Page 26 of Targeted By Desire

Reluctantly, I picked myself up, heeding my body’s warning but also curious about why the alarm was still going off. As I climbed over the dash, I glanced at my captor. My breath got stuck in my throat as my eyes unexpectedly met his smug smile.

Blood coated the side of his head and mouth from the crash. His head probably hit the steering wheel in the collision. Hard, but not enough to kill him. What the fuck was this man made out? Indestructible steel?

He chuckled at the shock on my face. “Next time you wanna choke me,” he started, reaching for the rope still laying around his throat. Nonchalantly, he pulled it off and twisted his wrist to wrap it around his knuckle with one hand. “Give me a safe word first.”

“Shit,” I muttered.

I threw myself backwards as his free hand lunged out to grab me. Blindly, I grabbed the door handle behind me, pulled it, and pushed back again to open the door. Gravity tugged at me, and without the door against my back, I fell flat onto the twigs and rocks on the ground. Ignoring the gush of pain the collision bought, I scrambled up to my feet and ran off into the forest.

Adrenaline rushed through my bones as I ran, taking away the uncomfortable sensation of the terrain scratching and pinching the soles of my feet.

My captor’s dark chuckle echoed through the wind. “Run all you want, Agent,” he yelled as his own footsteps followed. “I’m going to catch you.”

THE ASSASSIN

Oh, she is fun, I thought as I watched Simone’s shadow race through the trees a few feet ahead of me. Even in her dress, she maintained a steady, quick speed. Her bun fell from the ruckus of the car accident, and her long braids swung with every move.

I ran a few beats slower than usual to admire the view. It’s been so long since I’ve had a target run from me. I almost forgot how thrilling the chase could be.

Simone disappeared in the shadows in front of me.

I slowed down even more. Since she was out of sight, I needed to rely on my other senses to find her. Closing my eyes, I listened to the crack of the other twigs. Surprisingly it was oddly quiet.

“Agent,” I sang as I continued through the path. I glanced around the tree for signs of her presence. These leaves and twigs must be hell on her bare feet. She wasn’t getting far with leaving a tiny blood trail behind.

A smile tugged at my lips as I finally spotted a tiny hint of fresh blood on a leaf to the right of me. I immediately changed the course of my path and made the turn.

Under the moonlight, I saw more tiny bits of fresh blood on the twigs and leaves on the ground. The blobs were getting bigger and more noticeable the farther I walked.

I almost frowned at the increasing amount. For any other hunter, wounded prey was a good thing. It meant victory was near. But, I wasn’t ready to be through with her just yet.

As I passed yet another patch, I heard a twig crack to the left of my rear. Instantly, I turned around, ready to strike.

Before I could even lift my fist, something hard and rough collided with my cheek. The unexpected impact blurred my vision.

Between the fuzzy view, I made out a shadow, shorter than me, with a large, thick object in their hands. They swung it like a baseball bat at my head again.

I ducked, prepared for the attack this time. I reached for the object as it flew over my head.

She stepped back before I could grab it. She swung her makeshift bat again, aiming lower to hit me in the ribs.

As it collided with my bones, I grabbed hold of it and felt the familiar texture of bark under my fingers. I tugged the bat forward, flinging her towards me.

She crashed into my body with an “umph.”

Using the close proximity to my advantage, I wrapped my leg around hers and knocked her foot out from under her. As she lost her balance, I pushed against the stick and swung her onto the ground.

Grinning, I went down with her and pressed the wood down against her neck. “A branch? Really?” I asked.

Glaring at me, she pushed back on the wood, her strength battling mine to keep the stick off of her throat. Her legs wrapped around my waist, and she used all her strength to flip us over.

Now on top, she pushed harder against the branch, forcing it against my neck.

I chuckled at the sneer on her lips. The wild glint in her eyes made her look like she really wanted to kill me. I almost stopped resisting to see if she’d really do it.

She yanked the branch out of my hands, held it high over her head and smacked me right in the face with it.

The blow, stronger than I expected, sent stars twirling around my eyes.