Gotcha!

S taring into the rearview mirror, Diane watched the grim-faced officer approach. He had his dark blue cap pulled low over his forehead. His hands were in gloves, one resting on the handle of his nightstick, the other swinging at his side.

This isn’t happening, Diane thought, her throat choked with panic. She forced herself to start breathing again.

This can’t be happening.

Oh, please. Please—walk by the car. Keep right on walking. Please.

But no. He tapped on her window.

Diane reached for the knob and lowered the window halfway, her entire body shaking. Her chin quivered, out of control. She wondered if he could see it.

“What are you doing here, miss?” he asked. His voice was high and thin. It didn’t match his heavy body or hard, solemn face at all.

“Uh... nothing.” She couldn’t think straight. She could barely speak.

She glanced toward the loading dock.

What if Danny came running out with the girl right now?

They’d both be caught.

“Why are you parked here?” the officer asked, lowering his head to the window, his gray-green eyes exploring the front seat of the car.

“Uh... I’m waiting for someone,” Diane managed to choke out.

She glanced at the wide doors again. Don’t come out, Danny. Don’t come out now.

“I’m sorry,” the officer said, frowning. “You’ll have to move.”

“He’ll be out in a minute,” Diane insisted in a trembling voice. “Really.”

“There’s a parking lot over there,” he said, pointing a black glove in the direction Diane had come. “You’ll have to wait there.”

“But, sir—?”

“Sorry.” His eyes narrowed at her. “There’s no waiting back here. Move it. Now.”

• • •

Fighting back the waves of pain at his temples, Danny lifted the heavy coat in both hands.

The floor shimmered like a pool of water. Red then gray. Red then gray.

Moving quickly, Danny crept up behind her.

She stopped suddenly.

He nearly bumped into her.

Swallowing hard, struggling to see through the curtain of red, he pulled the coat down over her head.

Her arms shot up. The boxes she’d been carrying fell noisily to the floor.

Danny glanced around. No one in sight.

She tried to scream, but he wrapped the coat tightly over her face. Her cry came out a muffled whimper.

She twisted and squirmed.

He gave her a hard shove forward, wrapping his arm around the coat, holding it tight around her head.

“Don’t fight me!” he murmured, surprised at his own fury. “Don’t fight me!”

But she bent in half, trying to duck out from under the coat. Her arms flailed. She uttered another muffled cry of protest.

“Stop it!” Danny cried in a loud, angry whisper. He shot his fist into her back.

She gasped, startled by the pain.

It took her only a few seconds to recover. Then she tried spinning around, twisting out of his grip.

The coat started to slip.

Danny leaned against her, holding the coat down over her. He drove his free hand hard into her back again. He pushed her toward the open door, shoving with his shoulder, holding on to the coat.

She stiffened her legs, tried to push back. Her shoes skidded against the concrete.

“Stop it! Stop it!” Danny cried furiously, feeling himself losing control. “You want to get hurt? I’ll hurt you!”

One hard blow knocked the girl unconscious.

Then, wrapping the coat tightly over her upper body, Danny held her around the waist and dragged her to the car.

Дата добавления: 2015-07-20