his weight crushing me as he wraps his hand around my throat. He squeezes impossibly tight, cutting off my air supply.

“My scar looks good on you. Do you think about me every time you look at your reflection? I’d like to think you do.”

Having him on top of me, the memories of the past threaten to resurface, but I force them down as I grip his hand, trying to pry open his fingers, thrashing against him to loosen his grip, but he’s too strong.

“Austin made it clear you’re not to be killed, but fuck it, I’d have much more fun doing it myself.”

He squeezes harder, and with every second I feel the fight slowly leaving my body, my lungs screaming for air.

No!

I refuse to let this be how I die.

Alec’s words ring through my mind from the day he taught me self-defence out in the backyard.

Go for the base of the throat.

I can almost hear him yelling at me to keep fighting. To not give up.

Releasing his hand, I draw back my fist and drive it straight into the spot where his neck meets his collarbone as hard as I can.

It didn’t feel like a hard enough punch, but it seems to do the trick when his hands fall away from my neck.

I gasp for air, the blood rushing back to my head so fast it makes me dizzy.

Above me, the man clutches his throat as he struggles for breath, wheezing as his face turns beet-red.

I see him reach for the gun that lies discarded on the floor beside us but I kick it away with my foot before scrambling to my feet and heading for the door.

A hand wraps around my waist, tugging me back. “Come here, bitch.” His voice is hoarse and strained as he coughs.