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It was dark as Kara slid outside, heaving a large sigh of relief as the light wind hit her in the face.
Everything and nothing had changed as a result of her conversation with Sam. While she was very glad that Simon hadn’t set up a liaison with the woman at the party, it didn’t alter the fact that she was just too emotionally involved with a man who didn’t do relationships. It was either going to hurt now or destroy her later. Simon was kind and Sam had said that Simon cared about her. Maybe it was true, but it wasn’t enough.
Please come home.
That line from Simon’s letter echoed in her head as a fist clenched around her heart, making it hard to breathe. Oh God, how she wanted to go home, back to Simon. They had started…something. He had trusted her, let her touch his naked flesh, let her see his scars, fucked her without restraints. How she wished she had the courage to finish it, help Simon find freedom from his past.But her self-preservation instinct was fierce, warning her away from danger, letting her know that in helping Simon, loving Simon, she would destroy herself.
She set her emotionally spent body in motion, heading toward Maddie’s house. Lost in thought, her spirits low, she wasn’t very aware of her surroundings. That was a mistake that Kara, a woman who had been raised in a less than desirable area, usually didn’t make. The lack of concentration bit her in the ass.
Two men approached quickly, one on each side. Her arms were seized and she was being dragged along the sidewalk before she even realized what had happened. She struggled, kicking out at the brutal men who were hauling her forcefully forward, trying to wrench her arms from their grips. With startled horror, she realized that they were pushing her toward a dark vehicle at the curb, the back door open, ready to claim her.
It was dark, but the area was lit just enough to see the faces of the two men who had broken into the clinic.
They’ll kill me. I’ll die. Have to fight.
She screamed without pause, trying to make her voice carry to anyone who was in the area, as she kicked out, trying to hit vulnerable places on the two hulking males.
“Shut the fuck up, bitch,” a menacing, foreboding voice grunted as her foot connected with his kneecap, an action that earned her a punch to the face.
Momentarily stunned from the powerful blow, she faltered as they shoved her forward.
Fight, damn it. Fight.
As the junkies hefted her body to toss her into the car, she raised her legs and planted her feet, one on the door, the other on the body of the car next to the open entrance.
Don’t let them get you into the car. If you do, you’re dead.
Her feet slipped, sliding lower as one of the men grabbed her by the hair and started slamming her head against the metal top of the open door. She could hear the horrific sound of her skull cracking against steel and her head swam, her vision starting to blur.
I should have told Simon that I loved him.
She was still screaming, but the sound weakened as the men continued their ruthless attempt to render her unconscious.
“Fucking bastards!” Another male voice sounded, one that she recognized.
A muscular arm wrapped around her waist, yanking her away from the two thugs. She was quickly jerked back against a hard chest, her head spinning like she was on a tilt-a-whirl. Looking up, her vision spinning, she could make out Sam Hudson’s furious face as he lowered her gently to the sidewalk and sprinted back to the car.
Panic rose as she realized that Sam was going to take on the two men by himself. Amazingly, the men looked unsure of what to do. Sam was slightly larger, but there were two of them.
Gotta help him. Gotta get up.
She couldn’t let Sam get killed after he had saved her life. Kara came to her knees, trying desperately to fight her obscured vision. Unable to stand, she started to crawl just as Sam engaged the first man, landing punishing blows to his face.
Pounding feet approached, hitting the pavement beside her. Two men she didn’t recognize entered the fray, grabbing Sam’s arm and subduing the man who Sam was hammering on.
“Don’t hurt Sam,” she whimpered, afraid they might injure Sam in the confusion.
“Sorry, sir. Didn’t recognize you.” The man released Sam’s arm.
One bad guy was on his stomach on the sidewalk, with one of the newcomers that had entered the fray on top of him. The other bad guy was scrambling into the driver’s seat of the car, a gun waving wildly at Sam and her other rescuer.
“No. No.” Tears were flowing down her cheeks, her heart slamming against her chest as she silently pleaded with Sam and the other innocent man not to provoke the junkie with the gun.
Sam lunged, but the man had already hit the gas and the dark vehicle sped into the night, the door yanking closed as he flew down the street, disappearing almost as fast as she could blink.
Her terrified eyes raking over the scene, she saw that the two rescuers and Sam were unharmed, though Sam was releasing a stream of obscenities as he raced to her side.
“Kara! Are you ok? Fuck! Your head is pouring blood. What were you doing?” Sam gently lowered her to the sidewalk to rest on her back. He continued to whisper soothing words as he pushed her hair from her face.