Someone grabs my arm from behind, spinning me around. A man, features shadowed, grip bruising. "You should've minded your own business."
Training kicks in before conscious thought. I drop my weight, twist into the grab, bring my knee up hard. He grunts but doesn't let go, dragging me between parked vehicles where shadows swallow us whole.
Pepper spray. I claw for the canister on my keychain, but he catches my wrist, slamming it against a car door. Pain explodes up my arm. Keys clatter to pavement.
I scream, loud and piercing. He curses, claps a hand over my mouth. I bite down hard, tasting blood. He yanks his hand away and backhands me across the face.
Stars burst behind my eyes. Blood fills my mouth where teeth cut into my cheek. But I don't stop fighting. Can't stop. Because if I go down, I'm dead.
I ram my elbow into his ribs, stomp down hard on his instep, claw at his face. He's bigger, trained, ready for resistance. Blocks most strikes, absorbs the hits that land. Professional fighter or military trained. Someone who knows exactly how to hurt people efficiently.
"Stop fighting," he snarls, forcing me against a vehicle. "Make this easier."
Like hell. I drive my knee toward his groin. He shifts, taking the hit on his thigh, and slams me against the car hard enough that my head bounces off metal. Vision doubles. Consciousness wavers.
No. Stay awake. Keep fighting.
But my body doesn't cooperate. Arms go heavy, legs unsteady. He's reaching for something at his belt when a voice cuts through the darkness.
"Step away from her. Now."
My attacker freezes. New footsteps approaching, fast and purposeful. The pressure against me eases slightly as my assailant turns his head.
"I said step away." Male voice, calm, carrying absolute authority. "Do it now or I put you on the ground."
My attacker shoves me hard. I stumble, catching myself against a car. He bolts, running between vehicles toward the parking lot exit.
The newcomer doesn't chase him. Instead he moves to me, hands visible and non-threatening. "Are you injured?"
I try to answer, but my legs give out. Strong hands catch me before I hit pavement, lowering me carefully to sit with my back against a tire. The world tilts and spins. Blood drips from my split lip, from scrapes on my palms where I hit asphalt.
"Easy," the man says, kneeling in front of me. "You're safe."
Safe. Right. Because some stranger intervened and my assailant ran instead of fighting. Nothing about this is safe.
But I focus on breathing anyway, dragging air into lungs that don't want to cooperate. Vision clears enough to make out details. Big, built like someone who trains constantly. Military bearing, controlled movements. Wearing civilian clothes but moving with tactical precision.
"Can you tell me your name?" he asks, voice gentle despite his size.
"Gwen." The word scrapes out past a split lip. "Dr. Gwen Abernathy."
Recognition flickers in his eyes. "I'm Captain Thatcher Caine, MARSOC. I was here checking on one of my guys from a training accident when I heard you scream." He pulls out a phone, already dialing. "Are you hurt? Do you need an ambulance?"
"No ambulance." I touch my face gingerly, assessing damage. Split lip, scraped cheek, headache blooming where my skull met metal. Bruised ribs, wrist already swelling. "I'm okay."
"You're bleeding." His tone suggests he disagrees with my assessment.
"Superficial." I force myself to focus through the adrenaline crash trying to drag me under. "He wanted to scare me. Not kill me."
"He wanted to do more than scare you." Captain Caine's jaw tightens. "Security is on the way. So is NCIS."
NCIS. Of course. Assault on a military installation triggers federal investigation. Which means I'll have to explain why someone just tried to kill me in a parking lot.
Which means admitting I found evidence of equipment theft.
Which means whoever's stealing those supplies just confirmed they know I'm a threat.
Captain Caine is speaking into his phone, crisp military efficiency as he relays location and situation. I catch fragments: "female victim," "assailant fled," "possible connection to ongoing investigation."
