Page 39 of Graced
Welsh roared as Norris jammed the sedative into his body.Rising up, he shoved Norris away, sending the lab tech flying halfway down the hallway.Norris managed to scramble back to his feet as he faced the man whose eyes were glowing a bright red.Blood red.The sight of them chilled him.
“Grace, run!”
He charged the man again, hoping to knock him down.Or, failing that, at least make Welsh stumble.Anything to give Grace enough time to get away.
Welsh bellowed again as he reached behind him and pulled out the syringe.At the same time, Norris lowered his head and aimed for him the same way he used to tackle an opposing team’s player when he played football in high school.
Snarling, Welsh rotated his arm, bringing his fist up and underneath Norris’s chin.When it connected, the blow snapped Norris’s head backwards, instantly breaking his neck.
Norris never felt the pain.
* * *
Grace heard the man ask for her by name.At the sound of his voice, her body froze.
Norris had been right.He’d tried to warn her but she’d been too obstinate to listen.No, she’d been too stupid.Now her stubbornness was going to cost her dearly.
Dropping the files in her hand, she bolted for the back door when she realized she didn’t have her purse.Which meant she didn’t have her key fob.
No key fob, no car.
It took her a split second to make her decision.Forget the key.She’d have to make a run for it and hope she could find safety.
Behind her, Marcia yelled at the man to stop.She was abruptly cut off.At the same time Welsh bellowed, “Hey!Heyyy!”
Grace grabbed the handle of the exit door.A hand came from out of nowhere to grab her other arm.She was jerked backwards hard enough to almost dislocate it from her shoulder socket.She cried out from the pain as he pulled her backwards, away from the door.
“Shut up, bitch!”
Turning around, Grace tried to fend him off, but he was clearly stronger than her.
“Stop!Help!Someone help!Marcia!Susan!Call security!Ca?—”
A hand smashed across her mouth.She tasted blood on her tongue.
“Scream again, and I’ll break your fucking neck.”
His threat was meaningless.She knew what he’d do to her, but there was no way she’d go willingly.
Welsh suddenly grunted, as if someone had knocked all the air out of him.He let her go and whirled on the person standing behind him, giving him a hard shove that sent him flying toward the front desk.Grace stared in surprise as Norris got back to his feet and faced down the man.
“Grace, run!”
Something wiggled.Her eyes dropped to the syringe embedded in Welsh’s neck just as the man reached behind him to grab it and jerk it out.
She scrambled backwards, trying to get far enough away so she could get back on her feet when she saw Norris charge the man.Welsh’s arm made a circular motion, bringing his fist upward until it connected with Norris’s chin.
Grace screamed when she heard the muffled snap of bones breaking.The lab tech’s body dropped into a heap on the linoleum tile floor.Not done with him, Welsh dropped to one knee and rammed the syringe into the man’s eye.
In full panic mode, Grace ran for the rear exit again.This time she slammed the levered handle, opening the door, and sprinted for the parking lot.
Welsh grabbed for her hair as she exited the building and managed to snag a bit of it.Sheer terror gave her the strength to resist the hard jerk.It was followed by the sting of pain as the portion ripped from her scalp, but she kept running.
A movement appeared in her peripheral vision.Terror gave her a surge of energy, enough to sprint across the employee parking lot and into the adjacent field where the helicopter landing pad was located.It wasn’t until she heard the sound of deep growls and the smacking of flesh that she paused to catch her breath and glance behind her.
Rhyne was sitting on top of Welsh’s stomach and furiously pounding his fists into the man’s face.His own face was streaked with blood as Welsh tried to shake him off, but Welsh’s movements were becoming slower, making her wonder if whatever was in the syringe Norris had injected him with was starting to take effect.
When the man’s arms finally fell to the ground, Rhyne stood up.He was breathing heavily as he glanced over at her.Before she could say anything, he held out a hand and gestured to her.
