Page 9 of Danger Close

I turned down a side street, a shortcut to my building sparsely lit with street lights that were only now flickering on in thedimming sunset. Were I any other woman, I would say that walking down this street was dangerous. If I saw Trinity doing something like this when a man followed her, I would viciously scold her.

But I was determined to surprise my stalker.

He would not frighten me. I would not be easy prey.

Or he’d kill me… but at least my life would be over. Death seemed restful in comparison to the life I lived.

The hair on the back of my neck stood up as Ifelthim. I was certain he was right there—right behind me.

“Hello, Princess,” a low voice called.

I pivoted on my front heel, my elbow high, my gaze following the lethal bend of my arm, searching for a target: my stalker’s nose.

It wasn’t who I expected, but Ray had many people working for him. Maybe he was delegating his work to others. He’d done that before. His little coded messages dropped off on a napkin, or scrawled on a pamphlet. His hidden threat that came in three, insipid letters.

No matter. I’d send them back to him with a message of my own—open season on Teresa Louise Guerro wasover!

My elbow flew to the man’s prominent nose. His hand shot up, blocking my strike with a palm that was as hard as concrete.

I yelped as the pain of the impact shot through my forearm, to my fist. But Ambrose’s words rang in my ear:Attack! Attack! Close the Distance!

For once, I listened. I followed with an elbow strike that started from my hips, pivoted by my feet, as my arm snapped out. The punch landed as it was intended—right into his rock hard sternum. I felt the ache in my knuckles, not having gloves or a wrap to blunt the impact. I pushed the pain from my mind.

He grunted, but did not stumble back.

“What the hell do you think you’re doing?” His eyes were agitated and confused. His salt and pepper hair covered his head and spread to the stubble on his jaw.

I sent out a left jab, and he harmlessly tilted his shoulder forward. My strike glanced off him but I followed with a right hook which landed.

“Tell Raymond that I’m not his fucking playthinganymore!”I snapped a foot out in a shin kick.

He tilted his hips, bending his knee inward, and my kick landed harmlessly to the outside of his calf.

It probably still hurt, but it wasn’t as damaging as I’d intended. Whoever he was, he was a well-trained fighter too.

“Who…” he said, as I threw another punch. “Is.” Another punch. “Raymond?”

I froze in confusion, but I shook it off. Ray, and the men like him were the greatest scum of the earth. Lying would be in their bag of tricks.

I threw another punch, and he barely dodged it with a weave. I threw another jab, and another, until we were sparring, with him on the defense. Something in the back of my mind told me that something was wrong. It shouldn’t go this way, but it wasn’t a thought I could fully form. Not when a behemoth of a man stood before me.

I would not be a victim. Not again. Not anymore.

“Teri, I swear to God, if you don’t stop…” He ducked, his hands up to protect his face.

The man was made of marble. Or concrete. Every strike took all my effort, and it took everything I had to ignore the pain in my knuckles.

“He’s hiring help to do his dirty work now?” I scoffed. “Pathetic.”

“Teri!” He stepped forward, his eyes narrowing. “I swear, if you don’t quit, I’m going to…”

Another strike, and he pulled back, sliding his feet until he was a millimeter out of my reach. Then he lunged forward, his shoulder ducked hitting me in the sternum. I braced my forearms on his clavicle to keep me from being thrown over his shoulder and dragged away. I would not let him get me to a location of his choosing. That was certain death.

“Teri! Knock it off!” He pushed me back to the ground. My feet stumbled as my body’s momentum took me backwards.

I slammed roughly against a brick wall, the bare skin of my shoulder scraping where the low neck of my sweater did not protect it.

He barreled forward until his body pressed me against the wall, immobilizing me with his superior size.