Page 145 of Girl Between (Dana Gray FBI Mystery Thriller #5)

Dana’s feet came off the floor, her oxygen supply restricted by Monroe’s vice-like arms around her neck.

She knew better than to panic, but her body was beyond her control.

She’d entered fight or flight mode, and it seemed she was stuck somewhere in the middle as she thrashed and tried to run all at once.

Monroe’s hot breath tickled her ear as he laughed. Nausea dropped into her gut like a stone as he licked her from neck to ear. His teeth clamped around her earlobe hard. “I love to hear you scream,” he hissed, her ear still clenched between his teeth.

Dana’s vision was spotting as he continued to squeeze the life out of her, but her mind was suddenly clear.

She forced a calmness into her limbs, willing herself to find what she sought.

Hands by her sides, her fingers grasped and clawed at Monroe’s pants until …

There! She found it. Right where he’d left it. Her final hope.

Swift as an adder, her hand was in his pocket. Dana didn’t hesitate. She clutched the slender shard of bone and arced it backward with all the strength she had left.

She didn’t stop to see the damage. She knew Marjorie’s necklace had hit its mark from Monroe’s bloodcurdling scream .

The last thing Dana saw before she made it back into the hall was Monroe buckling to his knees, clutching his eye.

Dark hallways and doors blurred by as Dana sprinted away from her attacker. She swore she saw another frail woman strapped to a hospital bed but she didn’t dare stop. She was on a mission to make it back to Amelia’s room or die trying.

Finally, she saw signs she was on the right path. She rushed through the horrifying hospital ward, then to Amelia’s floor. Seconds later she was inside the girl’s room.

Stumbling across the threshold, Dana managed to slam the door shut, turning the lock clumsily, hands slick with blood, hers or Monroe’s she couldn’t be sure.

Panting, she sucked in air trying to catch her breath. She could hear Monroe. He wasn’t far behind, but panic would only make her fumble more. Crashing to her knees next to the plastic bin of medical tools, she dug blindly. She had one last chance to make a stand. And she was going to use it.

“Hello! Who’s there? What’s happening?”

Digging through the box, Dana ignored Amelia’s hysterical questions. Finding what she was looking for, she raced to the window and went to work.