The Year She Stopped Being Crazy for Him novel Chapter 186

Natalie hung up the final call, casually tossed her phone onto the pillow, closed her eyes, and quickly drifted into a deep sleep. The room was so quiet that only her soft breathing could be heard.

It was the dead of night, the darkness thick as ink, and absolute silence blanketed the area.

A sudden, violent crash against the door shattered the quiet. The heavy, aggressive sound echoed through the space, making the heart skip a terrifying beat.

Before she could even process what was happening through the fog of sleep, a massive, forceful hand reached out and clamped around her arm, violently dragging her out from under the covers.

Her drowsiness evaporated instantly, her mind snapping to sharp clarity as an inexplicable chill shot straight up her spine.

Her unfocused gaze quickly sharpened, narrowing on the man looming over her.

In the dim light, the room was swallowed by shadows. The man was entirely cloaked in darkness, his tall, imposing silhouette terrifyingly clear.

Outside the bedroom, Nancy pounded on the door. "This is breaking and entering! What are you doing to her?! I'm calling the cops!"

Julian's calm, measured voice answered from the hallway. "Ms. Gaines, please cooperate."

"Where is Gardenia?" The man's voice was low, every syllable dripping with a suffocating, oppressive weight that made her chest tighten.

Natalie was still sitting on the bed, reeling from being yanked upright. She stared at him in utter confusion. "How would I know?!"

Almost the exact moment she spoke, the man's brow twitched. His dark eyes seemed to absorb all the light in the room as he hauled her completely off the mattress. "Natalie, there's a limit to throwing tantrums. I thought you were just playing stupid little pranks. I wasn't even going to hold the wallet against you. But now you've graduated to kidnapping? What's next? Murder?"

His gravelly, heavy voice filled her with dread. Gardenia had been kidnapped, and she was the prime suspect.

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