Page 6 of Guarding Grace
Heart pounding, I turned and ran.
A few steps later, he grabbed my hair and yanked.
I cried out.Fuck, that hurt.My scalp burned from the pain.
Beefy arms wound around me and lifted me off the ground.
“Where is fucking Spider?”
The brute slammed me against a car and spun me, pinning my arms. His breath was heavy with garlic.
Spider was Elliot’s nickname among the dangerous crowd he hung out with on account of the gold chain he wore with a stupid spider pendant.
A second skinny dude came out of the shadows. “Yeah, where is he?”
“I don’t know.”Why ask about Elliot?
Restrained like this, I couldn’t bring my hand up to slash him like I’d been taught.
Skinny Dude yanked my purse away and rummaged through it. “I got the phone. We can find him.”
“Maybe.” The big one scowled, shaking me. “Where is he hiding?”
“I told you, I don’t know.” I spat at him.
He wiped his cheek. “Not good enough.” The big guy punched me in the face.
My head snapped back against the car window. Pain flashed across my cheek, and my vision blurred. I brought up the hand he’d released and slashed him across the cheek with my key.
He howled but didn’t release his grip. “Bitch.” He pulled back to hit me again.
My eyes had partially acclimated to the dim light. When his grip loosened, I tried to knee him, but my dress was too tight.
The brute retaliated with another punch.
My nose erupted in pain, and I tasted blood.My God, why does he have to hit so hard?
“Yeah, fuck her up good,” Skinny Dude urged.
“Tell us where Spider—” The brute’s question was cut short when a fist from nowhere landed on the side of his head.
“Get off her,” Terry roared.
The big man stumbled to the side, releasing me, then regained his footing.
“Grace?”
“I’m okay,” I lied. Why did Terry, of all people, have to see me like this?
Everything depended on me getting out of here in time to meet with the kidnapper.
“Who the fuck are you?” Skinny Dude yelled as he pulled a knife.
My heart stopped. The rules of the party tonight had been that the Hawk Security people would come unarmed, and this looked bad.
The big guy shook off the effect of Terry’s punch and straightened. Things went from bad to worse when he pulled a knife as well and advanced.
“You guys don’t want to do this,” Terry warned.
