Free Best Man by Christine Zolendz Page A

another picture.
    And another.
    And another.
    He tossed the phone down, leaned back on his heals, and looked at me.
    That’s when I felt the plastic that bound my hands to the pipe slip free.
    Cold sweat burst out above my eyebrows. I needed him closer. I couldn’t let him see my hands moving. “That’s all you want? Is pictures of me?” I said in a low shaky voice. Hesitantly, I pulled my bottom lip between my teeth then slowly wet my lips—a soft innocent move that his eyes followed hungrily. “Do you…like the pictures?” I breathed.
    “You’re a firecracker, ain’t you?” His smile widened as he dragged his eyes all over me. “You’re fucking beautiful too,” he said under his breath. “You shouldn’t be wasting your time with that asshole.”
    I made a small breathy sigh as he shifted closer.
    “Finding him with another girl here was a surprise,” he smirked.
    I didn’t have time to decipher the meaning of what he said—I needed him near me, closer to me, almost on me. “Make me forget him,” I whispered.
    He glanced back over his shoulder into the hallway. Paulie was inside my bedroom with the door closed. I could hear him going through my drawers and throwing my things around.
    Slowly, Cardarrio lifted a finger and laid it gently against the skin at my collarbone before sliding it down between my breasts, over my trembling belly, and stopping at the edge of my panties.
    “I can smell your pussy from here,” he said.
    Ew, that was gross. All I could smell was burning plastic .
    His knees hit the floor in front of me, and his hands fumbled wildly with his belt. Frantic fingers slid the leather out of the buckle and unzipped his pants. “I’m going to fuck that pussy raw. Then, I’m going to come all over your face and send that picture to that asshole too.”
    He pulled out his dick with his right hand. It looked angry and discolored, making me gag loudly. His eyes flew up to mine when he heard the sound, and I instantly moaned and smiled. “You’re so big,” I whispered, widening my eyes and acting amazed. If that thing went anywhere near me I would have to douche with bleach and gasoline .
    He leaned closer to me and his breath reeked of mustard and sweat. His fingers grabbed between my legs and hooked into the edge of my panties, trying to drag them down. I watched his face as he yanked the material—his expression hard—primal. I shifted myself toward the pipes and lifted my ass for him to pull my underwear from where I rested on them. It gave me the perfect angle to slip the nail file from the side of them and grasp it in my hand. My stomach cramped and knotted with fear. I had one chance to get it right or he would kill me.
    “Bring that pussy closer to me, you dirty whore,” he growled, grabbing at my thighs and waist.
    I sprang up and with a huge arc of my hands and brought the nail file down into the inside of his thigh where his femoral artery was. All my life I’d wanted to be a nurse. I knew exactly where that artery was and how much time he had if it was severed. I jerked down on the file and Cardarrio screeched out in pain. I jerked the other way and wrenched it out of his flesh. It made an awful sound and blood spurted up from the gash like a fountain. Cardarrio clawed at his thigh, eyes wide and body quaking. I bolted past him and ran, trying to pull up my panties at the same time. I dove into the first open door and looked for a bigger weapon.

CHAPTER 17
    LUKE
    T   ravis tried to climb into the passenger side of the Jeep but tumbled back down. “Stop moving the car,” he mumbled, even though I hadn’t yet put the key in the ignition. He reached his hand out across the front seat. “Here, don’t drive yet. Hold my drink,” he slurred, handing me a half empty bottle of whatever he was drinking.
    “Get that out of my car and get in,” I yelled, smacking his hand away.
    Travis lunged forward and grabbed onto the gearshift to pull himself through the door. He