The staff and patrons from the restaurant stood on the cracked sidewalk watching in disbelief. People around them were coughing and dazed, trying to make sense out of what had started as a normal night. The ones with children had a death grip on their kids’ hands, either afraid they’d run off or thankful they were still alive; Emma didn’t know which. Probably both.
The raging fire illuminated the night sky and surrounding area with an eerie reddish-orange glow. The heat from the towering inferno made her exposed flesh feel sunburned. Come morning, the last tie to her parents would be nothing but ash.
Emma’s car was parked closest to the street entrance for an easy exit. Who knew it would be the safest place in the lot from the fire raging in the night sky? Emma grabbed Abby’s hand and started to pull her toward the car. Another sudden jolt of pain had her doubled over, clutching her head in a feeble attempt to stop what felt like a million needles stabbing her temples.
This is so not happening
.
Abby grabbed Emma’s arm to keep her from collapsing. “Doesn’t the pain ease up after the disaster?” she whispered in Emma’s ear.
“It must not be over.” She guided Abby farther away from the building and patrons to create a safer distance, not knowing what other danger to expect. The same freakishly large man who’d blocked their exit only minutes before now prowled closer with the same evil grin. The glint on the eight-inch silver blade clenched in his hand drew her attention, making another shiver race down her spin. It didn’t take her intuition to realize this man was dangerous; his aura oozed with it.
Emma whispered to Abby, not taking her eyes from the man’s approach. “Do you have your gun?”
Abby turned to see what had Emma enthralled and gulped before she patted the back waist of her jeans. “No.”
“Damn, this just keeps getting better and better.” Emma stood to her full height, ignoring the pains racking her body. The seconds of his approach seemed like hours as her mind contemplated what this asshole might want.
The stranger narrowed his black eyes and let out a low laugh at the same moment Mamma Mae screamed, “Run, baby girl!”
“Run, Abby!” Emma screamed as she sidestepped the crazy knife-wielding hulk of a man.
His erratic swing sliced the air, making her jump back and missing her by several inches. She countered with a kick to his balls. His hand cupped his groin as his enormous body doubled over. Emma dropped and circled with her leg extended to sweep his feet and drop his unusually large frame on his ass, giving Emma and Abby a much-needed head start.
Abby stood frozen in place, her eyes widened in fear with her mouth hanging open. Emma tugged Abby’s hand, determined to get her to safety, and cursed herself for leaving her gun in the car. She had to rely on her quick thinking if they were going to get out of this mess.
Her dad’s voice echoed in her mind,
Keep them safe
. Emma’s father believed in intuition and frequently lectured them on listening to their guts, pounding it in their heads when they were little so it would come as second nature. And right now, hers was screaming to run like hell.
They ran toward her car, not waiting around for another slice.
“Damn, I need a keyless entry.”
One click of a button would have given them a barrier from the maniac and a chance to escape. She cursed her thrifty self for not indulging in the extra for her car. She glanced back over her shoulder; he wasn’t far behind. Unable to unlock it in time, she kept running, dragging her sister behind her, hoping she would snap out of the shock.
Abby worked as a forensic investigator, but that didn’t mean she had field experience escaping the assholes she used her mind to try to catch. Everyone’s attention was drawn to the fire. Not a soul witnessed them running for their lives from this weirdo. The glassy look on Abby’s face told Emma she was going to have to get them out of this jam. She had no intention of losing any vital organs to this asshole tonight; he would have to catch them first.
The man charged after them, his bulky, steroid-induced size controlling his pace. His slow movements increased Emma’s chance to ditch this creep. Emma and Abby passed an abandoned warehouse, where a dirty man squatted in the alley by his cardboard tent and a bag lady was pushing her shopping cart. At a full-out run, Emma tried to maneuver the corner of the next alley and slammed into the crumbling red brick wall, sending debris raining down on her head.
Unable to stop, Abby bounced off her back forcing what little air Emma had left in her lungs out with a swoosh. Though scratched and bruised, she wasn’t stopping. She couldn’t afford to. She ran faster down the alley. The adrenaline coursed through her veins, helping to minimize the pain in her limbs.
Her heart was racing, ready to leap out of her chest. She looked back over her shoulder and watched the psycho hit the same wall and land on his ass. Another few seconds added to their lead might just make the difference. The next street held more rundown buildings and not a soul in sight. Even the homeless kept off this street. Her scream for help would go unanswered and their deaths possibly unnoticed for a very long time.
Emma refused to become a morning headline. No way in hell would she let her family suffer another loss, not as long as she was still breathing. She could outsmart this guy if she had time to think, but time wasn’t a luxury she had. Determined to get them off the street and out of sight, she shoved open the door of the next building she came to.
Thank god
.
She slammed the door closed and flicked the lock, hoping it would add precious minutes to their escape. Abby and Emma bent over with hands on their knees trying to catch their breath. Emma closed her eyes and clenched her fists before she stood up again. “Who the hell is this guy?”
“I haven’t seen him before.” Abby lifted from her bent position and locked eyes with Emma. “What are we going to do?”
“Let’s see if there’s a way out. We need to put more distance between us and this asshole.”
Like everything else in the neighborhood, the three-story building was empty and abandoned. She took in a deep breath. The stench of urine and mildew assaulted her nose, almost making her gag. Emma swiped at the beads of sweat trickling down her face.
She hadn’t recognized the man chasing them. If he caught them, they didn’t stand a chance of overpowering him, but in the fifty-yard dash, he would lose, and that was what she was betting on. It wouldn’t take him long to find them, though. They needed to keep going. Emma grabbed Abby’s hand in a crushing grip, pulling her toward the rear entrance. She gripped the handle, shaking it with all her strength, then slammed her body into it; the sucker didn’t budge.
“Shit!” she screamed, and spun around on her heels looking for another exit. Rust and angry red marks covered her palms from her struggle with the door. She wiped her hands on her jeans and darted for the stairs. The only option was up.
“Who the hell did you piss off?” Abby shouted as she narrowed her blue eyes. Abby was gifted with more than psychometry; she had some serious attitude too. Why couldn’t one of them have been gifted with a superpower instead? Superhuman strength or flying would have helped them better then seeing the dead, cramps when danger lurked, and Abby’s gift of touching objects and getting feelings and images. If Emma had her vote, she would have picked some bionic abilities or, at the very least, the ability to kick some ass.
“Hell if I know!”
They reached the top of the third flight of stairs in time to hear the sound of wood splintering as the door broke below. Emma’s heart pounded against her ribcage. Her lungs burned from lack of oxygen. Frantic now that he had found them, they needed to get out.
“I’m gonna kill you, bitch!”
Her hand flew over her mouth, covering a scream that threatened to erupt.
Who the hell is this guy and what is his problem?
They walked silently and fast. The office on the third floor could hide them for a few minutes, but they would be sitting ducks if found, and it wasn’t a gamble she was willing to take. Emma had to keep them moving; they needed to find a way out.
“Come on,” Emma whispered, not wanting to give away their position. It wouldn’t take him long to notice they weren’t on the bottom floor. She heard a curse as their unknown assailant grunted, struggling with the same door they’d been at only minutes before.
Emma prayed there wasn’t an alarm and slowly pushed the emergency door to the open roof. Her silent victory was short lived. She knew what they needed and had to find it before he found them.
In her frantic search of the rooftop, she spotted the corroded metal stairs hung over the side of the building.
Freedom
. Crumbled bricks from the deteriorating building lay scattered across the roof. Abby tripped and fell to her knees, taking Emma down with her, adding more cuts to her already battered body. Regaining her balance, she pushed herself up and yanked Abby’s arm. Emma whispered in her ear, afraid of being overheard. “Be careful.”
Her sister narrowed her eyes, and a frown marred her lips, but she kept going without a sarcastic comment.
Emma glanced over the side of the building and said a silent prayer the stairs were still in one piece and would hold under their combined weight. First Abby and then Emma threw their legs over the side of the building and quickened the pace down the corroded ladder. Almost to the bottom, in her haste, she barely missed crushing Abby’s fingers with her foot.
“Watch it.”
The three-foot jump from the last rung sent a jarring stab of pain through her tired legs, but it didn’t stop her from moving. They needed to get to her car. Sirens in the distance stopped her in mid-dash.
Protection
. She switched direction with new intent.
Rounding the corner to the next street, she jerked Abby to a stop. The familiar red and blue lights from her childhood colored the moonlight. The welcome sight meant they would be safe at last. A renewed shot of adrenaline pumped through her veins.
The slight curve of Abby’s lips indicated she’d thought the same thing as well.
Almost there
. She started to sprint and glanced back at Abby, making sure she was keeping up. Emma’s body slammed into something hard for the second time that night. The muscular man had appeared out of nowhere. His steel arms circled her, pulling her body tight to his stone chest before she fell. She looked up and into the eyes of the same man from her café.
Not a uniform
. Damn. Unsure of his intent and why he was here, she swung a solid right hook hitting him squarely on his jaw. His head barely moved, and his grip tightened. He wouldn’t let go even as she squirmed to get out of his arms, pushing hard against his chest. Seconds before she was about to lift her knee to make contact with his precious jewels, Momma Mae appeared.
“Good guy, baby girl,” Momma Mae whispered in her ear.
Her lips parted as she stood on shaky legs, digesting the old woman’s words. She locked her knees to regain her stance. He kept his crushing grip on her arms, making sure she didn’t fall to the ground.
“Help us,” she begged as she struggled to breathe.
“Slow down. Tell me what’s going on.” His eyebrows scrunched together.
“A man…” Abby choked out while doubled over, trying to catch her breath.
“With a knife is chasing us,” Emma finished as she exhaled her next breath. She glanced over her shoulder and scanned the darkness in search of the deranged man. The embrace of the stranger’s arms held her body pressed to his. She shivered, still attempting to push away.
“You must be Emma and Abby. You were supposed to stay put at the restaurant. When I found the car Mike described still in the parking lot and the two of you nowhere in sight, I came looking for you.” His smile widened, showing his perfect white teeth and the dimple she’d seen before.
Who is this guy
? Emma glanced at Abby with a raised brow. His firm, deep voice commanded her attention. Emma wondered if he’d have the same presence in the sack. What his strong hands would feel like against her naked flesh.
I’ve got to get a life.”
Emma shook her head to clear her wondering thoughts. She needed to focus on their danger, not the man whose hands held her captive. What did she genuinely know about this guy besides the affect he had on her body? Absolutely nothing.
He suddenly eased his grip and replied. “I’m Jake Donavan. Mike sent me to get you; we need to get in the car.” He tilted his head toward the black Mustang. His glance around the area didn’t go unnoticed, at least not by a cop’s kid. The hairs at the nape of her neck stood up, and a chill traveled down her spine, making her shiver.
“Are you serious? A man is chasing us with a freakin’ knife! We don’t even know you… you could be with the lunatic.” Emma stepped back out of his reach, glad he had let her go and her head had cleared from the sexual haze. She grabbed her cell from her pocket and dialed. Her brother answered on the first ring.
“You all right?”
“Alive,” she replied, and cut him off before another question passed his lips.
“Who did you send?” Emma looked over to their potential savior, forming a plan in her head should they need to escape.
“Jake, an old military buddy. Did he find you?”
“Yeah.” She released a breath she hadn’t realized she was holding and smiled at Momma Mae standing next to Jake. “We’re on our way.” Emma flipped her phone closed.
His gaze scanned her body. She assumed he was taking inventory of any physical damage. Either that or he worried their bleeding wounds might ruin his car. They were alive, and that was all that mattered. Emma looked down at her grimy and dirty clothes and grimaced.
Abby put her hand on Emma’s elbow, steering her to the car. “Come on, Emma, let’s go. I’ll feel better when we get out of here.”
Emma sized Jake up. He looked even more intimidating on the dark street, rugged with a five o’clock shadow she hadn’t noticed at the café. A light jacket covered the muscles she had firsthand knowledge that he possessed. They looked to be from hard work in the gym, probably not from a needle puncture like the psycho’s.