Page 104 of Believing in a Billionaire
He pulled his arm back and delivered a crushing blow to Kyle’s gut, eliciting a loud groan of pain.
“Oh, that one sounded like it hurt. But I’m just getting warmed up.”
A tear rolled down Julia’s cheek as she dumped her phone on the floor and raced toward the man, her heart a thunderstorm of conflicting emotions–fear for both her life and Kyle’s, a desperate need to protect him, and an overwhelming sense of dread.
Each step toward the assailant felt like moving through quicksand, her resolve battling with the terror of confronting him. With a leap, she flung herself onto his back, wrapping her arms around his neck and her legs around his waist.
“What the hell?” The man swung his arms behind him in a desperate attempt to grab her as he stumbled across the floor.
“Get away from him!” she shrieked.
He grabbed her arms around his throat, trying to tug them away, but she kept a tight hold, squeezing as tightly as she could manage.
The sound of their struggle, the harsh breathing, the scuffle of shoes on the dusty floor, echoed through the empty warehouse. Julia’s world narrowed as adrenaline coursed through her veins, amplifying her senses. The hot grip of the man’s hands as he tried to pry her from him burned her skin. The rough fabric of his shirt scraped her palms as she clung on, every muscle straining to hold tight.
A second later, he changed tactics, spinning around and slamming her into the wall. The force knocked the wind out of her, but she kept hold of him.
After the second hit, though, her muscles loosened, and she slumped down the wall into a heap on the floor.
The man twisted to face her, his eyebrow arching. “Oh, it’s you.”
His thick fingers wrapped around her neck and dragged her to stand on her tiptoes. “Well, this will be even more fun.”
“Hey, doc,” he called over his shoulder, “your girlfriend’s here.”
Julia clawed at the man’s hand around her throat as she gasped for breath.
The man snapped his gaze back to Julia. “Now, I’m going to have to decide which way to play this. Do I let him watch you die before he does, or do I make you watch me kill him?”
She gave up on pulling his fingers away and reached forward to press her thumbs into his eyes.
He dropped her on the floor as he stumbled backward, rubbing his eyes. “You little bitch.”
Julia scrambled to her feet, but he was faster than her. He lunged at her, grabbing her hand and whipping her back to him. “Where are you going in such a hurry?”
She fought to get away from him, but his grip was too strong. She swung with her other hand, but he caught it before she could hit him. With both arms in his clutches, he backed her to the wall and pinned her against it.
Tears streamed down her cheeks as she spit in his face. His face twisted in rage and surprise, his lips tugging into a deep grimace before he slapped her, then wrapped both hands around her throat. “You’ll regret that. You just made my choice easy. Say goodnight, sweetheart.”
Julia gasped in a breath, the edges of her vision turning black.
“Get off my step-mommy,” Sierra shrieked as she kicked the man’s shins.
Without letting pressure off her neck, the man flicked his gaze to Sierra. “Are you kidding me?”
“I am not,” Sierra said, landing another kick.
The man pulled a hand away from Julia’s throat as he batted at Sierra who danced back a few steps. She raised her fists in the air. “Come on, I can take you.”
Julia used the momentary distraction to knee him in the groin. He let the pressure off her throat as he stumbled backward.
Sierra raced forward and landed a blow against the man’s jaw. Unfortunately, it didn’t faze him. He snapped his angry gaze toward her as he swung a fist toward her face.
“No!” Julia shouted, blocking his arm with her own as Sierra stumbled backward to avoid the oncoming blow.
“Oh, you want to go first? Fine.” The man turned his attention back to Julia.
Sierra leapt onto his back as he shoved Julia to the floor. The man shook her off easily, dumping her on the floor next to her stepmother.
