"Ma'am?"
"I'll be right back." I close the door and hurry to the front gate to enter the code.
A body slams into me from behind, one arm locking around my waist and the other over my mouth. "Got her," a gruff voice calls. The stench of sweat washes over me, making me gag.
I scream against his palm and thrash to break free.
He grips me tighter and spins me away from the gate.
A second man is waiting there. "Hold her," he says, lifting his hand.
The streetlights glint off the hypodermic needle held there.
I buck against the one holding me, trying to bite his hand, anything to break free.
The cabbie peals out and zooms down the street.
No! I can't die like this. I should have stayed with Dallas. He may be a killer but he wouldn't hurt me. Even for the money. It was there in his eyes when I closed the truck door.
Regret. Maybe even shame.
I should have trusted my gut when it told me not to run. Now it's too late.
My whole body shakes when the man steps forward with the needle. Tears prick my eyes but I won't beg. Not even if he could hear me with the giant palm over my mouth.
"You won't feel a thing," he says.
A hysterical laugh escapes me.As if that makes this better. I wish I'd been able to say goodbye to my mother and tell her I loved her. I wish I'd been nicer to Dallas.
The man grabs my arm, holding it straight. The needle inches closer.
I can't hold back the whimper. I hate needles.
A crack pierces the air.
The needle drops as the man spins wildly away.
"What the fuck?" the one behind me snarls.
A shadow moves in the darkness. Before I can make sense of what's happening, the man releases me and I stagger forward a step.
Sharp thumps and grunts come from behind. The man with the needle lays sprawled on the ground, unmoving, as blood pools beneath him and seeps into the grass.
When I turn, Dallas is there. He makes a sharp twist, and the giant man who grabbed me drops like a stone.
I stare at him a beat.
Then fly into his arms as the tears finally break free.
His arms close around me, holding me against his chest like I’m something precious. “I’ve got you, honey,” he murmurs into my hair.
Despite everything, I trust him. He saved me.Again. Even when I ran from him. And as I cling to him, feeling his lips against my temple, by racing heart begins to settle. Dallas won’t hurt me.
He’ll hurt anyone who tries.
CHAPTER FIVE
GEMMA
