Page 2 of Lone Star Country Protector
The move worked, temporarily at least. But Ski Mask reacted with the speed of a cobra strike. In the next second, she was flipped on her back. Ski Mask was on top of her, his thighs pinning her arms to her sides, crushing into her ribs.
In case she lived, she started memorizing details about her assailant. He had to be just shy of six feet tall. Built like an athlete with wide shoulders, straight hips and a slim, muscular figure. Not exactly a body builder, but Ski Mask lifted weights.
The description might not be much, but it was better than nothing.
Blakely bucked her hips, or at least she tried. But Ski Mask was too strong. He drew his arm up. The metal blade glinted in the light from the headlamps. Stabbing someone with a knife was a personal way to kill them. It reeked of hatred and revenge.
With every ounce of strength in her five-foot-seven-inch body, Blakely fought back, convulsing. The move was the equivalent of attempting to break free from a straitjacket. Ski Mask had her locked down and was about to deliver a fatal blow.
“Auntie!” shouted the frightened voice of her nephew.
Ski Mask flinched. He immediately turned toward the noise.
“Run!” Blakely shouted, her heart cracking in half that Chase had to witness his aunt’s murder. “Go!”
Except the distraction caused Ski Mask to loosen his grip momentarily. And Blakely seized on the moment.
She bucked and twisted. This time, he flew off. The sound of metal skidding across the pavement meant he’d been disarmed, temporarily at least. The next noise was a guttural groan as she connected her knee to the tender flesh of his inner thigh. Blakely was free from being pinned down.
Popping onto all fours, she scrambled to get out of the attacker’s reach a second too late. A hand gripped her ankle with the force of a vise. Blakely bit back a curse as she attempted to kick free.
Another hand came around, squeezing so hard she was shocked her bones didn’t shatter. Risking a glance toward the car, a moment of relief washed over her at the sight. It was empty. Chase was gone.
Chase was gone!The reality of her nephew disappearing and the possibility of something else bad happening to him sent white-hot anger roaring through her.
Fighting for her life, she drew all her energy and kicked one of her attacker’s hands with her free foot. His grip loosened. But only for a split second. Blakely reached toward the fence, struggling to gain purchase.
Trying to claw away from Ski Mask was futile. His grip wasn’t allowing her to go anywhere. She needed to come up with a new plan.Now.Before he recovered the knife he was reaching for.
Blakely’s leg was like an overstretched rubber band at this point. Rather than resist, she curled her body in a ball the second Ski Mask’s attention shifted toward the knife that was inches from his long, outstretched fingers.
Body in a tight circle, she reached for his arm and then dug her fingernails into his wrist. The man hardly flinched, but she wasn’t expecting to break free from his grasp. His hands were gloved, and the material from his hoodie kept her from reaching skin.Or obtaining DNA evidence.At leastthe material fibers that were now underneath her fingernails could give investigators something to go on.
Ski Mask’s fingers were almost to the knife. Blakely tightened her grasp and then exploded, twisting around once again, scraping the side of her cheek on the pavement.
His grip broke. For a split second, she froze, unable to believe what had just happened. Reality smacked hard. She had to get the hell out of there. After popping up to her feet, she ran as fast as her legs would carry her while screaming one word over and over again…“Fire!”
If you wanted help, you had to yellfireinstead. People were afraid when they heard the wordhelp. They hid behind the miniblinds, praying whatever was outside couldn’t get them too. They instantly reacted to the wordfire. They practically ran outside to make sure none of their belongings were in the path.Helpwas useless when you needed it most. The reality of people’s survival instincts needing them to stay safe was coded into their DNA.
Half expecting to hear Ski Mask’s heavy breathing and footsteps coming up from behind, Blakely pushed her legs until her thighs burned. All those Krav Maga lessons she’d taken over the years had just paid off. The Israel Defense Forces self-defense method was created for dealing with real-life situations, like this. She didn’t dare risk glancing backward. A second could give an opponent the advantage.
Porch lights came on one by one as dogs barked over her screams. From the corner of her eye, she saw a front door open.
Blakely cut a sharp left and made a beeline for the opened door, yelling the word repeatedly until she reached the front porch.
Mr. Bowman, a widower, stood there in his slacks and sweater with his forehead wrinkled in concern. His handswere balled into fists on his hips as he studied her. The fact he didn’t look behind her said Ski Mask didn’t follow her.
She expected to hear the squeal of tires as the perp stole her car, but that didn’t happen either.
“Call 911,” she managed to say through heaves to Mr. Bowman as she hopped onto his porch, skipping the stairs altogether. “Tell them Judge Adamson was attacked outside her home and her seven-year-old nephew is missing. I need helpnow.”
Without questioning, Mr. Bowman did as instructed, leaving his door open as he disappeared into his house. Blakely turned around once she made it to his door and could slip inside, close the door and lock it behind her at a moment’s notice. The yard was large and boxed in by hedges that replaced fencing. With the porch light on, she would be able to see anyone coming before they could get to her. And she couldn’t go inside without knowing what happened to Chase.
Heart pounding the inside of her ribcage, she struggled to breathe as she continued scanning the yard. There was no sign of her nephew or the perp. Was Chase hiding? Running? The thought of him alone in the dark, scared, was a knife through her chest. Her doors were always locked, so he couldn’t have gone inside her home.
Where did you run off to, buddy?
Sirens split the air before she caught her breath. Help was on the way, but no real relief came. With Chase missing, there was no way she could relax. She had to find her nephew before Ski Mask did, if he hadn’t already.
