Tease Me (Private Listing #4)

I turn to Coop. He runs his hand through his hair and nods.

“I’ll call my guy.” Coop stands and takes out his phone. Wherever we’re going, we need to get there fast.

We’re all feeling the stress. She’s by herself. Even if we get the right address, if we rely on the police, it might take a while to actually get to the location. Who knows how much more trauma our girl would endure in that time?

We have the means to get to her and to go around the normal red tape. We’ll do what it takes and worry about the consequences later.

Madison

Hope stands and tugs on my hand. “Come on.”

“What if it’s a trick?” I can’t just walk into my stalker’s hands. That’s what I’ve been doing all day. Giving in to what he wants me to do. He has the power to hurt the people I love. And they won’t see him coming.

Hope and I aren’t safe here, but we’re also not giving in.

“We’re stuck here, Madison. We have no way out. At least up there, we might have a chance. There are two of us. We could overpower him and get out. He has to have a car, right?”

“It’s too far away from the city for him not to have a car.” Standing, I nod. “Okay, let’s do this.”

I stop her as we reach the stairs. “If you have an opening, run. Don’t worry about me. If he has you, he can control me. But if you escape, I can fight. Promise me.”

Her blue eyes search mine and tears well in them. “If it’s our only chance, I promise.”

When she hugs me, I wrap my arms around her tight. I don’t know what’s going to happen once we get upstairs, but I want to get us both out of here alive and whole.

We climb the steps and I pound on the door. “We’re in here! Help!”

Footsteps hurry our way. The door is yanked open. The brightness of the kitchen blinds me momentarily. But then Patrick is there in his suit and running a hand through his blond hair.

“What are you two doing in the basement?” He seems genuinely surprised as he steps back to let us out.

I put myself between him and Hope. I can’t trust anyone. “Someone kidnapped Hope and then threatened me to get me out here.”

To this house, that you know about. Fuck, am I talking to my stalker? He’s no longer paying attention to me. Anna did say that she tracked his phone out here multiple times, right? Or did she just notice the door to the place alerting her that someone was here? Fuck, why can’t I remember?

“Have you seen Anna? The last place her phone was located was around here.” He looks at his phone and presses on a few things. He holds it angled so I can’t get a good look at the screen. “It doesn’t make sense. Why would she come to this place?”

“She was here and went outside to get a signal. But when I went into the basement, someone locked me down there.” I shift with Hope behind me toward the back door. We can make a run for it. Even without a car, we’re better off hiding in the woods than fighting off this man.

“I didn’t see her car outside.” Turning his back to me, he walks toward the living room.

“Now’s our chance,” I whisper to Hope.

Patrick curses low.

“Patrick?” Anna’s confused voice reaches us. “What are you doing here? Someone hit me on the head.”

“I’ve got you now, dear.”

I step toward the doorway to the living room. Patrick kneels next to Anna, who’s half in a closet. He lifts Anna into his arms and lowers her gently onto the couch.

“I was worried you were having another affair.” She presses her fingers to her bleeding temple.

Hope rushes over to the sink, grabs a washcloth, and wets it. She walks past me into the living room and I follow, wrapping my arms around my waist, waiting for the next shoe to drop.

“Here.” Hope holds the cloth out to Patrick.

He smiles and takes it. “Thank you.”