Chapter Twenty-Eight
The voice hauntingher dreams belonged to a tall man with close-shorn black hair, dark brown eyes, and a scar across his cheek. He grinned, taking joy from hertears.
“We’re headed out the back door, and you’re going to keep quiet and do as Isay.”
She wheezed, her panic trapping the air in her lungs until she feared she’d pass out. Her stomach lurched, and an icy ball of pure terror surrounded herheart.
“You…can kill…me,” she forced out, “…won’t make…a difference. Lawsuit…wasfiled.”
“Doesn’t matter. He wants you to pay. So you’ll pay. Now move.” Her attacker forced her towards the exit, and she tried to pull her arm away, but the gun barrel jabbed harder into herribs.
Elizabeth stumbled, throwing her hands up as she crashed into the wall. Rough fingers grabbed her neck, and her world started toshimmer.
“I’ve really had enough of you, bitch,” he spat in herear.
“Noooo,” she moaned weakly as her vision darkened. A dull roar filled her ears. The burnt orange walls of the hallway blurred. Falling, she tried to call out, to scream, but her arms, legs, and voice wouldn’t obey hercommands.
Flopping helplessly as her attacker hefted her onto his shoulder, she fought to kick, claw at him, doanythingbut just hang there and let him carry her to her death. He clutched her legs tightly as he escaped into thealley.
The biting cold, her position, and her overwhelming panic conspired against her. “Help,” she tried to cry, but barely a whisper reached her ears. They headed away from the busy street, down another even narrower alley. If she didn’t escape, she’d die, andAlexander…
A sob tripped from her lips, and she forced herself to draw a deeper breath. Balling her hands, she slammed her fists into her captor’s back, over and over again. He shook her, and then pressed his thumb against her innerthigh.
Pain shot up her legs, through her back, and wrapped around her skull. Still, she kept fighting. One of her blows must have hit a sensitive spot because the hitman stumbled enough to throw her offbalance.
Elizabeth twisted her body as she tumbled to the snow-covered ground. The bone-jarring impact took her breath away. As her body struggled for air, she watched, helpless, as her would-be-kidnapper grabbed her under the arms. “Fucking bitch,” he growled as he hauled her up. “You’re going to pay forthat.”
“Get the hell away from her!” Carl’s voice echoed down the alley. Barreling towards the man at full speed, he tackled the hitman, and as Elizabeth collapsed to her hands and knees, she sucked in a feeblebreath.
“Help!”
Carl landed a punch to the man’s gut and drew back for anotherblow.
Crack!
The sound reverberated against the tall buildings, and a burnt, sweet stench filled Elizabeth’s nose. Carl fell to his side, a small, dark hole in the center of hisforehead.
“No!” Elizabeth scrambled back and tried to get up, but the assassin sprang for her and had his hand around her arm before she could find herfooting.
He glanced down the alley towards a black van idling with its rear door open. “We’ve got to move!” he shouted to a shadowy figure inside the vehicle. With his meaty hand around Elizabeth’s injured arm, he dragged her closer to thevan.
Fiftyfeet.
“Please,” she cried as she clawed at his fingers. The pain made it almost impossible to speak, but if he got her into that van, she wasdead.
Forty.
Struggling to get her feet underneath her, she pulled as hard as she could against hishold.
Thirty.
“Elizabeth!”
Alexander raced towards them at break neck speed, a look of pure hatred in his eyes. “Let her go!” His voice held so much emotion. Terror. Panic.Love.
Twenty.
The assassin whirled around, raising his arm. Elizabeth swung at him, but he shoved her to theground.
