But she wasn’t done. Jerking her head forward, she smashed her forehead into his nose. Stars danced in front of her eyes from the blow, but she wasn’t going to go down without a fight.
She brought her knee up, striking him hard—once, twice—before he grunted in fury and released her. She wrenched sideways, slipping from beneath him just as he reached for her ankle.
His fingers brushed her skin.
She kicked out—connecting with the raw wound where she’d stabbed him.
Zayan released a guttural scream. “You little bitch!”
Dani scrambled to her feet and lunged for the door. Her blood-slick fingers fumbled with the doorknob, finally wrenching it open. She burst into the hallway—blinded briefly by the bright light before she turned and ran.
She didn’t know where she was going. Her bare feet slapped against the concrete as she tore through the corridor. She needed an exit. A sign, anything.
“Dani!” Zayan’s voice thundered behind her.
A gunshot rang out.
She flinched, veering left. A second shot cracked past her head.
Something burned—a fiery sting across her upper arm. She cried out, stumbling sideways, her shoulder slamming into the wall. She crumpled to her knees.
But she didn’t stop.
A sob burst from her chest as she forced herself up, her breath ragged, blood dripping from her arm.
Keep going. Keep going. He can hurt you only if you stop.
She spotted a metal staircase and ran for it.
Another shot exploded behind her. A chunk of the wall burst near her head.
“Run all you want,” Zayan roared. “There’s nowhere left to hide!”
She stumbled down the stairs two at a time, the world tilting, her vision tunneling from blood loss and fear. The warehouse came into view—open, industrial, shadows moving.
And then?—
A door.
Open, glowing with sunlight.
Freedom.
She bolted toward it.
She was ten feet away when a hand grabbed her.
She screamed—raw, terrified, wild.
“No! Let me go!” she shrieked, twisting, striking out.
But the voice that caught her froze her in place.
“I’ve got you! Dani, it’s okay. I’ve got you.”
She blinked up through a haze of panic, her heart slamming against her ribs.
Dark eyes. Familiar. Fierce. Gentle.
