Page 48 of Rami

No. She couldn’t—wouldn’t—accept that reality.

They reached the main floor, but instead of taking the door to the ground-floor hallway that would lead to the entrance of the building, he steered her toward the fire exit.

She dug her heels into the slippery floor. The action made the guy’s chest flatten to her back. “Where is he?” she demanded.

“Shut up,” he barked. His fingers bit down harder as he shoved her outside.

The sticky air sucked the breath from her lungs, instantly turning the stress-sweat on her skin sour. It was quieter at the back of the building. No foot traffic.

The parking lot loomed. A tinted SUV was parked in a handicapped zone. Seeing the vehicle made hysteria mount inside her, shortchanging rational thought.

With every step her chest constricted. The track marks on her arms burned—a stark reminder of what lay inside the vehicle. She squeezed the handle of the knife. If she struck now, he’d get a bullet in her before she could take cover.

He nudged her off the sidewalk and onto the concrete parking lot. The side of the vehicle brushed her arm, its heat matching the flames in her core telling her to take flight.

Now!

Gripping the knife, she wheeled around and jabbed the blade into the brute’s side. Metal entered flesh, sinking in deep. Blood squirted to coat her hand. His arm fell away from her neck and he gripped his side as she chugged backward.

“Ah! Fuck!” he bellowed.

Ivy sprinted through the parking lot, icy-cold fear tickled her spine. She needed to hide. Ducking low, she got behind a silver van.

“Bitch,” he called. “I’ll find you.”

Ivy pressed her hands to the pavement. The warm pebbly aggregate dug into her skin as she leaned down to look under the cars. Her chest burned with every shallow inhale. His boots came into view, about four cars down, his footing labored yet steady.

She’d hurt him, but he had enough stamina to find and kill her. She glanced at the stretch of grass between the parking lot and the back of her apartment building. If she ran, she’d be spotted like a telephone pole in an open field.

Even if she was lucky enough to reach the door, she didn’t have her keys. The scuff of boots on cement reached her ears. He was getting closer. She needed cover. Then maybe she could pull out her phone and call Rami.

Getting flat on her belly, she slithered under the van. The concrete picked at the fine material of her dress.

Her breath wheezed in and out through her nose. The thick, heavy scent of motor oil and gasoline rushed to her brain, dizzying her. Heat radiated between the ground and the undercarriage of the vehicle, roasting her from all sides.

The scrape of his shoes grew closer. With her cheek pressed to the concrete, she fumbled at her side and opened her bag, grabbing her phone. If she called Rami now, the man would hear her.

Please walk past me, please walk past me.

His footsteps closed in, echoing beneath the chassis. She bit her lip and covered her mouth. Her warm, moist breath coated her palm, making her skin as slick as the sweat collecting on her cheeks.

“I know you’re close,” he chanted. He spoke at a normal level, winded but calm.

Ever so slowly she moved her gaze to the rear of the vehicle. His black combat boots stood mere feet away. She watched as he turned, about to head across the parking lot.

She let her shoulders sag and her eyes closed on a sigh of relief. In a minute, once he was far enough away, she’d dial—

A fierce hand fastened itself around her ankle, yanking her from her hiding spot. A shriek erupted from her ragged throat as the rough ground tore at her dress and skin. The sun hit her body. Her attacker flipped her roughly onto her back with his foot.

Blood dripped from his side, thick and sticky on his T-shirt and pants. At the rate he was bleeding, he didn’t have long.

Ivy let loose another scream and rolled to her knees, scrambling away. He sunk his hand into her hair, reeling her back so she kneeled before him, her back against his thighs.

“If I had more time, I’d make this fucking worth it.” The cool steel of a gun pressed to her temple.

Thoughts flashed by in rapid-succession. God, she didn’t want Rami to find her brains blown out across the parking lot. She didn’t want to end this way. She wanted more. More from life and more than this.

She wanted Rami.

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