Page 51 of Kat Bethel

How did I find the desire to escape him so I could get away?

My heart pounded in my chest as I realized that even if I mustered up the willpower to do what needed to be done, it was next to impossible.

Was there any hope for me?

Probably not. Another Rinah failure.

I leaned deeper into the engine, trying to get a clear picture of the damage, even though I was suspicious he short-circuited the entire system. That way, I had something else to focus on.

Anything other than the truth hanging over my neck.

I had to keep my shit together.

My truck was always an easy distraction when I needed one. A gift from my Aunt Jackie on my sixteenth birthday, and I’d babied the old broad like she was a brand new luxury car, rather than a retired ranch truck. I’d spent countless hours working on her instead of facing my issues.

“Come on, girl. You’ve been with me for too long to give up now.” Longer than my husband.

I had a couple of extra fuses in the toolbox, but electrical issues were out of my wheelhouse. My old lady needed a real doctor.

Damn it.

“What even got you worked up?” I snapped.

He didn’t answer.

The muscles in his arms were bigger like he was flexing. Or annoyed.

I thought about what Esme said about a witch’s intention tainting a soul. Did something happen the day he was executed?

Was she so distraught when her husband died that she created something she never intended?

Witches walked around like we were morally superior to the monsters, but we were just as dangerous.

If not more.

Chapter 19:

Isatinthepassenger seat of a rundown tow truck driven by a man in his late forties. He smelled like fresh tobacco and the remnants of whiskey. The green tree-shaped air freshener wasn’t helping any. It probably didn’t help that fast food trash covered every inch of surface that we weren’t sitting on. I discreetly rolled my window down a couple inches to get some fresh air.

Abiel’s gentle fingers on my thigh made it easier to breathe, but I couldn’t pinpoint why.

The driver kept glancing over at me with a smile that made my skin itch. Abiel’s fingers tightened on my thigh each time, until his hold was hard enough I was sure he’d leave bruises behind. Nails turned to claws that poked into my skin on the edge of pain.

I tapped where his fingers had become daggers. Although I didn’t feel him with my hand, the claws retreated back to tight fingers.

I gave the driver a polite smile, recognizing that he had my truck hooked up to the back, but assessed him as a threat. He was strong for a man his age who probably spent his eveningsparked in front of a TV with a six-pack. This was probably a side hustle. Blue collar. Functional strength that was going to be a pain in the ass to overpower.

Damn it.

I’d have to play nice.

“What’s a little lady doing out here all alone?”

A soft growl hummed in the cab that was so soft I felt it vibrating in my chest more than heard it.

Damn it. “Bought a new house. My husband went ahead of me, because I had to wrap up some things at work. He’ll be waiting for me at the mechanic’s.”

“My wife would never work.”