Without Regret (Devil's Playground #1) by Nicole Edwards Page A

herself desperately trying to suck in air, stumbling as the massive body behind her pulled her away from the living room, forcing her to shift her feet or fall to the floor.
    And yes, she suddenly wondered whether the latter wasn’t a bad idea. Getting away should’ve been her top priority, and Marissa was pretty sure it would’ve been if she could think clearly.
    “Not a word,” the deep voice whispered, warm breath brushing against her neck.
    Well, that confirmed the answer to the first question that had popped into her head: man or woman? Definitely a man.
    Low, gruff, familiar, the voice was an oddly soothing rumble against her ear. She recognized the timbre, the cadence, even the inflection, but thanks to the all-consuming dread roiling in the pit of her stomach, she couldn’t place it. When she tried to turn, to see who he was, he simply held her flush to his body, continuing to ease them closer to the back door via the darkened kitchen.
    “Stay calm. We’ve gotta get outta here.”
    His voice was calm, not at all threatening, and the strong arms surrounding her weren’t gripping her painfully, but Marissa still questioned: friend or foe? She didn’t know the right answer, probably because she was still paralyzed with fear.
    While her common sense tried to come fully online, the intruder continued to lead her away from the front of the house, and for whatever reason, Marissa found herself complying. Something told her she needed to trust this man.
    Less than a minute later, they were stepping outside, the icy winds battering her body, the snow instantly seeping through her slippers, freezing her feet. The blistering cold kick-started her brain, and she glanced at the ski-mask-clad man, who was now reaching for her hand as he rapidly backed away from the house, his intense gaze penetrating her, even though she couldn’t even make out the color of his eyes in the inky darkness, darkened even more by the rapidly moving clouds temporarily blocking out the moon.
    “Let’s go, Marissa!” the man yelled, grabbing her hand and hauling her through the snow that densely covered her backyard.
    Was it a good sign that he knew her name?
    Okay, so maybe she should’ve been more worried about the fact that snow was now filling her slippers and saturating her pajama bottoms, or perhaps that she was willingly running away from the safety of her house with a man she only thought she should trust.
    Unable to form words to argue or even to ask questions, Marissa ran. More accurately, she stumbled through the snow, dredging her way around to the side of the house as fast as she could behind the stranger dressed in black, his clothing of choice a stark contrast against the brilliant white landscape now lit by the moon. Her brain fumbled to make sense of what was going on as her slippered feet trudged through two feet of soft snow blanketing the ground. The gloved hand holding hers felt safe, but for a fraction of a second, she pondered whether she was actually running toward disaster rather than running from it.
    A metallic ping sounded from close by, causing her to flinch at the same time her masked companion grabbed her, hauling her close to his solid body and using himself as a human shield, steering her in the direction he apparently wanted her to go.
    “In!” the man commanded as they approached a dark SUV haphazardly parked along the side of her house.
    Ping.
    Ping. Ping.
    Holy shit. Was someone shooting at them?
    With her stupidity level possibly at an all-time high, Marissa didn’t question him as he yanked open the driver’s door and shoved her into the vehicle, she didn’t try to pull away, and she didn’t glance back at her house, either, when he yelled, “Other side!” and pushed her across the center console.
    “Seat belt!” The brusque word echoed through the chilly interior of the SUV as the engine roared to life when her masked companion hopped in the driver’s seat. With frozen fingers, Marissa