Confessing to the Cowboy - By Carla Cassidy Page 0,85
icy roads and the aching fear in his heart that no matter how fast he drove, he was already too late.
* * *
The moment the lights went out Mary fell to the floor and crawled across the back of the counter, opening doors to cabinets, but knowing that these lower cabinets contained mostly linens and aprons, napkins and official T-shirts, nothing that could be used to ward off Jason’s rage or the slice of his knife.
Small sobbing sounds filled the silence and she was appalled to realize they were coming from her, the sound of terror escaping without her volition.
“Come out. Come out.” Jason’s voice was a singsong of anticipated pleasure. “Come on, sweet Samantha, it’s time to pay your dues.” The security lights came back on and a new sob escaped her as she scrabbled across the floor in an effort to get away.
He advanced toward her and she jumped up to her feet, grabbing the glass coffee carafe from a nearby coffeemaker. She wielded it before her as if it had the magical power to make Jason disappear.
But he didn’t disappear, rather, he drew close enough to loom like a monster before her. In frantic desperation she threw the coffee carafe at him. It hit his shoulder and glanced off him like a fly swatted away at a picnic.
It was at that moment that all hope abandoned Mary. She would never again see that slow sexy smile curve Cameron’s lips. She would never experience the wonder of his strong, warm arms around her.
And Matt. She nearly fell to her knees as she thought of the son who was her sun, her moon, her very reason to get up each morning with such happiness in her heart. She would never see him grow to be a man.
She could only hope that when her murder was investigated Jason lost custody of Matt for she knew that Cameron would stay true to his promise to her and raise Matt as his own son.
Without hope, she had no fight. Yet when Jason grabbed her by the arm and tried to force her toward him, the fight she’d thought gone returned tenfold.
She wouldn’t be a helpless victim for him again. She was no longer a naive, vulnerable young woman, but rather a strong woman who had survived him once and was determined to somehow survive him again.
She flailed her arms, kicked toward his groin, anything to keep him from advancing close enough to use the knife on her throat. A white-hot pain shot across her forearm and began to bleed at the same time she managed to connect a hard kick to his thigh.
He grunted in pain and then laughed, the laughter of a man who knew he had won and it was just a matter of time before he claimed his prize.
At that moment a crash sounded from the front door. One of the large flower pots Mary kept on either side of the entrance flew through the glass, followed instantly by Cameron, his gun drawn and his eyes holding a killing rage.
In the split second of his appearance and Mary’s stunned surprise, Jason grabbed her and pulled her tight against him, the edge of his knife at her throat.
A sharp sting marked the area where tip met skin and a warmth of blood trickled down her neck. She scarcely breathed, knowing that by the simple act of swallowing she could be hurt more severely.
“Put the gun down, Cameron,” Jason said. “Put your gun down or I slit her throat right now.”
Hesitation tempered the rage that darkened Cameron’s eyes. She wanted to tell him not to listen, that if he was just patient he might be able to get off a shot that wouldn’t kill her, too.
But Jason pressed the knife a little tighter against her skin and she could tell more blood seeped from the superficial wound. “Don’t think I’m bluffing,” Jason said.
“You know you’re a dead man.” Cameron laid his gun on the counter where he and Mary had sat for so many nights over the years to talk. “It doesn’t matter if you kill her or not, you won’t leave this building alive. I’ve already got deputies on their way.”
“Then I guess I’d better hurry,” Jason replied.
“I punched three for 911.” Junior’s voice came from the floor, momentarily startling Jason who eased his grasp on her. As the knife floated away from her neck, Mary slumped down and threw her weight to one side.