Page 55 of Kat Bethel

Making everything worse.

“No one will ever touch you again.” This time, instead of being apologetic, there was a possessive edge that was ready to sink its teeth into the next perceived threat.

This was him actively trying to cause…

Ruin.

My insides still clenched with the aftermath of my orgasm, but my lips trembled with fear I hadn’t felt in decades.

The tow truck guy had it coming. I could make peace with that, but this… was senseless.

Sweet kisses tickled my neck again as tears pricked my eyes.

The highway was littered with cars that were flipped, facing the wrong way, or smashed. I strained my ears for the smallest cry that there was a survivor.

After a long minute of waiting, my throat grew tight.

There weren’t any.

So why did my heart feel so safe?

What the fuck was wrong with me?

Chapter 20:

“Thankyouforyourcooperation, ma’am.” The state trooper nodded, taking notes on his little notepad. He’d let me change behind his car, and he bought the seizure story without further question.

Then again, there were witnesses that said the tow truck driver caused the entire crash. I was just happy that there were witnesses.

“Are you going to be in the area?” the trooper asked me.

“I don’t know how long, but for a bit.”

He leaned closer, and I felt the static in the air. It made the hair on my arms stand up and the back of my neck throb. What did Abiel do to me back there?

Did I even want to know?

I swallowed the thought down.

The trooper handed me his business card and put a respectful distance between us again. “That’s my number, if you remember anything else.”

The tension in the air lifted and made it easier to breathe. I hadn’t even realized there was a tight hand on my neck until Abiel let me go. I wasn’t even sure he realized it.

“Would you like a ride to the town where your truck was taken?”

“After everything today, I will respectfully decline.” I wasn’t getting inside another metal trap with a man.

He tipped his hat with respect and pointed me in the right direction. I walked across the service road to the farmer’s market road.

“Fuck my life,” I grumbled to myself.

Every step I took was followed by the grass turning less vibrant, flowers wilting, and dead leaves raining from above. He destroyed everything, even when he wasn’t trying to.

He’d destroy me, too.

The very thought made anger boil in my chest. By the time I was a mile down the road, I couldn’t hold it in anymore.

“Why did you do that?!” I yelled.