Page 27 of Trick's Trap

“Do you have another flashlight?” Trick asked. He needed to get back out there to find Tahlia.

The beam of light swept over him. “Why the hell are you covered in blood?” Ethan barked.

Trick glanced down at the ominous red slash staining his otherwise pristine white shirt. He swore aloud. “Fuck! My hand—I thought that hurt too much.”

“What the hell happened?” Jason asked.

“Give me the flashlight. I need to get back to Tahlia,” he pleaded. “Someone is running around with a knife out there.”

“Hold up,” Ethan snapped when he reached out to take the torch from his hands. He flipped a few switches, and light flooded the room. It came on in the main room as well, where the screaming abruptly stopped.

Ethan and Jason right behind him, he burst past the swinging doors. The makeshift casino was a mess.

The guests were milling around nervously. The waiters were trying to restore order by picking up the broken glasses and strewn poker chips. Letting them take care of it, he ran back and forth across the space until he caught sight of a brunette standing near the window with her back to him.

“Tahlia!” He hurried over and took hold of her arm.

The girl turned, startled. It wasn’t her. “I’m so sorry,” he apologized, backing away quickly.

Jason was right behind him, shaking his head. Tahlia was gone.

Tahlia ran down the alley,holding her aching hand against her chest. The man who’d grabbed her in the dark had twisted it so hard she was worried it was sprained.

When the lights went out, she’d been surprised, but not scared. At first, it appeared to be a random fluke. Then someone shoved her and Patrick, knocking them to the ground.

The impact stunned her. She landed on something rectangular and hard. It felt like a phone. She’d reached for it, intending to try and use it as a flashlight, but before she could press any of the buttons, the assailant reached down, capturing her arms in a painful grip.

Tahlia reacted on instinct. Instead of fighting him, she’d launched herself up, jumping into the man’s arms. She crashed into his chest, her fingernails raking across his face. He was wearing night-vision goggles.

Tahlia snatched them off with her free hand, tossing them aside while simultaneously twisting in his grasp. The move surprised the man enough to let go.

Blind in the dark, she stumbled into other casino-goers, escaping serious injury through sheer dumb luck.

She ended up walking into the bathroom door next to the bar. Moving quickly, she locked herself inside before crawling out the window and down the fire escape, tossing the phone into her purse and kicking off her borrowed heels along the way.

Tahlia prayed Patrick was all right. The man who attacked them might have a gun. She had no idea.

It’s okay, he’ll come after you.Patrick and the others would be fine as long as she wasn’t there.

Her feet were already aching from the running along the hard, unforgiving pavement. Trying to find a place to hide, she ducked into the open space between two buildings only to find the way barred by a chain-link fence.

She almost turned around to backtrack, but the sound of pursuit spurred her forward. Panting, she ran and began to scale the fence, heedless of the spikes poking out from the top.

Nimble and in decent shape from carrying loaded catering trays, Tahlia climbed without incident, but she misjudged her footing while trying to clear the top. She half-slid down the other side, scraping the spot under her breast with a spike on the way down.

Disoriented by the sudden pain, she fell the last few feet, landing on her foot awkwardly before tipping backward into a pile of garbage.

Momentarily dazed, she lay there catching her breath until the fence rattled. She jerked, her eyes flying up to meet a savage face. A dark-haired man gripped the thin steel wire. He sneered at her and began to climb.

Scrambling to her feet, Tahlia tried to run, but each step was agony. The foot she’d landed on was having a problem supporting her weight.

“No.”

Tears streamed down her face. It was over. She wasn’t going to get away this time.

But Tahlia didn’t stop. The instinct to survive was too strong to give herself up. Not after what they had done to her father.

The anonymous brick buildings ahead of her were dark. She had no idea where she was or how to find help.

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