Cut Too Deep(69)

He pulled her backward onto the bed, their positions reversed, so he eclipsed the ceiling above her. He pressed the knife to her throat, the metal cold and sharp against her skin, and she gave a small cry of fear.

“That was really fucking stupid, Jenna,” he spat. “I hope you know that. You’re making me do this to you now. I hadn’t planned for it to be this way. But if I have to fuck you while I’m holding a knife to your throat, and maybe even cutting you a little while I do, it’s your own fucking fault.”

“Please, Garrett. Just leave me alone. All I ever wanted was to be left alone!” She hated the whining, pleading tone her voice had taken on, but she couldn’t help it. That was what he’d reduced her to, her begging for her life.

“That’s it, Jenna. Beg for it. I want to hear you begging.” He lowered his mouth to her ear and spoke softly. “It makes me hot.”

Jenna choked back a sob.

With the knife still against her skin, Garrett set back to ridding himself of his pants. Jenna’s gaze flicked over his shoulder to where they’d left Ryker, and her heart stopped.

Ryker’s eyes were open.

They locked gazes. He didn’t seem to have any of the doziness she’d seen before. She flicked her eyes downward, trying to get him to notice the baseball bat beneath the bed. His eyes followed the line of her gaze, noting the bat, and he gave her the briefest of nods. Her heart hitched in hope.

Quickly, she moved her attention back to Garrett, who had now managed to get his jeans open and was reaching down to pull off her pants. She didn’t want him to notice Ryker awake and now cautiously lifting himself off the chair to go for the baseball bat.

Suddenly, the sound came of the front door opening and a voice called out, “Hey, Ryker. Who the hell owns the flash car parked out front?”

Jenna and Ryker’s eyes connected again, panic mirrored in them both.

Oh shit. Mikey was home.





Chapter Twenty-four





“Who the fuck is that?”

Garrett turned toward the bedroom door, his attention drawn by the voice and sound of movement from downstairs.

Jenna looked at Ryker, who had frozen in his actions, her eyes wide, trying to get an idea of what they were supposed to do now. Neither of them wanted Mikey to come up here and get mixed up in this mess.

Garrett glanced back at Jenna and caught her staring toward Ryker. He turned to look over his shoulder ...

Ryker exploded out of the chair, launching himself at Garrett. But Garrett was fast. Jenna opened her mouth to yell a warning to Mikey, but Garrett was already on her, his hand clamping over her mouth, preventing the sound from coming out. The cold, sharp edge of the knife was against her throat, and he dragged her off the bed, using the bed as a barrier between them and Ryker.

Ryker glared at Garrett, his blue eyes dark with fury. “You let her go!”

Garrett pressed the blade harder against her throat. “If you make a single move, I’ll cut her open.”

Ryker leaned back slightly and lifted both hands in defense. “No one is doing anything.”

Mikey’s voice came from downstairs again. “Hey, bro? You around?”

“Who the hell is that?” Garrett hissed. “I’d locked all the doors. No one should have been able to get in here.”

Ryker kept his hands raised. “That’s my little brother, Mikey. He has nothing to do with this.”

Garrett frowned. “Mikey? I thought you were Michael?”

It was Ryker’s turn to frown. “Why would you think that?”

“Because you used her credit card. That’s how I found Jenna.” Realization dawned on Garrett’s face and he nodded in understanding. “Oh, it was your little brother who stole her credit card. I get it. She didn’t want me to know someone else was involved.” He gave Jenna a shake and she cried out in fear. “Lying to me, huh? For what? To protect some kid you hardly know.”

Ryker’s eyes locked with hers, communicating with her via eye-contact alone. Thank you, he said to her. Thank you for trying to keep Mikey out of this.

Only now Mikey was downstairs.

She saw Ryker glance at the door again, trying to figure out where Mikey was now. Had the boy settled himself somewhere downstairs, possibly plugged himself into his computer game, oblivious that there was even anyone else in the house? But he’d seen Ryker’s truck, and Garrett’s stolen vehicle as well. He obviously hadn’t bothered to try and peer too hard through the blacked out windows, or he would have spotted the neighbor’s body wedged on the floor.

Jenna looked over at Ryker again. What now? If he tried anything, Garrett would hurt her.

Would Ryker put Mikey’s safety before her own? Yes, she decided, that’s exactly what he needed to do. What they both needed to do. Ryker somehow had to get Mikey out of the house.