Mortal Pursuit

31

Ally stared at Trish Robinson as she crossed the bedroom. Her attention was held by Trish’s eyes, electric blue, gleaming with an intensity that was almost scary.

They were the eyes of a jungle animal, grimly determined, hypervigilant, focused exclusively on the immediate moment. Eyes that could stare death in the face.

Maybe they already had.

Then her focus shifted to Trish’s hair-a wet mop-and her uniform-soaked through.

“The lake …” Ally whispered.

“What”

“That’s where Cain said he put you.”

“Temporarily.”

“You got away” The question was hushed, almost awed.

Shrug. “I’m here, aren’t I”

Trish holstered her gun and leaned over the chair, tugging at the knotted sheets. Her hands were shaking, her fingers clumsy, and Ally saw for the first time how scared she was-weak with fear but doing her best not to show it.

The fear made her more human, more real, not an apparition in a dream.

“You know martial arts” Ally asked. “Is that how you did it”

“They call me the dragon lady.”

“No, seriously.”

“Seriously-I just got lucky, okay”

Lucky. No way. She’d been fighting. Maybe not with kung fu and tae kwan do, but it had been a battle, all right. Ally noted the abrasions on her wrists and knuckles, the cuts and bruises on her bare forearms.

But how could she have fought anybody She was still handcuffed, her arm movements severely restricted.

Handcuffed …

“Hey, didn’t they cuff your hands behind your back”

“I moonlight as a contortionist.” She gave up trying to loosen the stubborn knots and unsheathed a knife.

Cops didn’t carry knives on their belts, did they No, wait. Ally had seen Tyler remove Trish’s belt before slinging her over his shoulder. The equipment she was wearing-it belonged to one of the bad guys.

Ally didn’t think any of them would have given up his gear voluntarily.

“How come you know Cain’s name” Trish asked, cutting into her thoughts.

“Oh. I-uh-I know all about him.” The mention of Cain made her heart speed up. “I’ve seen his face. He’s ugly.”

“Big surprise.”

“He wants to kill me.”

“What he wants and what he’ll get are two different things.”

Though Trish tried to say it with cool nonchalance. Ally could hear the strain stretching her voice taut, could see the tic of a muscle in her cheek that gave the lie to her smile.

The knife blade sliced neatly through the binding, and Ally was free.

She stood on wobbly legs and took a step toward the door. Suddenly her only impulse was to be out of this room, this place where she’d been certain she would die.

“Not that way.” The urgent whisper came from behind her. “Help me with this.”

But Trish didn’t need any help. She had already unlatched one of the window screens and pushed it out of the frame by the time Ally reached her side.

She might be handcuffed and hurt and scared, maybe even as scared as Ally herself, but she sure knew how to keep her cool.

“You first,” Trish said.

Ally began climbing out. “What are you, Wonder Woman or something”

“That’s me.” The cuffs flashed. “Dig my Amazon bracelets.”

Despite urgency and danger. Ally almost smiled.

In the hall-footsteps.

Heavy and quick.

Ally froze, halfway out the window, the blood leaving her face. She breathed one word.

“Him.”