Page 47 of Zain

“Fucking cunt!” he bellowed. He sliced the knife at her stomach, but she blocked it with her arm. Searing heat spread through her forearm.

She scrambled backward, and her hand bumped into the fallen lamp. She closed her hands around its heavy porcelain base and brought it down on his head.

The man’s neck buckled. His eyes went vacant and his mouth slack as he sank to the floor.

A ragged cry tore from her throat. She dropped the lamp and ran. Her bare feet slapped against the cool floor, sweat making her skin slick.

No noise came from behind her. She threw a gaze over her shoulder—nothing. She’d knocked him out.

She skidded to the front door, picked up her shoes, purse, and keys, then fled the apartment.

CHAPTER 15

Ring,ring,ring

Zain blinked and rubbed his eyes. He’d just lain down in bed and had forgotten to turn off his ringer. Sitting up, he picked up his phone.

Dana’s name on the screen had him surging to his feet. “Hello?”

“Z-Zain. It’s me.”

The fear in her voice shook his senses.

Without a second thought, he turned on the lamp, reached for his jeans, and pulled them on. “What’s wrong? Where are you?”

A shuddering inhale. “Someone attacked me in my apartment.”

His blood turned to lead. “Are you hurt?”

“N-No. I knocked him out.”

Pride welled in his chest, but he didn’t waste another second. “Where are you exactly?”

“In my car. I just left my building. I should call the police. I don’t know what I’m doing. I—”

“It’s okay. Just keep driving. Stay on the linewith me, and I’ll get to you. Can you head toward Evergreen Point bridge?”

“Yes,” she said, steel entering her voice. “I can do that.”

Goddammit, he just wanted to hold her. To let her come unglued. He should’ve been there. Fuck. He should have stayed with her. If he hadn’t been such a pussy and asked to stay with her, he could have protected her. He swiped his keys from the dresser and ran from his room.

In seconds he was out the front door and shielding his head from the rain. He was a good fifteen minutes from the bridge. Which was fifteen minutes too fucking long. He peeled out of the driveway, probably waking his mom from a dead sleep. Bluetooth kicked in, and he heard Dana’s soft breath over the speakers in his truck. “Did you get a good look at him?”

“Um, no.” Her voice was hoarse, making the ache in him run deeper. “It happened so fast. I knew something wasn’t right when I went to unlock the door. But nothing seemed out of the ordinary, and—”

“It’s not your fault. Can you remember anything that might identify him?”

“He wore a ski mask. All black. And—” She made a choking sound. “Gloves. Latex gloves. He was going to kill me.”

Zain muttered a curse. Obviously killing Dana was the asshole’s motivation, but hearing her cometo that realization undid him. He’d murder the bastard with his bare hands. “What about a tattoo? Piercing?”

“Not that I saw.” She exhaled. “Wait. He had a scar through his eyebrow.”

“Okay, good. That’s something.” He kept her talking as he drove through the city on autopilot, grateful as hell he’d grown up in Seattle and didn’t need to plan his route. Dana had already parked near the bridge and was waiting.

A few minutes later he pulled into the concrete boardwalk lot that hosted food trucks in the summer. A few cars were in the lot, but Dana’s sedan stood out like a beacon. He pulled up next to her vehicle and hopped out.

He was at her door before she even had it open. Catching her around the waist, he lifted her into his arms and held her to his chest. Her fragrant scent tickled his nostrils. He smoothed his hand down her back, and she shook in his arms.

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