Total pages in book: 109
Estimated words: 101501 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 508(@200wpm)___ 406(@250wpm)___ 338(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 101501 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 508(@200wpm)___ 406(@250wpm)___ 338(@300wpm)
“He’s a war dog. Trained by the military. He’s as much of a soldier as Logan was.”
“Huh.” She looked back at Max. “Heel, soldier.” Max appeared at her side, looking up for further instructions. “Now what?”
“He should follow you. I know when Josh says heel, Max keeps close to him wherever he goes.”
“You gonna come with me now?” she asked Max and took two steps away. He immediately changed position and sat at her side. Jamie giggled and took two more steps away. Max moved with her and she laughed again. “This is so cool,” she called out and kept moving. I listened to her footsteps and Max’s nails on the hardwood floor until they left the building, then got back to work.
Ten minutes later, I heard the front door open again and footsteps across the wood floor. I expected to find Jamie and Max standing in my doorway when the footsteps stopped outside my office door. Instead I found a man who looked vaguely familiar.
“Bar opens at two on Mondays. Sorry, but you’ll have to leave.”
The man didn’t seem to hear me because he leaned against the doorframe and crossed his arms. The hair on the back of my neck began to rise when his mouth pulled into a sneer.
“You’re that bitch who threw beer on me.”
Warning bells rang loudly in my head. I remembered him now. Logan had pointed a gun at him after he’d made an aggressive move in my direction Saturday night. He was one of the ranch hands who’d gotten into a fight. His eyes were meaner now than they’d been that night, and a little glassy as if he’d been drinking all night.
My attention darted to the baseball bat I kept on hand to break up bar fights. It was leaning in the corner just out of his line of sight. When I looked back at the ranch hand, my intentions must have shown on my face, because he lunged at the same time I dove for the bat. I shoved the open door in his direction, giving me a few precious seconds to reach the weapon, but not long enough. Before I could raise it in self-defense, he backhanded me, ripping the bat from my hand as I went flying to the floor. I rolled to my knees quickly, shaking my head to clear it, and caught a boot in my ribs before I could move. Air escaped my lungs so violently that no sound came out. But the pain in my side was like nothing I’d experienced before. Fire burned through me as I tried to crawl to safety. If I could just reach my cell phone, I knew Logan would save me.
“Fucking cunt,” the man roared as I inched closer to my desk on shaking hands. “I’m gonna teach you a lesson you’ll never fucking forget,” he threatened, then brought the bat down on my hand.
The searing pain, as multiple bones shattered, closed off my vocal cords and I rolled to my back, clutching my shattered hand. Sweat clung to my body, dripped from my forehead as I tried to pull enough air into my lungs to scream. But the moment I opened my mouth to let loose a call for help, the man straddled me and covered my mouth. Then he leaned in close to my ear, his rank breath suffocating me. He was intoxicated, just as I suspected.
“We’re gonna play first, then you’re gonna round up all the money you got in the place to pay me back for my losses. If you keep your mouth shut while I fuck you, I might let you live.”
Bile rose in my throat. He was going to kill me anyway. I knew that as well as I knew my name. I didn’t want my last moments in this life to be degrading and perverted. No man had ever touched me but Logan, and I would rather die fighting than change that. I wouldn’t allow him to sully the most beautiful thing I’ve experienced in my short life. I wouldn’t allow him to touch what only belonged to Logan.
My good hand shot between us when he rose and ripped the front of my shirt open. I raked my nails across his face, jamming my thumb into his eye socket with such force I heard a popping sound. When he howled in pain, clutching his eye, I tried to roll from beneath him. He was too heavy though, so I bucked and shouted as loud as I could before he brought both his hands to my throat and began to squeeze. I clawed at his hands, beat at his face, but nothing worked. Soon, dark patches began to invade my eyesight and I could feel myself slipping away. I focused on my brothers then, on Logan, and tried one last time to buck the man off. But he was just too strong. Too determined. As tears rolled from my eyes, a small smile pulled across my mouth as I stared up at my attacker. I’d dislocated his eye from its socket and blood was leaking down his face. At least Logan would have the evidence he needed to catch this killer.