Page 66 of Splintered Desire

I’m no fucking Boy Scout, but something about this seems off, too easy.

“What’s the catch?” I manage to say and almost sigh in relief when my voice comes out stronger than I would have thought possible. Though not without a rasp that I’m sure comes from being strangled.

That fucking psycho’s smile grows wider, and this time he seems almost proud.

“Ah, I can’t go ruining all the fun now, can I?”

His idea of fun and mine are not the same.

He holds out his hand, and I look back at Tank before I turn to look at Jace and then Isaac, weighing my options.

Do I even really have any?

If I say no, they could just fucking kill me. We're in the literal middle of nowhere, and there are four of them and one of me, not to mention my dumb ass dropped my phone when Isaac grabbed me.

I reach for his hand but hesitate a moment.

I know better than to make a deal with the devil, but what other choice do I have?

With a deep breath, I reach out and grab his hand, attempting to squeeze it but quickly realizing I don’t have the strength right now.

Great.

“Run. If you make it out of the woods before you get caught, we’ll let you go.” He squeezes my hand, pulling me impossibly closer so that I can smell his cologne and the alcohol on his breath. “If not, you're mine, to do with whatever I please. There will be no escaping us. You’ll be a DuPont, forever.”

He forces me back, and I stumble but manage to stay upright, barely, but I’ll take it.

“Two hours!” Kolson shouts back over his shoulder as he once again disappears into the dense trees, and when I look around, I find it’s only Tank and I who remain.

He’s fucking huge, a wall of solid muscle in a gas mask. Not that it’s shocking; I’m not one to stick around for the other fights, especially not the men’s. Until recently, I never had a reason to care, but looking at him now, I know I should have been more interested in the competition.

Reed wasn’t joking when he said Tank could kill me.

His arms are littered with ink, but it’s too dark to make out any one thing.

I open my mouth to say something, anything really, but the words get caught in my throat when his piercing green eyes meet mine.

“You have thirty minutes,” he says, and the sound of his voice throws me. I don’t think I’ve ever heard Tank speak, not that I’ve had much time with him, but still. His voice is deep, gruff, and mean. It matches his cruel nature and hulking appearance perfectly.

“I thought I had two hours?” I don't even try to keep the disdain from my voice, but some of the effect is lost as my teeth chatter.

“Oh, you do, but in thirty minutes I’ll be chasing you, and if you're not out of the woods by then…” He looks me up and down, and it feels like a lead weight drops in my stomach. “You never will be.”

I turn on the spot and head into the woods opposite him as I try to think of how best to find my way out. I could just keep going straight, but I have no idea how big these woods are. What if I’m running parallel with the road?

Fuck, I should have had Dad put me in that summer camp when I was younger. It was just for kids in poverty, so I would have fit right in, but I didn’t want to spend time outside being eaten alive by bugs when I could have spent it at the library instead.

“You can’t escape me, Vixen!”

The deep rumble of his voice behind me sounds a lot closer than it should, despite me continuing to put distance between us, and I wonder if maybe I should just give in?

Is being a DuPont really that terrible?

I think about the time I’ve spent with my ‘brothers,’ and yeah, fuck them, I have to at least try.

“It’s not fair that you gave her to him! She’s mine,” I hiss at my brother as I pace past him, quickly pivoting just to pace past him again.

The thought of Tank and Vixen out there alone, together, is driving me crazy. Even worse, Vixen, the woman of my dreams, is actually Zela!