Page 28 of Saving Her

This is it. I have to strike.

I run, raising my hand high, then launch myself at him.

5

Luca

Her frantic footsteps approach,her shadow quickly climbing across the door in front of me.

I wait until she closes in, her rampant breathing reaching my ears, before I spin around and grab the arm violently charging toward me.

She’s got a weapon—some sort of plastic device—but I ignore it for now as I sidestep, forcing her to follow with a jolt of my wrist. She turns with my harsh movements, her lithe body malleable to my direction when I shove her toward the door.

A quick palm against the wood is all that saves her face from sudden impact as I twist her other arm behind her back.

She doesn’t cry out. There’s no plea for help or scream for salvation.

Instead, her breathing increases, her panic only shown in the short, sharp rasps for air.

“What the fuck?” I snarl in her ear as I focus on the cylindrical tube she clutches in a white-knuckled grip. “What the hell is this?”

She doesn’t respond. There’s no struggle or fight, only tightly coiled hostility.

“What the fuck?” I repeat, sliding my hold to her fingers to wrench the device from her grip.

“No,” she begs. “Don’t.”

Her plea kills me, fucking strips me bare. I can’t believe what I’m doing to such a fragile, vulnerable woman. If only it wasn’t clear she was trying to take me down.

“Then start talking.” I place my forearm against her back, loosely keeping her trapped as I inspect the weapon. “What is this?”

“Let me go and I’ll tell you.”

I snicker a scorn-filled laugh, attempting to gain answers through aggressive taunts so I don’t have to take alternate measures. “Nice try. But no dice. Tell me what’s going on before you get yourself in more trouble.”

“Please.” Her voice cracks. “You said you want to help me. So help me. Give it back. Let me walk out of here and pretend this never happened.”

“No way in hell, shorty.”

For starters, I’m not letting her go anywhere near Luther. Not again. Not after I made the mistake of following Cole’s instruction to leave her kneeling on the kitchen floor yesterday. And I sure as shit won’t be handing over the instrument she felt inclined to stab at my neck.

“Was this your idea or his?” I grip the crook of her arm and turn her to face me, her wide eyes blinking up at me in panic, her skin pale, those ruby lips parted. “Talk,” I growl.

“Please don’t say anything.” Her delicate throat works over a heavy swallow. “It was my idea. Luther doesn’t know. He isn’t even aware I stole the syringe from him months ago. I just wanted to pay you back for taunting me yesterday.”

“Pay me back how? What was the desired outcome? Is this lethal?”

“No.” She shakes her head. “It’s only a sedative. You would’ve fallen asleep instead of…” She glances away, her brows pinching.

“Instead of raping you?”

She nods, the movement gentle.

She’s such a pretty little liar.

We both know I wasn’t about to assault her. I was leaving the fucking room, for Christ’s sake.

“Please, can I have it back?” She grates her teeth over her lower lip. “I promise I won’t use it.”

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