Mitch nodded and gave her just enough room to push herself into a sitting position, but the moment she was upright, he sat on the edge of the bed right beside her, which would make it impossible for her to reach for the button without him noticing and stopping her.
“I’m really thirsty,” she said. “Would you please get me some water? I…I have a glass in the bathroom.”
He gazed at her a moment, like he was gauging if she was trying to trick him, then he nodded. “Okay. Stay here.”
She smiled. “Of course.”
He picked up her phone and tucked it in his pocket like he was taking away her means for getting help, then he stood and began walking toward her bathroom. Ecstatic that he was taking the bait, she debated whether to go for the panic button or to just dash to her bedroom door.
Heart slamming against her ribs, Chloe decided she would hit the button before she made a break for it. That way Chad would be alerted in case she failed to escape. Besides, she had to wait until the man was completely in the bathroom before she could bolt. She would try to press the panic button now.
With her eyes on the man, who was nearly to her bathroom, she reached behind her toward the button. Her fingers touched the wall. Not wanting to look away from him, she slid her fingers along the wall searching for the button.
Where is it?
The man reached the entrance to her bathroom, but then he stopped and turned to look at her. His eyes went to her arm, which was stretched out behind her in an awkward manner. His forehead creased. “What are you doing?”
Screw it! She flipped over and dove for the button, but she was too close to the edge of the bed and she fell on the floor. Screaming in frustration, she scrambled for the button, but before she could press it, Mitch launched himself at her, his face a mask of fury.
Chapter Forty-One
Jake hadn’t been able to shake the thought that Chloe needed him, so he’d given up on sleeping, gotten out of bed, thrown on his clothes, and bounded out of his apartment to his Jeep. Once on the road, he’d asked himself what he was going to do when he got to Chloe’s house. It was three o’clock in the morning and she hadn’t replied to his text, so she was obviously asleep. After considering his options, he decided he would drive through her security gate and park in her driveway, then hang out until sunrise. Only then would he disturb her. No doubt Tyler would be pissed that Jake had stopped by, but for his own peace of mind he had to make sure Chloe was safe.
“What were you trying to do?” Mitch asked Chloe, his eyes wild.
Even though she’d failed to press the button, Mitch didn’t have to know that.
“There’s a panic button there. I pressed it.” To really sell the lie, she smiled. “The police are on their way.” Her voice was nearly hysterical at the lie. “If you leave now they won’t catch you.”
“Why would you do that?” His voice was filled with confusion and anger. He grabbed her by the ankles and dragged her across the floor.
Frantic to escape, Chloe kicked with all of her strength, forcing him to let go of her ankles. Now free, she kicked harder and her foot slammed against his shoulder. He fell backwards, landing on his butt with a grunt. Taking advantage of the distraction, she pushed to her feet, ready to run to her bedroom door. Only problem was, he was sitting right in her path. And he was in the process of getting up.
Knowing no one was coming to rescue her, Chloe made her move, darting toward Mitch with her arms outstretched. When she reached him she shoved him as hard as she could. Since he wasn’t standing yet, she was able to knock him off-balance, and he fell to the floor. She bolted past him and toward her closed bedroom door, but when she reached it, she was stunned to see duct tape running up and down the seam between the door and the frame. No wonder he’d been willing to leave her alone while he went into the bathroom. He’d known she wouldn’t be able to quickly escape.
Fresh panic blossomed within her. Even so, she unlocked the door with shaking hands then yanked on the doorknob. The door didn’t budge. She would have to remove the tape before she could open it. Tears sprang into her eyes, but she didn’t give up, grabbing the tape at the bottom of the door and yanking it upward. It began coming away from the door. Overwhelming relief swept over her, but it was short-lived, because a moment later Mitch grabbed her from behind, lifting her right off of her feet, and slamming her to the floor. The wind whooshed out of her, rendering her immobile. Before she could move, he rolled her onto her back then jumped on top of her, pinning her arms to the floor, making it impossible for her to move.
“I knew you would try to run,” he said, his eyes flaming with fury. “I knew it. That’s why I taped the door closed.” His eyes widened for a moment as he sneered. “You’re not going anywhere. You’re mine.”
Though she knew no one had been alerted to her plight, she couldn’t help but cry out. “Help! Help me! Please!”
Mitch’s hand slammed against Chloe’s mouth, muffling her screams. “Shut up!”
She twisted this way and that, frantic to get out from underneath him, but it was no use.
He reached behind him and withdrew his knife, holding it for her to see. “Do you want me to use this?”
Chloe couldn’t tear her eyes from the vicious looking blade. She shook her head as much as she could with his hand covering her mouth.
“Are you done screaming?”
She nodded.
“Okay. I’m going to remove my hand and you’re going to stay quiet.”
His hand came away from her mouth. It took everything within her to suppress the scream that wanted to burst forth. Instead, she took a deep breath and slowly exhaled, her thoughts going to Jake. It was as if her heart and soul were crying out to him, imploring him to come to her, to let him know that she needed him desperately.
Jake pulled through Chloe’s security gate. All was quiet. All was peaceful. He parked his Jeep and turned off his engine, then stared at Chloe’s house. She was inside. So very close. He wanted—no, needed—to hold her in his arms. After being forced to stay away it had only clarified how important she was to him, how much he cared for her. Perhaps even loved her.
Exhaling loudly, he leaned back in his seat and closed his eyes, but try as he might, he couldn’t get sleep to come. It was the strangest thing, this way he felt. Like she needed him, which was ridiculous because she was sleeping.
With a huff of impatience, he decided he would just go inside. He knew the garage code and he knew where Chloe kept a spare house key in the garage. And of course he knew the alarm code. But then what? If he went into her room, he would totally freak her out. He certainly didn’t want to do that. No. The professional thing would be to check in with Chad, then wait until a decent hour before going inside. Only trouble was, Jake didn’t want to wait.
Finally, after several moments of silent debate, Jake got out of his Jeep and strode toward the stairs that led to the apartment. Taking the stairs two at a time, when he reached the top, Jake knocked on the door. Not surprisingly, Chad didn’t answer. He was probably sound asleep. Fortunately, Jake had forgotten to give his key back and was able to unlock the door.