Predator - A Stand Alone Suspense Romance(49)

My back brushes up against the cold steel and my whole body tightens with fear. I grab for Damian and then his arms fold around me. His body curves over mine and I feel his stubble scrape against my cheek. His breath is warm on my ear as he whispers, “I know the dark and confined space scares you, but try to stay calm. We just need to wait them out.”

I nod quickly but wave after wave of fear is crashing over me. My mid-section is aching terribly. I bite at my bottom lip and then let my arms slip around Damian’s waist. I hold on to him and bury my face under his chin. His scent and presence envelops me and it soothes me some.

I hear the drone of voices as they pass by the unit we’re in. The pain becomes waves of nausea and dizziness, and all I can do is hold on to Damian.

He presses a kiss to my cheek and then another to my neck. “You’re doing good,” he whispers.

“I’m going to puke,” I whisper back. The pain and fear is becoming too much.

I listen as they roll the door open of the unit next to ours, and then a loud curse makes me flinch.

Footsteps race by our unit and then the sounds fade fast.

“Just a little longer,” Damian whispers. “They need to think we’re gone.

My legs go numb from the pain and my body sags into Damian. “I need to sit,” I whisper, feeling very weak.

Just like the night before, Damian slides us to the floor and then he pulls me between his legs. I curl into him and close my eyes, trying my best to fight the urge to cry.

His one hand starts to brush soft circles on my lower back, and it eases some of the pain in my hips. He presses more kisses to the top of my head.

Torturous long minutes tick by before he stirs. “I’m going to go look first. Stay here,” he whispers.

My head snaps up and I grab at him. My hands slam into his abs and I grab the material under my hands. “No,” I shake my head and even though my body is an aching mess, I struggle to my knees. “Don’t leave me.”

He hesitates for a second and my heart stops, but then he pulls me up with him. “Can you walk?”

I nod. I’ll do anything he tells me as long as he doesn’t leave me in this box.

I can feel his eyes on me and I wish that I could see as good as he does in the dark. He slides the door open softly and the light that shines in from the passage is very welcome.

He looks up and down the passage and then takes the gun from his back. Just like that first day when he came for me he takes my hand with his left one and keeps the gun in his right hand.

“Stay behind me,” he whispers and this time the words sound so different from when he first said it to me. There is nothing neutral about Damian anymore. He’s not clinical with me.

I stick to his back as we walk down the passage. When we get outside, the parking area is empty. I feel a flicker of hope that we might make it.

“We have to walk up the road, I have a car waiting at a dealership.”

“Walk?” I squeak, not sure I can make it much further.

Damian pulls me into his side so I can lean into him, and his arm settles firmly around me. “We can’t take this car.” He looks to the one we’ve been using. “We’re leaving it all behind.”

“Your house?” I ask, only now realizing that he’s giving it all up.

“It was a rental.” He starts to walk, and my numb legs move sluggishly. With every step I take, I lean more into Damian. Suddenly, he stops and he takes my left arm, pulling it around his waist. His arm goes around me, as if we’re a couple. This way he’s taking more of my weight and it helps a little.

“I’d carry you but it would only attract attention.”

I can only nod, my mouth filled with thick saliva. My vision starts to blur and I don’t take in any of our surroundings anymore. I only focus on putting one foot in front of the other.

It’s the longest distance I have ever walked. At least, it feels that way. When we finally reach the dealership, I can’t hold back the bile and quickly turn away from Damian. My body convulses and it makes the pain blindingly sharp.

I don’t know how we get to the car. With tears blurring my sight, I get to rest my cheek on the worn upholstery of the back seat. I finally get to close my eyes and sink away into a dark bliss.



Damian~

It’s been a long day and it’s only early afternoon. When I stop at a drug store, I’m torn in two. Cara is asleep on the back seat. I don’t want to leave her but I need supplies for her.

I lock all the doors and then rush into the store. I grab painkillers first and then get some more bandages. I grab a large first aid kit too. Rather be prepared than sorry.

I’m in and out in less than ten minutes but it feels like a year of my life has passed. I place the stuff on the passenger seat and then open the door by Cara’s head. I place a hand on her forehead and feel overwhelming relief when she’s cool to my touch. The last thing we need is an infection.

I brush some hair from her face and then close the door again.

When we leave the busy town behind, I feel a ton of weight roll off my shoulders.

My mind goes to the contents of the bag. We don’t have enough clothes, but we can get some more when we reach Southport. I’m so fucking thankful that I got Cara a back-up I.D made. With our new identities and the emergency cash we’ll be okay for a while. We’ll need to get jobs, but that’s a bridge we’ll cross when we get to it.