Page 63 of His UnBearable Touch

“You should concentrate on the stairs before you fall and hurt yourself.”

Allegra wanted to say that her arm and her shoulder were already aching from the vice-like grip that Linda had on her. “Shouldn’t we be outside by now?”

A rush of cool wind washed over her body, followed by the close smell of dank, stale air. Wrinkling her nose, Allegra turned away.

“What is that smell?”

“We’re leaving through a basement exit. Just keep walking.”

They continued forward and Allegra turned a little and gripped Linda’s arm with her free hand. Fear dug her fingers in deep.

“Ow! Stop it.”

“I can’t,” Allegra gasped in a breath. “I can’t help it. I can barely breathe. I can’t-”

“You really are a basket case, aren’t you?”

A door ahead of them pushed open, creaking on rusted hinges and then a loud bang as if it slammed against a wall.

“What’s that?” Allegra moved toward it, eager to get out of the belly of the building. “Is that the exit? Hello??”

Linda let go of her arm and Allegra stubbed her toe on something, bumping one foot against the heel of the other, and stumbling she fell to the floor, one hand landing in a puddle.

“Linda? Help me up, please?”

“What for?”

Footsteps approached from the open door.

“Help, please?” She lifted a foot to set it down on the ground, but a sharp pain shot through her knee. “I just need to get outside.”

“Outside?”

The laughter didn’t need to echo off of the walls for Allegra to know she was in danger, the sound of his voice was enough to make her legs turn to jelly as her heart stopped beating.

“You’re not going outside ever again.”

“Lance?”

“See? You remember me.”

Allegra turned back. “Please, Linda. I don’t know why you brought me here-”

“I brought you here because I’m tired of you and your circus taking the focus away from the music.”

“Don’t forget how much money I offered you.” Lance’s tone was droll, but tight. He never liked to be in the wings.

“Yeah,” Linda scoffed, “that’s right. It’s a ton of money, more than I’ll ever need even living in New York. So, where is it?”

Something roared over Allegra’s head and she flinched.

A moment later, something fell to the ground behind her.

“You shot her?” Allegra felt anger boil up inside of her.

He laughed in reply. “I hope you’ll understand that I just did that for us, baby. She doesn’t need the money, not anymore.”

Silent tears fell onto her cheeks. “I’m not going anywhere with you. After all these years, just let me go.”

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