Free Daring Dane (Intoxicating Passion #3) by Felicia Tatum Page A

notice.
    “Oh, yes, you have,” he snarled, following my
move and stepping closer.
    Two more steps back. “We’re through
Christopher,” I said sternly.
    Cracking his knuckles, he gave me the
signature Christopher grin and was beside me in an instant. “We’re only through
when I say were through,” he whispered. His hands grabbed my upper arms before
I could get away.
      His
fingers dug into my skin so hard that I knew it would bruise, but I refused to
whimper, refused to cry. I wouldn’t let him get the best of me again.
“Christopher, let me go!” I yelled. I prayed someone could hear me, would save
me, would call the cops, get help, anything to get me away from him.
    He shook me hard, rattling my head. He pushed
me against the brick wall, scratching my back. “Listen here, you bitch. I know
you ran around telling everyone I hit you, that I was oh-so-abusive to you,” he
mocked, putting his lips right up to my ear. His breath was hot on my skin, yet
it sent a chill through my body, piercing my heart. “You’re going to be
punished for what you’ve done, Korah.” His green eyes held a deathly cold
gleam, causing my heart rate to spike.
    He pinned me to the wall with his leg,
snaking his greedy hands up to my throat. I knew it was coming; the reason I
broken up with him before, the reason I ran from him. Strong fingers clasped
around my neck, squeezing it slowly, cutting off my air supply. Trying not to
panic, I breathed through my nose, but it was too late. He was closing my
esophagus. Closing my eyes, I knew I must think, I needed a plan to get out of
this, he would kill me if I didn’t. He kept his grip tight, not squeezing any
harder, but he didn’t let up, either. His lips found my cheek, then my ear,
where he whispered words of love and desire, but they were all lies. He didn’t
love anyone, not even himself. Biding my time, I waited until he shifted his
body. I brought my knee straight up into his groin, bone connecting with his
tender flesh. He groaned, and in the instant, he let go. He dropped to his knees,
clutching himself. I took a chance, kicking him once and then ran as fast as I
could out of the alley. I stumbled and made it to the street, gasping for
breath.
    I fell to the sidewalk, running into a woman
holding the hand of a small child as I descended. “You okay?” she asked, her
eyes landing on the bruises I was sure had already formed as she helped me up.
    The tears in my eyes threatened to spill as I
shook my head no. She glanced behind me, placing her free hand on the small of
my back, and guided me away. She took me to her car, instructing me to sit
while she called the police. She stared at me for a few moments, then decided
she needed an ambulance instead. I didn’t speak, didn’t really know what to
say. The embarrassment of knowing she saw me this way was too much. Listening
to the small child chatter away, I sat and waited. The kind woman didn’t ask
any questions, though, and the pity in her eyes was almost too much. She opened
and closed her mouth several times, looking more like a fish than a person, but
never asked what she was dying to know. Finally, the ambulance showed up,
whisking me away. I got a quiet thank you out before they closed the door. The
small child’s hand waving at me was last thing I saw before we left.
    ###
    Memories of past flooded my mind, every
single one was fresh, replaying over and over. The abuse hadn’t started until
we’d been together for a while. It was slow at first, emotional and mental,
before it finally turned physical. The night he choked me, holding me dangling
against the wall by my neck with my legs fighting against him was the night I
left. I was too chicken to call the cops, but I wished I had now. Maybe he
wouldn’t be following me.
    The emergency room cleared me, saying the
bruises would hurt but there was no permanent damage. The cops came for a
statement, and I got a restraining order. It wouldn’t stop Christopher