rose on her skin. “What—mmmph!”
A hand clamped over her mouth as she felt herself hauled against a hard, male chest. “Don’t scream, Tempe.” Tony’s sour breath made her want to gag and she tried to wiggle out of his arms. “Don’t make me use this.”
Something sharp poked at her side. A knife. She immediately stopped struggling.
“That’s it, good girl.”
A muffled whimper tried to escape her mouth, but his grip tightened. “C’mon, Tempe baby. Just relax.” He pushed her through the line of trees at the edge of the lawn, away from sight. When she attempted to drag her feet, he only pressed the knife deeper into her rib, slicing through the delicate fabric of the dress. She winced as she felt the sharp tip draw blood.
Helpless, she allowed him to lead her along the length of the reception area, her heart plummeting with each step as she watched the revelry of the wedding going on, no one the wiser as to what was happening in the shadows. She thought she heard the snap of a twig, but it must have been a small animal.
Finally, they slipped to the side of the castle and to the driveway where all the cars were parked. Tony dragged her along the gravel path to the bottom of the hill where his rusted-out sedan was parked in the middle of the driveway. He pushed her inside the passenger side and slammed the door shut.
Immediately, she went for the handle, but realized it had been sawed off. Frantically, she searched the other doors, hopping over to the back seat, but they too had their handles removed, as well as the locking mechanisms. “Let me out!” she screamed, slamming her palms on the glass.
“You should have just gone with me, Tempe,” Tony said, his voice sounding hollow. “I told you I’d find a way.”
What was he saying? “You can’t kidnap me!” she cried. “Do you think this is going to make me take you back? Make me love you?”
“Hah!” he sneered. “You think I want you back after you fucked that animal? No way. I might get some disease from you.”
“Then what do you want?” she asked. “I don’t have any money.” And there was no way she was going to let him extort money from Gabriel.
“I know that,” he said. “But someone else promised me big bucks to get rid of you.” He scratched at his arms with his dirty fingers. When her gaze lowered, he immediately dropped his hands.
Oh, how did I miss that? The track marks. The twenty pounds he seemed to have dropped. The general unkemptness and lack of hygiene. Her mother and stepfather had been the same. And since she’d stopped being intimate with Tony months before they broke up, she hadn’t seen his naked arms in a while. “Tony, please,” she said. “Let me go, and we can get some help.”
“I don’t need help,” he hissed. “Not after tonight.” Stalking over to the trunk, he opened it and hauled something large out.
“To—” No.
He lifted a gasoline can over his head. “I told that bitch and her father, today was the day I was going to get rid of you.”
“Tony, please!” She rapped her fists at the windows. “No!”
But it was no use. Tony uncapped the can and began sloshing the liquid out onto the car. The pungent smell of petroleum and ether hit her nose, making her gag. When she saw the lighter in his hand, she pressed her body as far away from his as possible. It was the last thing she saw before she was blinded by the blaze that lit up in front of her eyes.
In a split second she felt a myriad of emotions. Fear yes, as the memories came back. But also a desperation and anxiety surging inside her, coming from somewhere else.
Heat surged up around her, and she raised her arms to cover her face. Smoke was now starting to fill the inside of the car, and she closed her eyes to stop them from tearing up.
Oh God, this was it. She was going to die in this blaze, and her first thought was of Gabriel. She would never see his handsome face or—
The car shook violently, knocking her around on the back seat. Gripping the headrest, she hung on as the ear-splitting sound of metal being ripped apart nearly tore her eardrums. When it stopped, she opened one eye and gasped as she realized the entire roof had been shredded. Something large loomed overhead,