Perfect Match [Ménage.com 2] (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting) Read Online Free Page A

use her room phone. “I’ll pay you whatever it might cost you in minutes.”
    “I’m sorry, dear,” Kathy said, shaking her head. Her earrings were so big, they were swinging back and forth with the movement of her head. Elise cringed at the thought of their weight pulling against her earlobe. “At my age, there’s no reason for me to have a cell phone.”
    Elise closed her eyes for a brief moment, hoping her irritation didn’t show through. It wasn’t Kathy’s fault that her day kept getting worse. She ran through her options and decided to head back to her room and take a shower. Once a hot shower relaxed her muscles, she would head back out and go to the local diner. She would just ask someone there if she could use their cell phone.
    “That’s okay, Ms. Goode. I think I’ll just head to dinner later and see if I can borrow someone else’s. You have a nice evening.”
    “You, too, dear.”
    Elise walked back upstairs. She was heading down the hallway to her room when a dark figure came out of nowhere and shoved her against the wall. The back of her head hit the wood. Before she could scream, the man’s arm pressed against her throat, preventing any sound from escaping.
    “Leave town tonight.”
    Elise struggled for air. She stared into dark eyes, while the rest of his face was covered with black knit cloth. His hot, rancid breath hit her face. His arm pressed tighter against her trachea, essentially blocking all oxygen from reaching her lungs. Within seconds, black dots began floating in her vision.
    “You won’t like what happens if you don’t.”
    Right when Elise thought she was going to pass out and die, the man released her. She dropped like a stone. Her knees hit the carpet, and she started sucking in air. For the second time that day, tears filled her eyes as she struggled to breathe. She had no idea how long she was in that position, on her hands and knees with her head bent. Elise had always assumed that if she was attacked, she would be strong and be able to fight back. The reality of the situation was totally different and very sobering.
    Elise heard footsteps running down the hallway. Afraid the man was returning, she tried to stand. Four hands stopped her, setting her gently back down. She looked up, knowing from their touch that it was Dakota and Chad, but their faces were blurred and she couldn’t get her eyes to adjust. That was when she realized her glasses must have fallen off.
    “Elise, what happened?” Dakota’s voice was deep and laced with concern. Suddenly, he was clear. She realized he had placed her glasses snugly on her nose. “When we came up the stairs, you were on your hands and knees. Did you fall?”
    “No,” Elise said, her voice cracking. It was hard to talk. “Someone attacked me.”
    “What?”
    Chad ran down to her room. She saw that her door was open and couldn’t believe she hadn’t seen that earlier. Maybe if she had been paying closer attention, she would have known someone had broken in and was heading in her direction. Dakota’s hand slipped under her chin and lifted her face up.
    “Your skin is already turning red, sweetheart. Start from the beginning.”
    Elise saw that Chad had returned and was standing behind Dakota, who was on his knees in front of her. She saw the worry in their faces and fought the urge to cry. Besides Shea and Cyn, no one really cared what happened to her.
    “My phone wasn’t working, so I went downstairs to see if I could use Ms. Goode’s phone. When I came back up, some man in a ski mask pushed me up against the wall. He used his arm to press against my throat to keep me from screaming for help.”
    “Did he say anything?”
    “He wanted me to leave town.”
    “Sweetheart, Chad’s going to sit with you,” Dakota said, releasing her. His blue eyes had turned a cobalt color, and the anger she saw in them was staggering.
    “I’m going to get ahold of the sheriff and be right back.”
    Before Dakota left, Chad leaned