Total pages in book: 58
Estimated words: 52338 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 262(@200wpm)___ 209(@250wpm)___ 174(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 52338 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 262(@200wpm)___ 209(@250wpm)___ 174(@300wpm)
I kick my legs and scream, trying to knock him off balance so that he'll drop me to give me a chance to make it. But his hold on me is too strong. He pulls me farther and farther away from the door, heading back down the hallway. I've watched plenty of movies to know what happens to the girl who tries to get away from her captor.
"Please, I'm sorry!" I cry as he pulls me down the hallway. "I was just scared! I won't do it again!"
"Morgan, relax," Trent coaxes. It's only the softness of his voice that calms me just a little. Instead of taking me back to the guest room, he puts me on my feet and leads me back to his bedroom. He closes and locks the door behind him and moves over to the bed, looking back at me when I don't follow. "Let's just try to get some sleep. It's been a long night."
"How do I know you won't hurt me?" I ask with a sniffle. It probably sounds pathetic, but after everything I've learned today, I can't even trust my own judgment. I'd believed this man was a twenty-three-year-old college junior who was majoring in tech. I'd thought he was normal, and I loved that he treated me like I was normal and didn’t try to use me like everyone else has in my life. To know that all of that was fake is still hard to process. I can't trust him enough to want to sleep next to him; I can't even trust myself right now.
He walks over to me and tries to take my hands into his, but I pull away. "I'd never hurt you, Morgan," he says, holding my gaze. "Ever."
"How do I know that?"
"Because if I wanted to truly hurt you, I could've done that from the start." He takes a step forward. "If I wanted to hurt you, I could've hurt you last night when you were at your most vulnerable." His hands flex as if he's going to reach out to touch me, but he thinks better of it, closing them into fists instead. "I know you're probably feeling blindsided and betrayed, but the one thing I can guarantee will always be true is the fact that I'll never ever hurt you."
I wipe away a stray tear and glance toward the bed. "Then I guess I'm going to bed," I murmur.
I get into bed and make sure to put enough distance between us. And as I lie there staring into the darkness, all I can hope is that this is all a bad dream and that I'll wake up from this nightmare in the morning.
If only things were really that easy.
13
TRENT
Ilook over at her for what feels like the hundredth time since we've been in bed. With everything that's happened up until now, I'm not surprised that she attempted to run. I want to comfort her, but I also don't know what to say. Her back is toward me, and she's nearly hanging off the bed, a clear sign that she wants to be nowhere near me. I reach out and brush my fingers along her arm, only for her to pull away from me.
"Don't touch me," she mumbles, scooting farther from me. I sigh softly into the darkness, turning my attention to the barely visible ceiling. So much has changed in the past twenty-four hours that it's given me emotional whiplash. Just hours ago, I dreaded having to tell her the truth because I knew this exact scenario would happen. I just didn't expect to have my hand forced in telling her so soon.
Soon enough, her soft snores fill the room when she finally falls asleep. I can't imagine everything going on in her head right now. It's not every day that you learn someone is plotting to have you killed. And it's definitely not every day that you encounter the very person who's been contracted to kill you. I think back to everything that happened at her house. I remember the panic that coursed through me when I heard her screaming. The fear and shock on her face when she saw me will forever be ingrained in my memory. Even now, anytime she looks at me, it's that same shock and betrayal I saw at the house despite the fact that I only did that to help her. I can't be angry with her; she thought I was completely different from how I'd portrayed myself to her. Now, my biggest obstacle is getting her to trust me enough to allow me to help her make it through this alive.
Her warm body suddenly appears against me as she cuddles up, still asleep. I push the thoughts from my head and try to relax enough to sleep. Tomorrow is a new day, hopefully one that can be a clean slate so we can work to get to the bottom of all of this. I wrap my arm around her and close my eyes, breathing in her flowery scent as I will my mind to settle down.