Killing Fear

moved soundlessly through her apartment toward the open window.

Robin felt like laughing hysterically-or breaking down in tears. For years she’d trained with a gun. Took self- defense classes, qualified for a concealed carry permit, practiced drawing her gun quickly.

But when she saw the shadow, her only thought was to run. She didn’t even think to grab her gun on the nightstand. Fight or flight, and she’d chosen flight without consciously thinking about it. How pathetic was that?

Mario banged on the front door.

Crunch.

Glenn pulled her to the window next to her bed, the rain blowing into her room, dampening everything.

Her nightstand was to the left of the window. She needed to buy time for Mario to get in. As Glenn maneuvered her through the window, she reached down, feeling for her gun.

Her fingers skimmed the barrel.

Glenn pulled her to the ledge. She reached out for her gun. A pain unlike anything she’d felt sunk into her side.

“Don’t think about fucking with me, Robin,” he growled in her ear.

He also had a knife in his left hand, and this one had cut into her side. Her head swam, her fingers slid across the gun, and suddenly she was pulled onto the narrow ledge of her building with Glenn.

She should push them both over. Kill him with her.

Will.

She pictured her lover finding her broken body on the street below. She couldn’t do that to him. Just as important, she didn’t want to die.

Bide your time. He could have killed you inside. He had the opportunity, but he didn’t.

The drizzle had turned to a steady fine rain, and in only a few seconds Robin was damp. Out of the seven days of rain San Diego got every year, why did one have to be tonight?

Theodore held her tight. He pocketed his knives and held her tight with his right hand. She fought, bit his hand, and tried to jump back in through the window.

He backhanded her, and her head hit the brick facade. She shook it, the pain intense, blood dripping into one eye, and hadn’t yet recovered when he forced her onto a rope ladder he’d hung from the roof.

“Stop being stupid, Robin.”

From below them, Robin heard noise in her apartment. She slowed her ascent, but Glenn picked her up and put her over his shoulder. She was looking at the sidewalk below, and it was rapidly moving farther away as Glenn practically ran up the shaky ladder. He wasn’t even holding her, had balanced her on his shoulder, and she found herself grabbing his shirt, fearful of falling headfirst onto the concrete more than three stories below.

When he reached the roof, he held her legs tight against him and ran, walked right onto the roof of the building next door. She cried out, screamed, kicked-anything to get away. He was too strong. Dammit, so was she! She was a dancer, she lugged kegs in from storage. She fought twice as hard, reaching around and clawing his face.

“Argh!” He threw her off his shoulder and kicked her in the jaw. She rolled on the gravel roof, stunned. He hauled her up again and whispered in her ear, “You’ll pay for that, Robin,” as he hoisted her back over his shoulder.

The fall had disoriented her and she shook her head to clear her thoughts. They were on yet another roof. How had they gotten there? Had she blacked out for a minute?

She heard sirens in the distance. Glenn laughed. “Too late.”

They were at the edge of the building. He was going to throw her off. Was that his plan? All that drama for this?

Something white was coiled on the edge of the roof. A rope. What was that for?

He took her off his shoulder, but didn’t let go of her arm. Robin jerked away, stumbled, but Glenn didn’t loosen his grip. He attached the rope to his belt, grabbed her by the waist, and jumped right off the building.

“She’s gone.”

Will listened to Mario tell him how Theodore Glenn had kidnapped Robin right from under his nose. SWAT director Tom Blade was pushing one hundred miles an hour to get them back to San Diego as fast as possible.

He didn’t want to believe that Glenn had gotten to Robin so fast, but it fit the time line. Hell, he had hours to plan it. He may have had it all worked out days ago. Waiting for the right time.

The only thing Will was certain of was that Glenn would kill Robin. The question remained as to where and when.

Will pictured Sara Lorenz’s shredded body and the rage that had caused it.

He’ll kill her soon. He won’t be able to stop himself.

Will closed his eyes, focused on the messages Glenn had left for him and Robin. His twisted desire to watch his victims suffer. His taunting of Will. His talk about Romeo and Juliet.

Romeo and Juliet. Robin wasn’t dead, not yet. Glenn wanted him to think she was, so Will would do something stupid, blinded with grief. But Will knew Glenn wanted to kill Robin in front of him. That would buy him precious time.

Glenn had the opportunity to kill Robin in her apartment. Why didn’t he?

Because Will wouldn’t have found her. Mario would have seen her body first. That wouldn’t have given Glenn any satisfaction. He planned on taking Robin somewhere where only Will could find her body.

Hurry home, William.

“Commander Blade, take me to my house. Now.”

FORTY-ONE

Robin’s head throbbed and though she tried to keep alert on the drive, she knew she had passed out for at least a few minutes. When she woke, they were parked in an area that seemed familiar. It wasn’t until she was out of the car, heard the waves rolling up the quiet beach, and recognized the row of closely built homes, that she knew exactly where she was.

Will’s place.

Glenn pulled Robin across the middle of the front seat and out his door. He had a bag slung over one shoulder, and she didn’t want to think about what was in it. Knives? Bleach? What had he planned for her? He was parked two houses away, and kept a knife at her back to prevent her from screaming. She was just as fearful of other people’s lives as she was of her own. If someone tried to help her and Glenn killed them…she didn’t want to think about it.

But the street was empty. Nearly midnight on a wet Sunday night. No one to help. No one to see her struggle.

She opened her mouth to scream and his hand covered her lips. She bit him. He continued to hold her tight.

“Whoa, girl, save the festivities for bed.”

Bed? What did he plan on doing? Raping her? She almost laughed. Rape? This was all about power? Control?

Of course it was. Ever since he walked into the club, a year before he killed Bethany, he’d been trying to control Robin. His quiet manipulation. The way he watched her. The women he dated-all friends she cared about.

He’d always been trying to control her. And his lack of control over her had set him off.

She struggled. She was strong, a dancer, a fighter. She could run fast, faster with her life in danger. Just get away…

She kicked back, connected with his balls, and pulled away from him.

He grabbed her leg and yanked hard. She hit the grass, her head bouncing off the ground. If he hadn’t hurt