Secret Santa by Mina Carter Read Free Book Online Page B

about her.
    “Here John, take this, carry on the count. I
think Jo Micheals is still inside.” He ordered, shoving his
clipboard at one of the senior doctors. Before the other man could
argue Drew had gone, sprinting back through the double doors and
into the evacuated building.
    *
    Her air was running out, black spots
threatening the edges of her vision. In desperation Jo fought,
scrabbling at the hard hands around her throat with her hands,
nails, anything.
    “What did I tell you before, you little
bitch? You’ll never get away from me.” A voice hissed in her ear,
the heavy weight of a male body pressing her hard into the bed as
the pressure around her throat increased. James’ voice, filled with
hate and venom.
    Despair filled Jo’s heart, her lungs on fire
as she kicked back against him. He’d been violent towards the end
of their relationship, violent enough to break through the fear she
lived and push her to escape. He’d threatened numerous times to
kill her if she left him. But she’d taken that with a pinch of
salt, assuming that with the divorce finalised, he’d move on,
forget about her. So much for that hope.
    “Oh no you don’t.” His hands tightened
further, shaking her like a rag doll as she tried to get free. She
gasped; mouth wide open to try and catch some air to fill her lungs
and stop the blackout reaching up to claim her. If she lost
consciousness it was over. He would kill her.
    That had been his intent all along, she
recognised that now. An inescapable chain of events that had
started with his phone call to her last night right through to
whatever bin he’d set alight in A&E to get her alone. Setting a
fire to trap her, the twisted bastard willing to sacrifice other
lives, sick people would shouldn’t be moved, all to get his sick
revenge.
    She kicked out at him, trying to stamp on his
toes as they’d been taught in the self defence classes they all
attended as a matter of course. But the oxygen in her blood was
depleting and her struggles became weaker and weaker.
    “I told you you’d never escape me. I don’t
care if you get every court in the land to order me to keep away.
You’re mine Jo and if I can’t have you… no one will,” James told
her, his breath hot on her neck as he planted an almost tender kiss
on her neck.
    Tears filled her eyes. No one was going to
help her. Everyone would be outside, and it would take them a while
to realise she was missing. More than enough time for James to
choke the life out of her then escape through the confusion.
    Then, just as she accepted her fate, that she
was going to die at the hands of her violent ex, just another
statistic of domestic abuse, then all hell broke loose. The curtain
behind them was ripped aside, another voice growling in anger. “You
take your hands off her you spineless bastard and pick on someone
your own size!”
    *
    It didn’t take Drew long to find Jo. The
department was deserted now in preparation for the fire crew to
come in and give it the all clear. The fire which had set the alarm
off had been found and dealt with, a minor blaze in the waste bin
of one of the outer offices. The Security teams had managed to put
it out with fire extinguishers but procedure demanded the Fire
Service conduct a visual inspection as well.
    The sounds of a struggle drew him straight to
Jo and her attacker. His low, hate filled words registered in
Drew’s ears with chilling clarity, the words filtering through the
rage colouring the edges of his vision. This was her ex. Her ex had
his hands around her throat, choking her.
    He snarled another threat as he launched
himself across the intervening space. His large hands clamped on
the other guy’s shoulders, wrenching him away from the petite woman
pinned under him on the trolley and slamming him into the wall.
    Never in all his life had Drew been so
angry.
    His lip curled back as he looked James up and
down, contempt dripping from his voice as he spoke. “You want to
get your