Chapter 248

• In a state of physical and mental exhaustion, terrified and unable to react. That's how Casie felt trapped in the damp wooden shack where the air seeped in and chilled her to the bone. With barely any furniture, except for a bed and a dusty chair, the place was a picture of neglect. If the surprise of finding Richard in her car had been huge, if his threats had made her skin crawl and her brain on high alert, the exhausting journey without stopping to a rural Utah location had put all her alarms on high alert. It had confirmed that Richard's plans for her were monstrous when they arrived at a ranch that seemed abandoned, a few kilometers from Salt Lake City and from what had been her life not so long ago. He hadn't stopped talking and threatening her during the trip, hitting her when his fury took over and completely dominated him.
• "Did you think you could start a new life without me?
• "Our thing is over, Richard"she dared to say, earning a slap.