Page 64 of Missing Justice
Taylor stopped, wondering if she should drop the stuff in her hands and go for her weapon.
Unarmed. At least she didn’t see a gun. “What the fuck are you doing?”
She couldn’t be sure, but it looked like he grinned behind the mask. She kept an eye on his hands, but he didn’t reach for any weapon.
“Whatdid you just say to me?” Meredith screeched.
She took a step forward, shifting her keys to her briefcase hand. “I don’t know who you are or what you’re doing, but you’re messing with the wrong woman.”
The man pivoted and started to run.
Meredith said something else, but Taylor let the phone fall.
Bastard!Heady anger roared through her. First her house, now her car? Who was this fucker and who did he think he was dealing with?
Dropping the briefcase and keys, she threw the stainless steel travel mug as hard as she could. The mug smacked the man in the back of the head, knocking him off balance. He threw his hands out as he hit the wall, giving Taylor the chance she needed to catch up to him.
He pushed off the wall; she jumped on him, taking him to the ground. He wasn’t much taller than she was, but outweighed her enough to flip her over, the back of her head smacking into the concrete floor.
She sent a fist into his nose, hearing the crack of cartilage. He grunted and jumped up, ready to take off again, so she snagged his foot and tripped him.
His body crashed to the floor and he kicked back, trying to shake off her grip. She held on, jackknifing her legs around and nailing him square in the kidneys with the toe of her boot.
He arched from the blow and cursed, the word low, guttural. One of his fists came out of nowhere, nailing her in the stomach.
The pain was intense but she didn’t let go, wrapping her legs around his and flipping them both over again, her on top, pinning him facedown on the floor.
His weight once again worked in his favor as he did a pushup and unseated her. She fell beside him, rolled away from a hard kick, then used her momentum to spring back up.
Could this be Felicity’s killer? The baby’s kidnapper?
She drew her weapon, the sound of Mer’s hysterical voice on the ground behind her. “Come on, asshole,” she said, licking her lips. “Let’s see what you’ve got.”
He came to his feet, chest heaving. “Get the fuck out of my way.”
A dozen comebacks and questions ran through her mind. “You’re done. This ends here and now. Put your hands up.”
Yep, that was a grin behind the mask. Same as before. “Fuck you.”
And oh, she needed to wipe that grin off his face. Her firearms training kicked in and she held the gun aimed at center mass. “Go ahead. Give it a try.”
He roared with anger, rushing her low. She fired, nailing him in the shoulder, but it didn’t stop his charge. He took her to the ground, knocking the weapon from her hand.
He reared back, sitting on top of her and Taylor sent a fist to his chin. His head snapped back and he jumped up, holding his shoulder and staggering.
She rolled to her feet and saw his gaze land on her gun.
The man went for it and Taylor tackled him this time, knocking him onto the trunk of her car. He bounced left and Taylor spun and kicked out, landing a heel to his knee before he could regain his balance.
She heard a pop, her spin taking her back around to connect a fist to his temple.
But he didn’t go down.
Who is this guy? The Terminator?
He swung at her head. She ducked, breathing heavy. He snatched up her briefcase and hit her square in the kidneys.
Damn, that hurt.
