Page 117 of Escape

I released Kurt’s wrist, balled my left hand into a fist, and swung it at the side of his head. It was just enough to startle him, throw him off balance, and force him to lose his grip on my throat.

I swung several more times, each punch I landed sending waves of pain up my arm. Kurt stumbled back far enough that I couldn’t reach, so I used that opportunity to suck in as much air as I could and try to free myself from the belt.

It was still stuck, and Kurt had righted himself. I was running out of time—Huck had to be close by now.

Not trusting the strength in my hands or arms to get the job done, I figured my legs and feet were the next best option. I pulled my leg back until my thigh was nearly at my chest, and as Kurt stepped in my direction again, I kicked at him.

He jumped out of the way, but I continued to kick. If I could hold him off just a bit longer, I’d be okay. I’d survive.

And I’d be able to get Lori the help she needed.

But Kurt disappeared out of my line of sight just as I heard the distant sound of police sirens.

His truck was still visible from my vantage point, and he wasn’t moving in that direction, so I wondered if he’d decided to make a run for it.

I wasn’t so lucky.

The next thing I knew, the back door opened, and Kurt’s voice sounded behind me. “Looks like someone has gotten a bit feisty during her time away. It’s a shame you were never like that when we were together. It could have been fun.”

“You’re going to rot in prison,” I warned him as I flailed my arms above my head, attempting to make contact with any part of his face I could reach.

“I’ll be gone before they get here,” he said as his fingers wrapped around my neck from behind and squeezed.

No matter how hard I swung, I couldn’t hit him. He had to have crouched down low enough to where I’d never be able to hit him. His grip grew tighter and tighter; I wasn’t going to make it.

But just before I thought I was going to pass out, Kurt’s hands were gone. Listening closely while I attempted to take in some air, I heard grunts of pain and the unmistakable sound of a fist connecting with a face.

Huck.

It had to be Huck.

My body was jerked slightly to the side when a body was thrown against the side of the car. That’s when I got the confirmation I’d guessed right.

“I told you what would happen if you touched her.”

That was Huck.

And he sounded like he had gone well past the point of self-control. He sounded murderous.

Kurt groaned, an indication that Huck had gotten the upper hand in this battle. “Do you remember my warning? Do you remember me telling you that if you touch her again, you’d be dead. And I don’t care if I spend the rest of my life sitting in a prison cell so long as you can’t ever lay another finger on her.”

My eyes widened in shock.

While Huck had shared that he’d gone and given Kurt a taste of his own medicine and a warning to leave me alone, he hadn’t given me any details. I knew he loved me, but the words he’d just said were on another level. He was prepared to sacrifice his freedom for my safety. I felt myself getting choked up, tears welling in my eyes.

“Josie, honey, can you hear me?” Huck called out.

“I’m—” I stopped to clear my throat. “I can hear you.”

“Are you okay?” he pressed.

“For now, I am. Lori is passed out, though,” I told him as I attempted to look back and see what was happening. It was difficult to do without being able to move my torso away from the seat, but I could tell Huck had Kurt pinned up against the side of the car. “And I’m stuck. I can’t get out of the seat.”

“Get off me, asshole,” Kurt grumbled, shoving his hands into Huck’s chest.

In an instant, Kurt was slammed down on the ground beside the car. I could just barely see the top of his head.

The sound of the sirens was getting louder, indicating the police were nearly here.