He’d wrapped his left arm around her center, trapping her left arm against her own body in the process. His right hand was still covering her mouth, which left her right arm free.
Praying her plan would work, Lexi twisted her body to the left and at the same time, jabbed her right elbow back as hard as she could...right into the man’s crotch.
He grunted and his hold on her loosened just enough for her tiny body to slip through. Ducking her head beneath the arm that had held her mouth closed, Lexi ran as fast as she could toward the kitchen. If she could get to the back door, she might have a fighting chance.
Unfortunately, the man’s long legs allowed him to eat up a lot more space than her short ones. He was on her in mere seconds. Tackling her from behind, Lexi was sure at least one of her ribs had broken as the man’s muscular body landed on top of hers, slamming her against the unforgiving wood floor.
Struggling to breathe, she was unable to fight back. He flipped her over and held her wrists above her head. With nothing else to do, Lexi let out another loud cry for help.
Through the opening in the stocking cap, she watched as his lips curved upward into the most sinister smile she’d ever seen.
“I didn’t expect you to be such a fighter. But, you really should save your energy. You’re going to need it.”
“Go to hell,” Lexi gritted between her teeth, not allowing herself to think about what his words meant. She tried to push against the thick fingers wrapped around each wrist, but it was no use.
A loud, piercing cry escaped her throat, and her attacker started to smile again. A sudden rage fell over her, and for a second, she became more pissed than frightened. Driven by an overwhelming anger toward this man, this intruder, Lexi used the only weapon she had left.
Filling her mouth with as much saliva she could, she spit directly in the man’s face. The majority splattered against his right eye.
He drew his head back in surprise, squinting that eye shut. Transferring both wrists into one of his fists, he used the other to wipe her spit from his face.
Glaring down at her, he shouted, “You bitch!” Then he reared his free hand back and swung it toward her face.
Fire erupted painfully in her cheekbone as her head flung to one side. Momentarily stunned, she barely registered the fact that she was being yanked to her feet. Swaying, she was still trying to find her bearings when the man whispered into her ear.
“You’re going to pay for that.”
****
Trevor pulled ontoLexi’s street. He probably should have called before coming over, but he wanted to see her. As crazy as it seemed, he wanted her to know he was already falling for her.
He was pretty sure she felt the same for him, but even if she didn’t, that was okay. He’d give her all the time she needed to get there, because whether it made sense or not, she was it for him. Trevor knew it as surely as he knew his own name.
With Hadim dead, he could finally put the past to rest, where it belonged. Feeling lighter than he had in years, Trevor was too amped up to sleep. He knew Lex might be in bed by now, but he simply couldn’t wait until tomorrow to see her.
A twinge of guilt filled his belly as he parked his truck behind hers. Every light in her house was off. Even the porch light.Damn. Trevor considered leaving, but his selfish need to see her overrode his guilt about waking her.
He glanced up at the darkened porch light and made a mental note to talk with her about getting better security. Maybe a motion light and some cameras like the ones Jake had installed at his wife’s old house not long before she’d been attacked and abducted. Those cameras had been instrumental in catching the bastard and saving Olivia’s life.
Stepping up onto the small stoop in front of her door, he raised his hand to knock. Trevor stopped mid-motion when he heard voices coming from inside the house. Tilting his head, his heart dropped into his stomach when he realized the person talking was male.
Trevor felt sick as he tried to think of a plausible reason Lexi would have another man inside her house at this hour, especially with the lights off. She didn’t seem like the type of woman to screw a guy around. Not after the moments they’d shared.
He thought of the way she’d kissed him before he left for Algeria. The emotion behind her eyes as she’d stared up at him and made him promise to come home to her.Jesus, could I really have been that wrong about her?
No!He wasn’t wrong about her. Which meant whoever was in that house with his woman, shouldn’t be there.
Trevor had just tried to open the locked door when he heard a sound he’d never forget for as long as he lived.
Despite the walls separating them, the shrill from Lexi’s terrified scream reached his ears clearly. He didn’t think of his training, or whether or not it was safe for him to enter her house. His only thought was to get to Lexi.
Drawing his weapon from his waistband—thank God he’d decided to keep it on and not leave it in the truck—Trevor raised his booted foot and kicked the door just above the lock.
The deadbolt didn’t completely give way, so he gave it everything he had and kicked it one more time. Wood splintered as the door flew inward, and Trevor stepped into a nightmare.
Lexi was standing in the middle of her small living room. A man in head-to-toe black was holding her against his chest, one arm wrapped around her waist, his other beneath her chin.
Though the room was dark, Trevor could see the fear in Lexi’s eyes. It shook him to the core. His training finally kicking in, he pushed his emotions aside and quickly assessed the situation.
