Until I hear something.
Movement beyond the trees.
I go still, listening.
Nothing.
Did I imagine it?
The air shifts near the trail, and I jerk my gaze to Barnabe. He doesn’t twitch.
“What is it?” She follows my gaze.
Water babbles through the rocky creek bed, splashing the ravine in noise.
“Thought I heard something.” I return my attention to her warm, wet center.
I only need to push, and I’ll finally be inside her.
A crunching sound drifts from the trail.
Footsteps? I grit my teeth, head tilted, and hold my breath.
Barnabe flicks his tail. His ears. His neck.
He senses something.
My heart rate kicks up.
“A coyote?” Her wide eyes scan the perimeter.
“Shh.” I sit back on my heels and fight the zipper over my erection as my hearing tunes in to the dark.
Silence.
I don’t trust it and drag my abandoned shirt over Conor’s body. It’ll just take me a second to check it out. As I reach for the rope on her wrists, a twig snaps behind me.
She gasps, and I swing around. My gaze collides with my brother’s through the trees.
I jump to my feet and try to block his view of her body. “What the hell are—?”
Jarret stumbles into the clearing, hands clasped on his head, eyes stark, and mouth stuffed with something soft. A bandana? The chilling look on his face screams, Run, run, run!
“Jake!” Conor kicks my leg as panic shrieks through her voice. “Untie me!”
Quicker to react, she must’ve seen them before I did.
Two men in ski masks. Swift, threatening strides. Shotguns ticking between everything that moves. Lorne emerges from the trail between them, hands behind his back and a gag in his mouth.
“What the fuck?” My voice cracks, and my stomach bottoms out. “Lower your guns!”
I have no weapons. Nothing to fight with but my hands.
Conor doesn’t even have that.
“Don’t move.” One of the masked men rushes forward, his rifle trained on my chest.
I don’t recognize the voice and don’t waste time inspecting the eyes in the mask. I launch toward Conor, falling to my knees and diving for the knot on her wrists.
Goddammit, it’ll take forever to untie her. Fuck fuck fuck!
“Told you not to move.” Footsteps advance, kicking gravel and hardening my stomach.
The second man ushers Jarret and Lorne closer, jabbing their backs with the barrel of the gun. They shout behind the gags and trip over rocks. There must’ve been a scuffle on the ridge, because neither are wearing their hats.
“Hurry.” Conor scoots toward the tree, attempting to put slack on the rope.
The wheezing sounds of her breaths reinforce my number one priority. I’m nothing if not her protector.
“Don’t come any closer.” I tear at the knot, unable to loosen it. I made it too damn tight, and my sweaty hands keep slipping. “Just tell me what you want.”
A boot rams into my side, shooting pain through my ribs and knocking me onto my back.
“Help! Somebody, help!” She screams at the top of her lungs and fights the rope, causing the shirt to fall and expose her nudity.
Motherfuckers are going to pay for that. Rage crashes through me as I roll back and grab her hips, desperate to cover her.
The masked man towers over me. “Sorry about the headache.”
I glance up. “What—?”
He slams the stock of the shotgun into my skull.
Pain captures me in its fist and rattles my teeth.
Blackness crashes in and sinks me into the ground.
I lose my hold on everything.
————————————
Are you ready to find out why these cowboys become so dark, furious, and viciously lawless?
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LOVE TRIANGLE ROMANCE
TANGLED LIES TRILOGY
One is a Promise-FREE
Two is a Lie
Three is a War
DARK COWBOY ROMANCE
TRAILS OF SIN
Knotted #1-FREE
Buckled #2
Booted #3
DARK PARANORMAL ROMANCE
TRILOGY OF EVE
Heart of Eve-FREE
Dead of Eve #1
Blood of Eve #2
Dawn of Eve #3
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Sea of Ruin
STUDENT-TEACHER ROMANCE
Dark Notes
ROCK-STAR DARK ROMANCE
Beneath the Burn
ROMANTIC SUSPENSE
Dirty Ties
EROTIC ROMANCE
Incentive
New York Times and USA Today Bestselling author, Pam Godwin, lives in the Midwest with her husband, their two children, and a foulmouthed parrot. When she ran away, she traveled fourteen countries across five continents, attended three universities, and married the vocalist of her favorite rock band.
Java, tobacco, and dark romance novels are her favorite indulgences, and might be considered more unhealthy than her aversion to sleeping, eating meat, and dolls with blinking eyes.
EMAIL: pamgodwinauthor@gmail.com
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