Page 50 of Exposed

She swallowed and pressed her palm to her galloping heart. The power had gone out. It was probably nothing more than a brief outage and would come back on any minute. She sucked in a breath and pushed away from the wall. Her nerves were getting out of hand.

The bathroom door slowly squeaked open. She froze.

Who would enter the bathroom when the power was out? The lock clicked in place, echoing throughout the marble room. Her fingers flexed on the clasp of her purse and raw panic clawedat the back of her throat. Soft-soled shoes moved across the floor.

Men’s shoes.

She backed away from the closed stall door until her leg brushed against the toilet. There was no way out. Her fingers itched to take her phone out and call Nate. But if she pulled out her phone, the bright glow would give her away.

She had to get out of this on her own.

She sure as hell wasn’t going to do it hiding in a stall. She pushed her shoulders back, opened the stall door, and stormed out. One lone emergency light above the sinks cast the bathroom in a dull glow, providing not nearly enough light.

Her eyes landed on Hector’s big hulking form and she crossed her arms in front of her chest. “You’re in the wrong restroom,” she said. Her voice rang with ice, warning him that she knew what he was up to.

A chilling smile slashed his face. His arms hung at his sides, and the light caught something shiny in his hand. Her breath sucked in.

A knife.

A tremor started down her spine. She wouldn’t let him see her fear. She brought her eyes back up to his and he took a step forward. Her throat strained around a scream. Would it do any good? Security would be busy with the power outage, and she doubted any passengers would come to her aid.

She should have called Nate.

“You shut the power off?” she scoffed, her arms extended into the darkness around her. “That’s a bit dramatic, don’t you think? You can put the knife away; you’re not scaring me.”

She turned her shoulder and strode to the sinks, squirting a handful of soap in her palm. She stared at him in the mirror, unable to tear her gaze away. He couldn’t be stupid enough to attack her in the bathroom with hundreds of people outside.

His chin dropped and a low snarl sounded from his mouth. A lock of his dark hair fell in front of his nearly black eye. He charged for her. He grabbed her throat and slammed her against the marble wall. All of the air left her lungs, leaving a deep, burning sensation in its wake. He lowered his face to hers and lifted the knife in front of her face.

“You’re not fooling anyone,” he said through clenched teeth. His voice wavered and his knuckles shook in front of her face. The scent of tobacco and sweat invaded her. His hair was greasy and in desperate need of a good wash.

She kept her eyes locked on his, refusing to look at the knife. If she did, her bravado would waver. But the light above them reflected off it, a constant reminder that it was there. He could do a lot of damage with one swipe.

She narrowed her eyes at him. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

He laughed, the sound derisive. His forehead hovered an inch from hers.

“You’re full of shit,” he breathed.

His breath swirled around her, though unlike Tony’s and Carlos’s it didn’t bear the heavy scent of alcohol. The stench of rotting garbage or a serious lack of toothpaste clouded her space. Saliva swarmed her mouth and she stifled the urge to gag.

This had to be about Tony. Before his death, Hector hadn’t paid her any mind, though he hadn’t been welcoming either. Tony had been the one whose eyes had lingered and leered on her. This wasn’t Carlos’s style. She’d bet everything she owned that Hector was trying to trap her.

She inched her face closer to his, daring him. “Carlos would be livid if he knew you had done this. Back off, Hector, because I have no qualms with telling him.”

His eyes darkened. “That’s going to be a little hard if you’re dead don’t you think? I could peel back your skin with the flick ofmy fucking wrist and Carlos wouldn’t miss you.” His eyes moved over her face, assessing her reaction.

She kept her mouth pinched and her eyes focused on his forehead. She couldn’t bring herself to look back into his eyes…the coal-like orbs that lacked hesitation.

If she were smart, she’d play along, act the victim, but he was too keen for that. He’d been paying attention for a long time. But he had nothing on her. That was the only thing keeping this whole façade together.

“Don’t worry,puta. I’d rather have some fun with you first.” He moved the knife to her jaw and dragged it down her throat.

Her fingers itched to claw his face, take him down, and make him cry like the little bitch he’d just called her. She locked her jaw to prevent her instinct from taking over. The lights snapped on and Maddie jumped, her hands fluttered between them. Hector’s lips pressed into a thin line and uncertainty creased his skin.

“Ladies and Gentlemen, we apologize for the brief power outage. We have everything running smoothly now. Enjoy your evening.”

The bathroom door shook against the lock and knuckles rapped urgently against the door.

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