Laurann Dohner: Wrath

“She is his girlfriend.” The dark-haired one had a deep voice too but his didn’t sound like gravel.

“I’m not dating that creep. I swear. I’m not dating anyone.” She had to convince them or they might decide to hurt her instead of Brent. “I don’t even like him. He’s a dick.”

Two pairs of sunglasses were aimed in her direction and she felt them watching her. She quickly got the impression they weren’t buying it when both of them frowned. Seconds ticked by with excruciating slowness.

“Let’s be rational, okay?” She forced air into her lungs. “Look at me. Do you know Brent? He’s into skinny, tall women. That’s not me. He goes to bars all the time but I don’t even drink.”

She knew she was babbling but didn’t care. She didn’t want them to break her legs as a warning to a boyfriend she didn’t even have. “I don’t even like the guy. He’s rude and we don’t get along. He came into work last week showing pictures on his cell phone of women’s bare asses and he said some mean things when I told him I didn’t appreciate it. I don’t like the guy and he doesn’t like me. I am not,” she almost yelled the words now, “his girlfriend or his friend! I’m just the idiot who answered her phone when her boss called and actually got my ass down here to show this property.” She closed her mouth.

“They are sleeping together.” It was the dark-haired one. “We do know Bill.” His mouth twisted into a grin and white teeth flashed.

The blond nodded. “Yes. We do.”

“I’m not sleeping with him.” Lauren was shocked. “Hello? Didn’t you hear me? I’m not his type and he’s sure as hell not mine!” It took her seconds to realize they’d called Brent by another name but they probably went after a lot of targets. It had been a slip. She wasn’t about to point out the error to them either. “I have standards.”

“Bill’s type has breasts and you have those.” The blond sounded amused.

“I haven’t slept with anyone in a long time. Trust me,” Lauren stammered in a rush. “I wouldn’t sleep with that jerk. He is a man slut and a total pig. I am not dating anyone and haven’t in almost a year. I really am serious. I don’t like Brent, Bill, or whatever his name is.”

The dark-haired one’s smile died. “Almost a year, huh? Now I know you’re lying.”

She shook her head. “That’s the truth. I wouldn’t touch him with a ten-foot pole and we don’t like each other. We don’t even talk unless it’s to argue. I don’t know what you want with him and I don’t care. Can I please go now? Please? If you think I’d warn him or something, I wouldn’t. I swear. You can have him. Take him please. He’s a jerk who I’m sure deserves to have his legs broken or whatever you need to do to get your money. Sometimes I wish I could hurt him so have at it. Please can I go now?”

The blond bit his lip. “Who do you think we are?”

Her heart pounded as she stared up into the dark sunglasses. “Bill collectors?”

The other one laughed. “You think we’re…” He laughed harder. He turned his head toward the blond man. “She thinks we’re hired muscle, as in those films we’ve watched.”

The blond grinned. “I wouldn’t mind breaking Bill’s bones. He does owe a lot to us.”

The dark-haired man nodded. “I’d do it for free.”

Lauren pushed harder on the door at her back but it didn’t budge. “Can I please, please go now? We all agree that Brent is a piece of shit. Think of me as a cheerleader. Go team, and beat him up! Give him an F, I, S, T.”

Two pairs of sunglasses swung her way and their grins faded. The dark-haired man moved. “No.” He reached for Lauren. “You’re coming with us.”

She saw a gloved hand reach for her arm and lunged forward. She shoved at the blond, surprised him by the attack, and pushed with all her might. The man stumbled back and Lauren dashed away to run toward the containers. Once she made it behind one, she kicked off her heels and reached down to grab them. She straightened just as the blond nearly slammed into her when he rounded the corner.

Fear made her spin away and flee again until she nearly collided with the dark-haired one who came from the other side of the container. Their bodies missed touching each other by mere inches. A shriek of terror came out of her mouth.

On instinct, Lauren threw one of her high heels at the man’s face. It afforded her the benefit of dodging his hands, which he had to use to shield his face. She ran for the back of the warehouse, fisted her keys in one hand and her remaining shoe in the other.

“Leave me alone!” she yelled.

The sight of a back door urged her to sprint faster. Hope flared that she might make it out of the warehouse alive but heavy breathing sounded right on her ass. One of them was gaining on her fast. She screamed, terrified, and ignored the cold concrete floor that hurt her bare feet.

She didn’t slow, knew it was a luxury she couldn’t afford, and dropped the items in her hands. She really hoped the thug tripped on them. Her open palms slammed hard into the door, hoping that hitting the bar latch would force it open when her body barreled against it too. Pain exploded through her chest and the side of her face when the thing didn’t budge. She could suddenly sympathize with a bug hitting a windshield since she felt she’d just survived the rough impact of being in flight and hitting a solid object.

Two large hands gripped her upper arms and she managed to suck in enough air to let loose a shriek. She still gripped the bar handle and shook it with all her terrified strength. The door didn’t budge and she found herself still trapped. She twisted, tried to get away from the hands. He refused to let her go and she glanced up to see it was the dark-haired one who had her. Her foot kicked out frantically, trying to nail him in the shin.

“Stop it.” He snarled the words, a scary sound that just made her freak out more.

Lauren kicked again but missed. The man could move quickly and dodged her foot with ease. She did brush the material of his pants though with her toes. He hissed out a curse before he spun Lauren back around to face the door and pushed her against the wall next to it hard enough to knock the breath from her lungs.

One of his hands left her arm and fisted into the bun at the back of her head. He released her arm and that hand pushed hard against her back, pinning her tightly against the wall. She struggled but he was too strong.

“Freeze,” he demanded. “Before you are injured. I don’t want to hurt you.”

Lauren stopped struggling when it became apparent that each movement brought her pain. Her breasts felt smashed and it was really uncomfortable. Tears blinded her from the pain of her hair being pulled. She closed her eyes, trying to calm her ragged breathing. The firm hold on her hair eased until it wasn’t painful any longer but she still couldn’t turn her head.

“Where is Brent?”

“I don’t know. I keep telling you that. I just work with the guy.”

The dark-haired man sighed. “You lie.”

“I’m not lying.”

“You just said you haven’t dated in a year. That was a lie.”

She wanted to glare at him but she couldn’t turn her head without him ripping out hair in the process. “That wasn’t a lie. I haven’t been in a relationship in that long.”

“You just share sex with men? How many times have you allowed Bill to touch you?”

“You mean Brent? I have never slept with him! I don’t do that stuff. I’m telling the truth. You can call my boss. She might know where Brent is. I’ll give you her number. Her name is—”

“Stop,” he ordered, cutting her off. “Obviously you aren’t going to give him up easily. We’ll have to change your mind.”