More pounding.
“Elizabeth!” a man’s voice shouts my name.
“Liz, open this fucking door right now!” An angry man. “Liz! Liz! Open the door right fucking now!”
Each pound against the door is like a shotgun blast. My body jerks at every blow.
Pound. Pound. Pound.
Like nails being hammered into my bones.
A second later, the front door flies open, a few wooden splinters crack off and fall away from the door frame. A very large, very muscular, very dangerous looking man enters. His wild eyes lock on me and I scream. Before I am able to scramble up off the sofa, the man is on me in a flash. His arms around me so tight, I can’t breathe. And then he’s kissing me. What the hell?
“Jesus, baby. It’s really you.” His mouth crashes onto mine and I try to pull away, turn my head, escape this madman. He’s too strong. The crazy man grabs my face and forces me to look at him. Silver eyes. Not my nightmare eyes. Not Ryder’s eyes.
“Let me go asshole! Get your hands off me!” I shout, struggling with all my might to get away. I’m hoping one of my neighbors will hear me yelling and call the police. If only I could get to my phone, but I left it to charge in my bedroom.
With the man’s hands on my face, his arms are no longer crushing me, and my lungs are able to expand enough for me to take a deep breath.
“Liz, it’s really you,” he repeats as he forces my face closer and kisses me again, his hand cupping my ass and lifting me to my toes.
The shock of everything that has happened finally wears off and I’m able to think clearly again. I bite his tongue hard, the metallic taste of blood fresh on my lips. I bring my knee up and it’s like hitting granite.Fuck! That hurt. My knee throbs because I missed my target. I was aiming for his nuts but kneed him in his thigh instead.
His hand touches his mouth, wiping a dribble of blood from his bottom lip. “Liz, what the hell’s wrong with you?”
After months of PT, once I was strong enough, Daniel and Drew insisted I take self-defense classes. It’s hard to recall the things I learned. What am I supposed to do? Stomp down on his foot or kick at his knee and drop down? Going on instinct and adrenaline, I curl my hand into a loose fist and strike. Either this guy saw it coming or his reflexes are lightning quick. He dodges my right fist aimed for his nose but doesn’t see my left open palm fly upward under his chin. His head snaps up and back. While he’s momentarily stunned, I shove him away from me and run for the front door which is broken and hanging on two hinges. I take a second to look over my shoulder to see if the crazy man is coming after me, and as soon as I turn back around, I slam into something. Hard.
Ryder.
I jump into his arms and hold on tight. Why? I have no idea. Some innate instinct that he’ll protect me and keep me safe. “Help me,” I beg him.
Ryder’s arms bind around me protectively. “Jay, what the fuck are you doing?”
The mad intruder stalks forward. I grip my arms tighter around Ryder’s neck. “Please, help me,” I plead.
Someone else comes around Ryder’s side and I scream. Ryder jumps but doesn’t lose his grip on me. How the hell did the intruder get outside so quickly? Wait. How did he change clothes? Am I having another blackout episode? Is any of this real?
The doppelganger looks at me with an expression so full of emotion, it makes me tighten my hold on Ryder even more. He brushes a hand down my hair in a soft caress, then pushes inside my apartment to force his other self away from me. Wait. There are two of them. Same faces and height, but different people. The new guy has shorter hair, his body leaner, but still packed with muscle. He and the other, more menacing version of himself yell at each other, exchanging shoves and curses.
“Both of you, knock it off!” Ryder commands them. Another guy barges in past me and Ryder, forcing his way between the intruder and his clone.
“You’re safe, Elizabeth. Nobody’s going to hurt you,” Ryder’s deep voice promises me. My body trembles and shakes, coming down from the high of fight or flight. I drop my head onto his shoulder and just breathe him in. A calm comes over me. I nod into his shoulder, letting him know I heard him and believe him. He’ll keep me safe.
One of my neighbors opens their front door and a male voice yells out, “Shut the hell up or else I’m calling the police!” then slams his door closed. I’ll have to remember not to rely on him if I’m ever in trouble again. Asshole.
“Elizabeth. Can I come inside?” I tense again in Ryder’s arms. “I promise, you’re safe. No one will hurt you. We can keep the door open,” he tries to reassure me, letting me know that I’m not trapped.
I nod my head against his shoulder. “Don’t let go.”
“Never.”
“Okay.”
“Liz. Baby.Please. Look at me,” the mad intruder pleads.
“Jay, sit your ass down right now and shut the fuck up,” his doppelganger snarls at him while pushing him down to sit on my sofa. “Give her a damn minute. I can’t believe you broke down her fucking door.”
The mad intruder tries to stand up but gets shoved back down again. “I saidsit down.”
