Pure unadulterated fear threatened to turn Lexie’s muscles to jelly as panic seized every part of her body. A hand grabbed the back of her shirt, dragging her roughly to her feet. Her hair was yanked painfully, her body arched awkwardly as she was hauled backwards. Unbalanced and hovering on the brink of tipping over, she was unable to see her assailant or able to kick out and fight.
Jesus! What was happening?
Her thoughts were jumbled, chasing each other in circles, trying to make sense of her predicament. Then, as the cold barrel of a gun was pressed hard against her cheek, the true horror of her situation sunk in.
Lexie froze. Her heart beat wildly as adrenaline surged through her system. She could hardly breathe. This was déjà vu, but it was all real, not one of her nightmares. For the first time she wished it was.
‘The beautiful sexy Lexie finally in my arms.’
He was holding her captive from behind so she couldn’t see her attacker. But she instantly recognised the voice. Her blood turned to ice.
His breath stunk of coffee and was hot on the skin of her neck. Straightening her up, he burrowed the gun further into her cheek, rendering her completely helpless. Panicked eyes darted around the familiar living area of her friend’s apartment, searching hopelessly for a means of escape. Her instincts told her to make a mad dash and run through the glass doors only metres away. Except she knew that if she did somehow manage to break free, her captor would have a bullet in her back long before she could dive through the glass wall.
Lexie squirmed when she felt a jagged tongue dart inside her ear and fought the urge to gag. Her slight movement caused the gun to be pushed further into the hollow of her cheek.
‘I wouldn’t fight it if I were you, Lexie,’ the voice said. The arm around her neck moved to her chest. Capturing a breast, he squeezed it painfully. A chill ran across her back.
Don’t worry. You called off on the police radio. If you don’t call back on they’ll start looking for you. But you could be dead by then, you fucking idiot! You should have trusted your instincts.
‘I’m sorry it has to be this way but you’ve left me no choice. You were in the wrong place at the wrong time.’
Her mind was so busy trying to find a way out of this situation she hadn’t yet grasped why she was here. What had she done to be such a threat? Then Rex’s words jumped into her brain. ‘If there is no witness to the dying declaration – there is no dying declaration.’ She thought about Amitt Vincent. If she wasn’t around to give evidence at his trial he would walk free.
Amitt Vincent. The thought of him gave her an idea. It had worked once before. She had to remain calm. Maybe she could pretend to faint? Catch him off guard.
‘You are so delicious, Lexie,’ he whispered, brushing his lips across the skin of her throat. His tongue traced the small straight scar along the length of her hairline. ‘We all know how you got that; though we aren’t allowed to mention it. Wouldn’t want to upset poor Lexie, now would we? Don’t worry, when it’s time I’ll make sure it’s quick. But first, we’re going to have some fun.’
Should she fall to the ground now? She couldn’t. The gun was rammed under her chin. If only she could reach her ankle holster . . .
Almost as if he’d read her mind, she felt his free hand trace the outline of her body, over the curve of her breast, the sway of her hip and along the outside of her thigh until, bending down, he reached her calf muscle. Finding her holster, he removed the gun. She heard it land on the floor with a thud somewhere behind her.
How can this be happening? Instead of a knife it was going to be a gun this time.
‘Now you are completely at my mercy.’
He laughed. She thought the sound held the slight hint of hysteria.
‘Lexie,’ he groaned, biting her neck and grinding his erection into the back of her thigh. ‘I’m going to fuck you to death.’
That was when it hit her . . .
Kate’s voice resounded in her head. ‘You’re so fucking stupid. Just turn it around, you stupid bitch.’ The letters smeared across her mind. But it was all too little, too late.
BURGH, turned around, spelt backwards was HGRUB – H.GRUB. Leave off the H and you had it. The Grub. How clever! So simple!
If only she’d figured it out sooner.