Can't Slow Down - Lizzie Hart Stevens Page 0,3

hard, trying to hold back the tears.

“Fucking look at me when I’m talking to you!”

SLAP!

I gasp and try hard to scream through the fabric tied around my mouth. If looks could kill I would have gutted him by now. My face stings, but instead of wanting to cry now there is a rage deep inside of me, and I want nothing more than to hurt him like he’s hurting me. I wiggle and squirm trying to free my hands or my feet, but it’s no use.

Patrick roughly let’s go of my hair, throwing my head forward, and starts pacing around me, looking down at his watch repeatedly.

“You know, Lexi, I thought we had a good thing going.” His voice is a little calmer now and eerily quiet. He’s still eyeing his watch as he paces back and forth in front of me.

“I know I lose my temper once and awhile, Lex. But deep down all I ever did was love you.” He suddenly stops pacing, taps his watch three times, and sighs. He removes the gag from my mouth. “Don’t make a sound or this is going back on that pretty little mouth of yours.”

My heart is still beating hard in my chest and the pulse thumps loud in my ears. I feel a shiver run down my spine when his demeanor changes again. His eyes now flicker with hatred and fire. He wouldn’t kill me . . . would he? I start to feel the bile rise up my throat but I fight to keep it down.

“Looks like your new boy toy isn’t going to show up to save the day.” Patrick looks at me with an evil grin, tilting my chin up with his index finger. Tears threaten to sting my eyes again. Coen. He’ll think I stood him up. I remember now! I was getting ready to head home with Jo to get ready for our date tonight. My heart sinks. I have to get out of here. I have to get back to Coen. I struggle, trying to free myself again, and I scream in hopes that someone, anyone might hear me. Patrick stops and shoves my shoulders down hard and sticks the gag back in my mouth.

“It’s no use, Lexi. No one can hear you out here.” My shoulders hurt as he squeezes them harder. He leans in close to my face again. “I left him a little note on your doorstep.” He shoves his watch in front of my face and taps the face of it. “It’s 7:31 p.m., doll face. Your new lover boy had until 7:30 to bring me five hundred thousand dollars and I’d leave you two alone. But I don’t s—”

Patrick groans as he’s knocked to the floor.

I can’t see well enough in the dark to tell who it is, but their cologne is familiar and comforting. I try my best to scream again and fight against my restraints. The chair screeches and rattles as I scoot and bang it on the cement floor of the warehouse trying everything I can to break free, but there’s still no budging these ropes. Looking over to where Patrick lies on the floor I see the shadow of him starting to stir.

“Lexi, are you okay?”

Oh, thank God! It’s Coen!

I’m so relieved to hear his voice that I forget I can’t speak clearly.

“Oh God, Lex, are you gagged? Where are you? I can barely see in here.”

Coen manages to make his way over to me, almost tripping over me in the chair.

“Whoa, babe.” He steadies himself and removes the gag from my mouth. “Are you okay? Am I too late? Did he hurt you?” He caresses my cheeks and tries to study my eyes, though the darkness of the warehouse makes that almost impossible.

“Coen!” I scream. He and I both duck as Patrick stumbles to his feet and tries to swing at Coen. He’s too drunk and too disoriented from Coen’s hit to make contact with either of us. Coen swings around and they both stumble back into the darkness. All I can hear is grunting and bones cracking, no clue what sound is coming from whom. Punch after punch echoes through the warehouse and I can’t hold back the tears anymore.

“Coen!” The only sound I can hear now is the pounding of my heartbeat in my ears and my sobs as I cry uncontrollably.

I MUST’VE PASSED out, because when I open my eyes I’m no longer in the warehouse. I’m lying back on