I silently pleaded for guests to open their doors, for someone to help me, but it was the dead of night, and the hallway was a tomb. When the elevator doors parted, my disappointment was sharp. The car was empty.
I didn’t fight my captor as I was dragged inside. I said nothing as he slapped the button for the parking garage, but when his hand returned to my elbow, I squeezed my eyes shut. I wanted to cut him off, to drown him out.
It backfired because a flashback of Seth’s lips on mine sliced through my mind.
I gripped the briefcase so tightly my knuckles turned white and made my hands ache. “What are you going to do to me?”
“I don’t know.”
It sounded honest, at least, but a shiver wracked my body. A dull chime rang out, announcing we’d arrived. I didn’t think I could be any colder until the doors opened and I was forced into the frigid January air without a coat.
Like the hotel, the parking garage was devoid of people. He hauled me along, staying close to one wall. When I began to drift, he yanked me roughly back up against his body.
“I’m not photogenic.” He motioned to the security camera tucked discreetly in the corner.
My heart sank deep into my stomach when he brought me to a midsized sedan, dug a set of keys out of his suit jacket, and pressed a button to make the trunk pop open.
“Get in,” he ordered.
I stared at the tiny space like it was an awaiting coffin. “No.”
“I told you, you don’t say no to me.”
Without warning, he clamped a hand around my neck, and his grip was steel as he lifted me off my feet. His fingers squeezed until I couldn’t breathe, couldn’t make a sound. My feet kicked violently, causing my shoes to come off, one after the other. The pain was awful, and fear twisted every muscle inside me.
He’s going to kill me.
I let go of the strap of the laptop bag and clawed at his wrist as my vision began to darken. If these were my final moments, I’d fight until the end.
But abruptly my bare feet were on the cold, grimy cement.
His grip was gone and air poured back into my lungs through my raw throat. Tears stung my eyes, making everything blurry. It was so hard to see, I almost missed the car that had approached, or the way it had pulled to a stop.
The male driver had the door open, stepped out, and anger heated his face as he glared at Seth.
“What the hell are you doing?” The driver’s attention turned to me and his expression shifted to concern. “Are you all right?”
I parted my lips to speak?—
Seth had already demonstrated how fast he could move, but his speed was no less shocking this time around. He withdrew his gun, aimed, and fired once, striking the man’s head just left of dead center. I flinched at the booming noise, not comprehending what had just happened until the man’s head snapped back violently with a burst of bloody tissue. His knees gave way, and he collapsed beside his running car.
A scream snagged in my stricken throat, refusing to come out.
For the second time tonight, a voice shouted in my head.Run.
My survival instinct took control, and I used all the strength I possessed to swing the laptop bag at Seth’s murderous face. The flat part connected with the side of his head in a satisfying thump and knocked him off balance, causing him to drop to a knee as I turned and fled.
My bare feet slapped against the gritty, cold concrete, and I had to grab a fistful of my skirt to hike it up out of my way. I didn’t need anything else to slow me down since I still had hold of his bag. Maybe a part of me knew it was important.
I had a decent lead, but his staccato footsteps echoed off the garage walls. He was sprinting after me.
“Stop!” he cried.
Not a chance.
The opening was in sight when three gunshots peppered the wall closest to me. All it did was pump more adrenaline into my system and urge me to run faster than I’d ever run before. He could not catch me.
I reminded myself that professional dancers were athletes and I’d always been fast. The mantra beaten into me from countless rehearsals ofchassésflitted through my mind.Quick, soft, light.
