She craned her neck, glimpsed his feet swinging over the side of the bed and planting themselves on the carpet. He stood, came around to face her, rubbing his eyes and yawning.
He bent over, grabbed the chair, and tilted her upright. Relief flooded her sore joints, but she hardly noticed. She looked up at the killer with pleading eyes. Mars offered only a joyless smile in return. He stood close, bent over to grab her breast, pinched a nipple. Hard. He made grunting sounds deep in his throat as he moved his hand to the other breast and pinched again.
Linda shivered, and Mars laughed. She felt his balls on her leg, his dick growing hard. Now she wanted to scream, do anything to get Andrew?s attention and make him come upstairs. She no longer cared if she put Andrew in danger. She?d do anything to end this horror with Mars.
Mars grabbed the base of his erection, pointed it at Linda?s face. For the first time she was glad for the strip of tape across her mouth.
Mars said, ?Maybe I take the tape off, eh? Put something in there. No, I want to get to that pussy, I think.?
Mars sized up the situation, decided he couldn?t get at her in the chair. ?I?m going to get you out of the chair, then tape your wrists again to the bedposts, spread you out nice and comfortable, yes? But you don?t fight. Make trouble and I break your jaw. Try to get away and I twist your arm, break that too.
Linda nodded.
He used the meat cleaver to saw through the tape binding her right wrist. Her right hand was free, the hand with the nail file.
He cut the tape on the other wrist. Both hands were free.
Mars knelt in front of her, began sawing at the tape around her ankles. In a fraction of a second, Linda had to decide. If she waited, her legs would be free, but if she did it now, it might be her best chance. He knelt right in front of her, his neck naked, exposed. It was right there. A voice shouted in her head.
She raised her fist and brought it down with all her strength on Mars, the nail file sinking two and a half inches into the side of Mars?s neck. She pulled it out. Blood. She struck again, another neat hole next to the first like a vampire?s bite.
More blood gushed. Mars lurched away from her, his free hand going to his neck, blood spurting between fingers. He screamed, a long, high, endless shriek. He danced in panicked circles.
Linda tried to stand, immediately sat down again. Her legs were still taped to the chair. Mars?s howl triggered something in Linda. She started screaming too, brandishing the nail file in front of her like a bayonet. But Mars had lost interest in her. His attention was entirely on the blood draining out of him at an alarming rate.
He ran naked from the bedroom, screaming in Spanish.
* * *
Lizzy and Andrew looked at one another, eyes wide.
?What the hell is that?? she said.
Andrew ran from the kitchen. ?Linda!?
He ran through the living room and toward the stairs, slammed on the brakes when he saw the naked, screaming, bleeding Mexican charging right at him. Andrew also noted the meat cleaver.
Andrew did the only reasonable thing he could think of. He squealed like a frightened bunny.
Mars plowed into him, eyes blazing, blood spraying. Mars tried to hack at Andrew with the cleaver and keep one hand over his neck wound at the same time. Andrew grabbed Mars?s wrist with both hands, halted the cleaver an inch from his nose. ?Shit. Help!?
Lizzy erupted from the kitchen, leapt over the couch, and planted herself in front of Mars. She took up a boxer?s stance and punched Mars in the ribs, three rapid, sharp shots. Mars grunted, shoved Andrew away so he could face the girl.
He jabbed, and she blocked it, punched him in the gut. He swiped at her with the cleaver, but she ducked low and punched him again in the gut. He got mad, growled. Mars wasn?t used to a little girl giving him trouble. He swung the cleaver again, and she leapt aside.
Mars moved in close, brought up his knee, caught her in the chin. Bells went off in her ears, and she sat down hard. He lifted the cleaver over his head. He was going to split her skull.
