Broken Beginnings: A High Heat Small Town Romance Suspense (Citrus Cove Book 1)

MY ENTIRE BODY HURT. My eyes slowly opened. I was met with the golden glow of a swinging light, the sound of water dripping, and a musky, rotten smell.

I drew in a breath, my heart already racing. My head was throbbing. Blood crusted along my face.

I listened for him. I hadn’t even asked his name. I heard no other movement, no breathing, nothing. I slowly raised my head, looking around.

I had to get out of here. I had to escape before he came back.

The look on Cam’s face haunted me.

I was worried and scared, but I wasn’t going to go down easy. I started to lift my hand and realized that I was handcuffed to metal pipes.

I cursed under my breath, nausea rolling through me. The smell in this room was rancid. I slowly sat up, awkward as I adjusted with the handcuffs.

My wrists burned as I yanked at the cuffs. I pulled hard, trying to break them, to break the pipe I was trapped against. It was old and rusty but still wouldn’t give.

“Fuck,” I whispered.

I was in a small room with brick walls. It was clearly a basement. Boxes surrounded me, stacks of them filled with god knew what. I focused on one of them, seeing that they were case files.

What kind of hell had I ended up in?

A door opened and closed. I trembled as he came in, his gaze falling on me. “I figured you’d be waking up,” he said, smiling.

“Just let me go,” I whispered. “Please.”

“No,” he said, creeping closer. He stopped in front of me. “No, I’m not going to let you go. I’m going to kill you, Haley. And I’m going to enjoy every second of your torture.”

“I never did anything to you!” I shouted.

He backhanded me hard enough that I saw stars. I leaned back, but there was nowhere to go. Nowhere to run. I was stuck, a rabbit in a trap.

“You’re nothing but a whore,” he whispered. “It took a long time to train your sister to stop talking about you. A long fucking time. Pretending to be David was hard too. All these things I’ve done just for you, and you don’t appreciate me at all.”

He reached up to touch my face. I jerked back, kicking out at him, but he only chuckled.

“How does it feel knowing your neighbor died because of you? That you’re the reason that poor woman is dead. I really thought she was you. I grabbed her first before I realized it wasn’t you. But the way she begged…god, that was my favorite part. It was too good not to kill her.”

“I’m not begging you for shit,” I hissed. “And if you kill me, I’m going to haunt the fuck out of you.”

He smiled, an eerie smirk slashing his face that made my entire body tense. “I’d like that,” he said softly, touching my face. “You say you won’t beg, but I’m certain you will. They all do, Haley.”

I yanked my head back from him, pressing my lips together in a firm line despite the panic I felt.

“Why me?” I asked.

“It’s always been you,” he said. “Always.”

“But why? We didn’t even know each other in high school. You never spoke to me. I don’t even know your name.”

“Thomas,” he whispered. “We met plenty of times, even if you didn’t realize it. You were too damn blinded by the Harlows.”

“You just…”

“Watched you,” he said, his eyes darkening. “Watched how Cam treated you. And yet you just let him. And then you come back years later and sleep with him? Let him touch you?”

“He’s changed,” I said. “He’s not the stupid boy from high school anymore. And what about you? You’re a murderer. Your brother is a drunk. Hell, maybe you are too.”

“I’m not a drunk,” he said. “All a ruse. It’s a lot easier when the town you live in thinks you’re worth nothing. All they do is pity you. My brother is a drunk, and pretending to be him? Easy. So fucking easy. They’d never believe that every time I left town for work, I was leaving to kill another pretty blonde girl that looked just like you.”

“You’re sick,” I whispered, doing everything I could to keep the fear out of my voice. “They’ll know it’s you. They’re going to catch you. You’ll go to jail for the rest of your life. What’s the point?”

“Why do you care? You’ll be dead.”

He stood up at the same time I moved. I yanked against the pole right as the tip of his boot hit my ribs right where I’d been kicked before. The breath was knocked out of me, my knees collapsing under me.

He kicked me again and again, each time harder than the last.

By the time he stopped, my vision was blurry. His breathing was heavy, his hands curled into fists.

“I’ll come back in a bit. We’re going to take this nice and slow, Haley. I’ve been waiting to do this for years. I’m going to savor every moment of it.”

I panted as he left, the sound of his shoes shuffling. A door shutting.

Pain. It was too much. Everything hurt. Things were broken. I could barely breathe without feeling a thousand knives stabbing my body.

I have to get out.

I didn’t have the bandwidth to sob or scream. Everything went numb, including my emotions. Everything but the desire to survive.

I had to break the handcuffs, even if it meant breaking my own wrist.

My eyes swept the floor, looking around for anything. Anything that could help. Anything within arms reach.

I reached up and felt my head, working my fingers against my scalp. I sucked in a breath when I felt a bobby pin.

I’d forgotten about them.

My breaths quickened as I pulled one out, my curls tumbling free. My fingers shook as I twisted, pain radiating through me. I stifled a cry as I twisted, trembling as I pulled the bobby pin completely open. I worked the tip of the bobby pin in the handcuff keyhole and bent it to the side, and then did it again, fiddling around with it.

Please, please, please.

The sound of wood creaking above made me freeze. I looked up at the ceiling, hearing his footsteps. Silent tears streamed down my cheeks, every muscle on fire.

My eyes closed. The pain was too much. Every breath was too much.

Don’t stop. Don’t stop.

I kept twisting the bobby pin until I heard a soft click. I was able to pull it free, the metal clinking against the pipe. I tried to lower my wrist and the handcuffs as silently as possible.

Could I even stand? I wasn’t sure. I had to try.

A pained cry left me as I leaned forward. I grabbed onto the pipe, using it to slowly haul myself to standing. I wavered on my feet.

I needed a weapon. I needed something to hit him with. That was the only way I’d be able to surprise him.

My gaze swept around the basement again. All of the boxes full of files and papers. I limped forward, clutching my waist as I searched for something I could hit him with. There were no windows, but I could hear rain outside. It had to be really coming down.

A shine caught my eye and I hobbled towards a set of boxes. On the floor next to them was a glass beer bottle. That was it. I picked it up and I limped towards the staircase that led to the basement door. I forced myself up them and tried the handle.

It was locked.

I closed my eyes, finding strength. I needed to call for him. I needed to get him down here, strike him, and then get out. I needed to move as fast as I could the moment I could, even if the pain was excruciating.

My legs shook as I went back down the stairs and crouched behind boxes out of sight of the door, but within a range I might be able to get past him or hit him.

“Thomas!” I screamed, my voice cracking. “Thomas! Get down here you son of a bitch!”

What if he ignores me?

“Thomas!”

I heard his feet shuffling. I readied myself, wiping the tears as I heard him come to the door. The jingle of keys.

The door to the basement creaked open and he came down the steps. I peeked around the boxes as he went towards where he’d chained me up.

Now. NOW.

I used everything I had to take off up the stairs.

“You stupid bitch!” he shouted.

I slammed the basement door behind me as he shoved against it, his wrist getting caught. He growled, letting out a short yelp. I slammed his hand again by bumping the door with my shoulder, holding onto the glass bottle still. I spun around and went up another set of stairs, coming out in a dark living room.

He was right behind me.

I kept moving, rushing towards the front door. I yanked at the locks as he slammed into me and I turned, smashing the glass bottle against his head.

It shattered and he stumbled back long enough for me to get the front door open.

Run. RUN.

The rain was pouring in heavy sheets. I didn’t recognize the field this house was in, but I still took off running, running as fast as I could.

Thomas’ shouts echoed behind me. Getting louder. Closer.

Don’t stop.

I kept pushing. The rain made it hard to see in the distance, but I swore I could see a dirt road.

I’d either die out here or make it out.

That settled over me. My lungs burned as I kept moving, my shoes sloshing in the mud. The grass became waist high, making it harder to move fast.

My heart pounded, every breath becoming harder.

“Haley!”

He kept shouting my name. Over and over. It echoed across the field, becoming meaner and more desperate. It only scared me more.

A gunshot cracked like thunder.

Don’t stop. Keep going.

A bullet flew past me as I screamed, forcing myself to keep moving through the fields. The rain pelted my skin, the pain of every step making me scream louder and louder.

Headlights flashed, interrupting the constant gray darkness. Hope flooded me as they came closer. Had they found me? The lights blurred, more following.

I raised my hands, waving them as I kept moving.

“You stupid bitch!” Thomas shouted.

Another bullet went past, grazing my arm. I cried out, stumbling forward as I heard sirens.

Lightning snaked through the clouds, flashing above. A heavy body tackled into me, slamming me into the muddy ground. I cried as I fought, using the last of my strength and adrenaline to do anything I could. I rolled over, shoving at him.

“You stupid bitch,” he snarled. “You ruined everything. You’re going to die.”

I dragged my nails across his face, digging them into his skin.

I never stopped screaming. I couldn’t stop.

Thomas’ hands slipped around my neck, squeezing hard. He shook me, his face wild with hatred.

“They found us,” I wheezed. “They got you.”

He roared and squeezed tighter, cutting everything off.

I couldn’t speak.

I couldn’t breathe.

This can’t be it.

I jammed my thumbs into his eyes. He cried out and fell back. I got to my feet, staggering as he did the same. He reached behind him, pulling out his gun and aiming at me.

“You’re going to die.”

I closed my eyes, waiting for the bullet. A shout echoed across the field, along with a gun firing—but it wasn’t at me. My eyes flew open right as a figure running towards us went down.

Another was sprinting towards us.

Cam.

Thomas growled and turned towards me again, pointing it at me. I stared at Cam, unable to move. Everything hurts. Everything hurt too much. And I was frozen with fear that Thomas would turn the gun on him instead.

His gaze met mine for a split second.

“I love you,” I whispered.

Thomas pulled the trigger right as Cam tackled him with a shout.

The bullet hit my shoulder, taking me down. I fell back, hitting the ground hard. The rain washed my blood into the dirt, more lightning flashing above.

Everything hurt. I was so tired of the pain.

I drew in shallow breaths, forcing my eyes to stay open. Above the thunder and pouring rain, I heard more shouts and cars and sirens.

I’d escaped him.

I closed my eyes. So much was happening, but it was getting harder to pay attention.

Harder to stay awake.

Everything hurts.

“Haley, Haley. Baby girl.”

I felt his hands touch me, gripping my face.

“No, no, no. You have to wake up, sunshine.”

I forced my eyes open, seeing Cam hovering over me. He cupped my face gently, one of his tears falling on my cheek. Or was it the rain? I wasn’t sure anymore.

“I love you,” I whispered.

“You’re going to be okay. You’re alive. You’re alive and…”

My eyes closed again, his voice growing further away. I could feel myself slipping under the tide.

But at least he was safe.