Page 35 of Kiss Across the Universe
Alannah turned her head to one side, so that any impact would land on her shoulder, not her skull, and staggered forward as fast as she could, which was pitifully slow.
She rammed into the back of the man’s thigh with virtually no impetus driving her. All she had was her body weight. She simply couldn’t move fast.
But ramming into his thigh did marvelous things, anyway.
He staggered as his knee went out unexpectedly, listing to the right.
Alannah curled her right hand into a fist—the tape was just loose enough for her to tuck her fingers out of harm’s way. Then she spun on one foot, bringing the frame of the chair around in a wildly swinging arc. Using only one foot meant she could movemuchfaster than trying to waddling anywhere with two feet.
The chair slammed into the side of the man’s torso as he folded forward in response to his knee giving way.
The corner of the chair, where her fist was tucked up against it, splinted rigidly in place by the duct tape, rammed into the man’s shoulder.
He grunted, the wind pushed out of him, and fell sideways, onto his hands and knees.
Alannah knew what to do with that. She realized she was smiling grimly as she jumped with both feet, brought her knees as close together as the tape allowed, and landed on the man’s back with the weight of her and the chair.
He sprawled forward, his arms and knees giving out under the drop of her weight. She hoped his whole face had scraped across the carpet and given him a lovely carpet burn that would become infected and agonizing.
Alannah fell forward, her knees on his back. The chair stopped her from sprawling like the man was, but her weight was thrown forward, her feet and the feet of the chair jutting up into the air. She couldn’t move. She couldn’t lift herself up. She was anchored there, despite the man struggling to throw her off him.
“Stay there!” Kit ordered, his tone sharp.
“Yep,” Alannah whispered to herself, her breath heaving. She couldn’t look around to see what he was doing, either. She heard him moving.
The man slumped and grew still.
Alannah tucked her chin in to look underneath her, trying to figure out what Kit had done.
He gripped her shoulders. “I’m going to lift you up,” he warned.
“Yes, please,” she said breathlessly.
She was lifted up smoothly, and the chair put back on its feet, with her in it. Her head throbbed again, but the pain was receding, except for the spot where the man’s hand had connected with her.
The man remained on the carpet, completely still.
“What did you do to him?” she demanded, both awed and surprised.
“Vulcan neck pinch,” Kit said, digging into his jacket.
Alannah couldn’t help her jaw dropping.
Kit pulled out something and gave a small sound of satisfaction. He opened it. It was a folding knife. He bent and used the blade against the tape, sawing very carefully.
Alannah wasn’t sure where the giggles came from, but they swept through her, making her shake. She held them in, even though she wanted to laugh like crazy. Maybe shewasgoing crazy.
When she thought she could speak without hysterics, she said, “How did you know I was here?”
“Later,” Kit said, his voice distant, as though his thoughts were far away. “I need to get you far from here before we can talk.”
“I thought….” She swallowed. “I thought Aran would be the one to find me.” On the timescape. But she couldn’t say that.
“He told me you were still in Canmore,” Kit said shortly.
So Aranhadfound her. How had Kit got involved, though? Why would Aran stand back and let Kit do the work?
Her other wrist came loose and she flexed her wrists and rubbed them, now she could move them freely. Where Kit had torn the duct tape away, her flesh was pink.
