“Whatever. This man you are supposedly married to isn’t here to protect you, is he?”
“I don’t need anyone to protect me from you. You are obviously so scared of me that you had to bring Larry and Curly as back up.”
My words were brave, but my heart was beating rapidly with the adrenaline that fear pushed into my system. I was half afraid that I was going to have a heart attack. I willed my legs and knees to not shake, and I did everything in my power to control my breathing. I was doing everything I possibly could to hide my fear.
I forced my voice to come out calm, bordering on sweet. “Look, Jason, we had a lot of good times together that I will never forget. However, we both have different needs, and I’m not the right woman for you. The right woman is out there somewhere. You need to let go of me so you can find the woman who is going to bring you the happiness you deserve.”
“What a condescending witch you are. Maybe I will go find a different woman. But not until I’m done with you. I’m not done with you. You are my woman, and you are going to be mine, whether you want to or not. Then, when I’m through with you, I might give you back to your Neanderthal. Or I might decide that when I’m done with you, no one else could ever have you.”
My body involuntarily shivered at his words. I knew exactly what he meant by that threat, and it meant nothing good for me. He laughed because he knew he had spooked me. However, I held my head high and maintained eye contact.
“You are talking trash. Please, Jason, just walk away before anything bad happens to either of us. I can promise you one thing. If anything happens to me, if even the tiniest hair on my head is harmed, Gage will find you and destroy you.”
“Doubtful. I think you put way too much faith in that muscle-bound idiot. You’ve also been watching too many movies. I’ve seen all the same ones you have. Liam Neeson played his role inTakenextremely well. Unfortunately for you, your so-called husband isn’t him.”
While he was talking, I was slowly backing toward the cabin. I had to figure some way out of this situation, and I had to do it fast. I wouldn’t be able to keep Jason talking for much longer. I figured out quite some time ago that Jason had issues, but I certainly never thought that he would take it this far.
Silently, I sent out a message.Gage, I need you. Please, I need help.
Surely, if he knew I was in trouble the first time, he would hear the message the second time.
I prayed that Gage would get back from his meeting in time to keep this situation from going terribly awry. I knew exactly what Jason had planned for me. It certainly was not going to happen without a fight. He might even end up killing me, but he would definitely know I was there while he was doing it.
“Jason, you are drunk. I can smell the alcohol on you. You reek of beer. Is that why you are so brave? You and your stooges have been drinking?”
Jason took several steps closer to me. The look on his face was pure evil. His countenance was a deep crimson. His eyes were narrowed, and he was snarling. He looked like a rabid weasel. I had to push away a laugh at the comparison. How in the world could I have ever thought that I had any positive feelings at all for this man?
“You need to leave before you do something you can’t take back. Go home and take your friends with you. You guys need to get sober. No one thinks clearly after they’ve been drinking. You aren’t thinking clearly. You aren’t making good decisions right now.”
“Enough talking. You’re just stalling. I’m not stupid.” Jason lowered his rifle at me like he was going to shoot me, although his finger was not yet on the trigger.
“Stop yapping and start walking.” He nodded his head down the road, where he must have parked his vehicle to keep me from hearing him drive up.
“No, sorry. You’re going to have to shoot me first. I’m not going anywhere with you.”
He made a horrible, unearthly sound and took a step toward me. Just then, a movement from the trees caught my eye. I turned my attention away from Jason long enough for him to grab my arm and squeeze it tightly.
He pointed the rifle right at my throat.
However, I was no longer concerned about any threat that Jason might pose to my well being.
Behind all three men stood a huge grizzly bear. The bear’s dark brown fur stood straight up. The dark brown eyes looked both familiar and comforting, but they also showed intense anger and hatred.
I took a deep breath of relief. For a reason I could not articulate, I was not afraid. I was quite certain, however, that the three men who stood in front of me should be afraid. Very afraid.
10
Gage
When I heard the voices of men coming from Luka’s cabin, I knew things would turn ugly.
I didn’t know what was wrong, and I wasn’t sure what I would be facing, so I needed to have the essence of surprise on my side. Letting the enemies know ahead of time that I was coming might get both Luka and me injured. A sneak attack might be my only advantage.
If it was Amon and his friends, both Luka and I could be facing a world of hurt. I could go one on one with a bear and win, maybe even one on two, but there was no way I could win against five bears. I wasn’t sure that Amon and the others would kill me, but I also wasn’t sure that they wouldn’t. People tend to have more courage when they are in a group as opposed to when they are by themselves.
If it was Amon and his crew, I hoped that I could be enough of a distraction for Luka to get away.
Just a bit up the road, I saw an SUV. I knew that Amon didn’t have one of those, so I knew that he wasn’t going to be the problem. I felt more at ease knowing that a pack of bears wasn’t going to be waiting for me when I got to her—yet. Amon was still a problem, but he wouldn’t be the problem tonight.