Page 79 of Brutal Ice

Didn’t matter. She lifted up her phone and flashed the light right at him. Time to see the monster who hid in the dark.

Tall. With shining glasses over his eyes—glasses that reflected the light back at her. Night vision? Is that what those glasses were? And some kind of black fabric covered the bottom of his face. A black, half-mask. His clothes were big and bulky. His hands were loose at his sides. One of his hands held a big, long knife.

One hell of a lot bigger than mine.

Wait, was something on that knife?

Something wet?

As her light hit him, he let out a heavy grunt, and his head jerked away from her. He tapped the side of the goggles, and then his masked face turned back toward her.

Did he turn the goggles off? Lower the intensity?

Violet backed up a step. “Simone?”

“Told you.” That same rasp. “She’s gone.”

The sedan was behind Violet. He was right there. And Royal…

Royal, where are you? He could come rushing in at any moment. Any. Moment. The sooner the better.

But…The garage door lowered back into place.

“There’s no one to save you this time,” he murmured. “You are going to be mine.”

The hell she would. “No, sorry. I have other plans.”

He laughed.

Then he lunged for her. And as he lunged for her, glass shattered on the garage door. Broken shards hit the floor even as thunder seemed to echo around the station. Stunned, surprised, her attacker whirled toward the sound. Violet skirted around the car, heading for the driver’s side and away from the masked man. She killed the light. Darkness closed around her.

Another explosion of glass.

Shatter. The shattering of the glass was just like it had been on stage. The glass breaking and shattering. Automatically, her head whipped toward the garage door. She knew who was breaking in to get to her side. Royal.

Before he’d gotten into the trunk, he’d promised to have her back. Always. She knew he would keep that vow because she trusted him. One hundred percent.

“Get the fuck out of there, Violet!” Royal shouted. Then he fired his gun again. He also kicked at the glass of the garage door, breaking it more as he punched his way inside to her.

“No!” A bellow that broke from the masked man. “You bitch!”

He rushed toward her. He had his big knife raised up. He was going to slice it down on her.

But another bullet fired. The attacker hit the floor, slamming his body down hard just before the bullet sank into the side of the sedan. She heard the distinct ping of it hitting metal. She also heard the knife clatter when it fell from the masked man’s fingers.

Violet’s breath panted out. And she attacked. She hit the small button on her knife. The blade sprang forward. Not as big as his blade, but it would get the job done.

He was rising and coming for her. But she didn’t stop. Her sweaty fingers had curled tightly around the handle of the knife, and she plunged it hard into his side. And she twisted it.

He howled. A cry of shock and pain even as he heaved her back.

But she didn’t go back far. Violet dropped her phone and grabbed the taser from her purse. She left the knife in the bastard’s side, and she drove her taser at him.

His body bucked and shuddered, and he let her go. He fell again, and she jumped over him. She ran for the shadows on the right where he’d been moments before. She was going to get the garage door open for Royal. If he was in this corner, the chains to lift the door must be here. I can pull them and get Royal inside.

Except Royal was already there. He grabbed her arms.

He’d broken through the glass to reach me.

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