“Must’ve missed one,” the other retorted.
Weight Guy charged toward her.
“Laney, run!” Audrey shouted.
When the petite redhead didn’t react, Audrey raced after her attacker, vaulted onto the guy’s back and latched onto his thick neck.
Laney’s eyes bugged.
“Go, go!”
At last, she bolted. Her retreating footsteps were like nails in a coffin. Audrey was now alone with two attackers. Not ordinary men. Muscle-bound henchmen with eyes dead to human compassion. Coldhearted killers.
Trying to cut off his air supply was impossible. The room spun as he turned a circle and slammed her into the weight station. Sharp metal jarred her shoulder blades and spine and dug into her flesh. Her head snapped back.
He shifted, and she slid to her knees. Spots danced in her vision. Her stomach lurched.
In an instant, the second man was there. “Go get the other one. Conner’s still at the car. He can help you. I’ll deal with the nurse.”
She heard a clink above her. A long, rubber-encased handle clattered to the floor nearby. Before she could summon the energy to flee, a beefy hand closed over her neck and hauled her to her feet.
Audrey gagged and clawed at his grip. His pale eyes drilled into hers. Ruthless. Merciless.
“You’ve caused my boss enough trouble,” he growled. “No more.”
Before she could guess what he was about, he’d pushed her beneath the high lat muscle pull-down and looped twin cables around her neck. He reached behind her, and she heard the slide of the metal clip in the thin, black weights attached to the pull-down bar. The wire went taut, pinching her skin, forcing her onto her tiptoes.
“Four hundred pounds should do it.”
Her mind went blank. As soon as he let go of her, the cables stretched, the weights slapped into place and lifted her several inches off the floor.
She dangled in midair, unable to breathe. She kicked and squirmed.
Pain ripped through her. Her neck felt like it was about to separate from her body.
Please, God. Help. I’m not ready—
The bald, gold-jewelry-draped goon smirked. “No use fighting it, babe.”
He crossed his arms and watched her struggle with frightening impassivity. His was the last face she’d ever see. A cruel, evil being taking delight in her fight to cling to life.
Her lungs strained for oxygen. A familiar sensation.
Was he the same one who’d attempted to strangle her at the hospital?
Audrey grew light-headed. Her thoughts became disjointed.
She ceased moving. The agony was too great.
She closed her eyes and concentrated on her dad’s face. He’d loved her well. She would die thinking about him, not the end of unfulfilled dreams.
* * *
Julian left the flashy car and mystery man behind and was retracing his steps when a redhead burst through the gym’s side door, her face a white mask of disbelief. Her frantic gaze locked onto him.
“Audrey,” she gasped, chest heaving. “Two men... I—I—”
He gripped her shoulders. “Go to the office and call the police.”
“Police.” Her throat convulsed. “Right.”
“Walk, don’t run. Act casual.” He jerked his head toward the Mercedes tucked close to the apartment-building entrance. “Avoid that area. Take the long way around the outdoor pool.”
“Okay.”
Julian couldn’t delay. He’d have to trust she would follow his instructions and avoid the man who might very well be the getaway driver. Unsheathing his weapon from the ankle holster beneath his pants, he entered the gym and searched the space behind the check-in counter. The tiny office was closed on the weekends, and the locked door suggested no one was inside.
His ears strained for sounds of struggle. The silence weighed on him. Blanking his mind to possible implications, he left the counter area and passed the water fountains and childcare room. Up ahead, treadmills and elliptical machines were parked in front of mounted televisions. There were no mirrors in that section that could give him a glimpse of Audrey’s situation.
The adrenaline priming his body for confrontation left no room for fear. His training ruled his actions and decisions. So when a suited man turned the corner and headed straight for him, Julian fired two shots without blinking, one for each kneecap.
Curses blistered the air as the man went down. Quickly divesting the man of his single weapon, Julian flattened against the wall and peered around the corner. Kneecap Guy’s cohort was on his way to investigate. That didn’t faze him.
What caused ice-cold dread to spread through him was the sight of Audrey’s limp form dangling from the weight station. He couldn’t be too late. Not again.
Stepping fully into the exercise area, he trained his weapon and shot the man’s gun hand. Hissing in agony, he dropped his weapon and, after a second’s indecision, escaped through the side door.
Julian kicked the gun under a stack of barbells for the authorities to retrieve later. He reached Audrey and immediately took her weight, positioning her against his shoulder to lessen the tension on her neck. “Audrey, can you hear me?”
He glanced up into her motionless face. Her cheeks and lips still held the blush of color. A good sign. Images of the burning wreckage and the faces of his unresponsive team members poked at his composure. He had asked them the same question. Over and over until his voice had gone hoarse.
Can you hear me? Wake up. Hold on. The ambulance is coming.
He shook his head to dislodge the memories. Focus, Tan. Audrey’s life depends upon your actions.
Dragging a weight bench over with his foot, he positioned her shoes on the soft pad and, not letting go, climbed onto it and unwound the cables with one hand. The flutter of her heartbeat and small, panting breaths filled him with relief. He kept his ears open for foreign sounds. If the guy at the Mercedes was indeed part of the operation, he’d come to see what was taking his buddies so long.
Finally, when he had her free, he climbed down, hoisted her into his arms and dashed for the women’s bathroom. The locker rooms with toilet stalls were in the adjoining indoor-pool section. These consisted of one-room units with locks on the doors.
He yanked open the door, ignoring the responding ache in his injured wrist, and gently laid her on the tiles against the wall opposite the sink. After sliding the bolt into place, he returned to her side and did a quick scan for obvious injuries. He would’ve liked to hold her, to cushion her head in his lap, but he didn’t want to exacerbate any hidden injuries. Instead, he smoothed his fingers over her forehead and down her cheek.
His pulse raced when she arced toward the caress.
“Audrey, you’re safe now.”
A groan escaped her parted lips. She reached up and would’ve touched her throat, but he clasped her hand to prevent germs from entering the open scratches. There weren’t many. Mostly the welts were puffy and red. Her eyes flew open.
“Julian.” Her brow knitted. “How did we get in here?”
He explained about the thug outside with his flashy ride, as well as her volleyball teammate.
Terror filled her eyes. “Is Laney safe?”
“I sent her on a roundabout course to the office,” he explained. He couldn’t verify that her friend had reached her destination.
“Where