The Carrero Effect - Falling for the Boss (Billionaire CEO)

There’s a deafening thud, an echoing and eerie silence as a breath escapes him and then nothing. His body lies motionless, his hand on my ankle drops loose over my injury and I kick it away with my other foot hastily.

I’m crouching at an odd angle, still gripping the bar so tightly that my nails have pierced my own palms, breathing so hard it’s painful and making me dizzy. I turn to stare at the bulky form in the dusky light and something inside of me snaps. All fear and flight go out of me and emotionless clarity and sense come over me; a dark sense of quiet calming stillness, followed by a moment of completely detached pause and I listen to the long slow steady breaths from his almost lifeless body.

If I leave him this way to go and get help, he could get away, he could wake up and run or he could catch me before I get anywhere. He will never stop coming for me if I always run from him.

I hold up the bar and contemplate hitting him again, but he doesn’t appear to be conscious and I know in my own heart I don’t have the stomach or the willpower to kill a man … Even him … Even if I could justify it to myself, justify it to the world, I could never look at myself in the mirror the same way again. Jake would never look at me the same way and how could my child?

I scramble around on the floor trying to find something to help me figure out what to do. The pain in my ankle is hot and burning through me intensely but I push it down and claw my way across the space, dragging my leg behind me like an injured animal, slowly and surely. My head is a scrambling mess, my emotions all over the place and a hard tension growing in my pelvis is making my body rigid. I can’t begin to analyze how I really feel I’m just spurred on by the breathless anxiety of knowing that I am not out of danger yet. He could wake up at any second and the pain in my body is weakening me with every movement.

My vision is blurred by sticky liquid in my face and my mouth is full of the taste of blood. My head is pounding and swelling across my brow at an alarming rate, bringing back the deep nausea and dizziness once more. My body is giving up on me and I need to save myself before it does.

My eyes wander to the phone on the unit and I crawl to it, yanking the cable right out of the wall like a crazed woman, biting into my hands and slicing my palm with the strength of my force. I pull it from the base of the phone stand and crawl back to him. I’m determined to do this, the overwhelming trembling of my body going into shock is slowly creeping up from my toes, so I need to be quick.

I’ve never restrained a person this way before, but sheer fear and adrenaline has me looping his hands behind his back and tying as tight as I can a multitude of complicated knots. I don’t care if I cut off all circulation, the feel of his rough skin is making me recoil internally, the stench of his musky body is choking me, but I keep tying the cord hoping that this will be enough.

His breathing is shallow, so he’s alive, and I can make out dark liquid oozing onto the floor by his head. I injured him in the way he injured me and somehow it starts a tiny spark of strength deep inside of me; a calm that sweeps up through me, giving me focus and determination.

I take a deep breath, and sit back to look at my handiwork, taking a moment to calm my crazy body and reeling thoughts. He’s strung up at the back and I’ve run out of cord to do more. I hope it’s enough and his knee is too smashed to be able to use his legs should he want to come get me.

I need Jake. I need help. I need the police. Get help, Emma … Go.

assault. There’s no way I can muster the ability

sake, Emma.

Stupid. Okay, look around, Emma. Look! What can I find? What can

knock my head, trying to think. My eyes wandering

rational. Sylvana is right next door.

Get

coursing down my chin as a fresh wave of blood pulses further down my face. I’m shivering, my

realize he’s cut my head open with the force of my collision into the door upstairs. My brow is

what he’s done to me. What he intended to do to me! The anger I used to harbor kicks free and claims me with a

the police take him away, he will just bide his time and come back.

my stomach and recoil in sheer fear and

child … I know he

and craziness means he will be

with this piece of shit while Jake comes to me and figures out what to do. Jake

crumble in screaming agony; nausea washing through me so fast I can’t contain it, and I throw up on the floor; finally

it. I clutch at my stomach as a tremor of ache courses through my lower abdomen, a prickling of anxiety at the fear that maybe my baby might be damaged in some way; that this physical encounter has hurt her. The ache hits again, low and winding, like a punch in the gut and it strokes

force of deep-rooted fear at the possible loss of her hits me, consuming everything but the need to get help for her

you from me. He cannot