She took a step back and shook her head.

He sent a frustrated glance heavenward. “Why me? Look, just tell me you’re not a martial arts expert like the other guy.”

She eyed the growing bruise on his cheekbone and took another careful step backward. Gee, only fifty more and she’d make it. “What are you doing here while Eddie’s out of town?”

“I’m here to mess the place up.” His voice was pure annoyance. A put-out bear of a man. “And I get to take whatever I want while I’m at it. Those are my orders. If he’s out of town, so much the better.”

“G-go ahead, I’ll…just wait outside.” She took another step, wondering if he could see that she was shaking like a leaf. Forty-nine more steps…

He shook his big head. “Don’t even bother. We both know I’m not going to let you go until I’m done here and long gone, so I’ll repeat myself. This way.”

Step forty-eight-

“Goddammit.” He lumbered after her.

Whirling, she ordered her feet to move. Forty-seven, forty-six- An arm hooked around her neck, hauling her back against a rock-hard body, withholding her inherent right to breathe. She opened her mouth to scream, but he slapped a hand against her mouth and nose-she definitely wasn’t breathing any time soon. Lifting her off her feet, he started walking.

Spots danced in front of her eyes. Out of pure desperation for air, she reached back and grabbed a handful of his hair.

“Ouch! Holy shit, lady!” He gripped her wrist and jerked it down, squeezing her neck at the same time.

Her head was going to pop right off. The spots blossomed into full Technicolor, and now she had an aching wrist to go with them as he dragged her along, back through the kitchen. Her life passed in front of her eyes; her mom and dad, her sister and brother, her cute little apartment where she cooked, read, lived…and then without warning he let go of her and shoved.

She landed on a hard tile floor and spent a moment on her hands and knees concentrating on dragging air into her lungs.