“I want you to fight. Not that it’ll do you any good. But no...no, I won’t be punished. That I promise you.”
Heart pounding, she rounded on him. The action left her dizzy, but she managed to remain on her feet.
He was so close he had only to reach out to pinch a lock of her hair between his too-thin fingers. “I told everyone I planned to fire you tonight. Tomorrow, if the cops come knocking on my door, I’ll let them know you offered me your body to stay on, and of course, in a moment of weakness, I succumbed. And oh, the sick things you let me do to you. Afterward, though, you were still fired. Horrible of me? Yes. But deserving of your malicious lies about rape?” He tsked under his tongue. “No.”
Rape. The word echoed hollowly in her mind. This was why her instincts had wanted her to run, she realized, not because he’d planned to fire her. Why, why, why hadn’t she listened?
“N-no one will believe you.”
“Won’t they?” He inched ever closer to her. “I know what I’m planning to do, but even I believe me. See, you told me you fell at the hospital and banged your head. I’m guessing you have bruises from that. What’s a few more? How will anyone be able to tell the difference?”
The doctors would be able to tell the difference. And she was sure the authorities would be able to tell the difference...but what did that matter right now? By the time they discovered the truth, his awful deed would already have been done.
The fear magnified, opening welcoming arms to panic. Can’t yield to it.
Must fight. Nicola swung out a fist, intending to punch him in the nose and buy herself a few minutes to find a weapon, but he jumped out of the way, avoiding contact. Before she could swipe out another fist, he kicked out his leg and knocked her ankles together. She jetted backward, her skull hitting the door. A sharp pain wrung a gasp from her, even as pinpricks of light dotted her vision, and she slid to the concrete floor.
Another concussion? she wondered distantly.
Grinning all the wider, Mr. Ritter bent over her. “I put a camera in the women’s bathroom, you know. Your panties have always been my favorite.”
His image swam, blurring with that of the monkey. The creature was once again preparing to pee. Somehow, she managed to find the strength to turn her head and bite Mr. Ritter’s ankle.
Howling, he ripped from her hold. Blood instantly coated her tongue. Good. She’d taken a hunk of skin and muscle.
Temples throbbing, she pulled herself up and spit whatever was in her mouth at the monkey, causing him to lurch away. “I won’t let you do this.”
“You won’t be able to stop me.” He leaped on her, shoving her back down, staying on his knees to straddle her waist. The monkey laughed and pointed at her, just as his friends had done earlier.
“No!” she screamed, bucking to dislodge him. Failing. “No! Stop!” She punched and punched at him, nailing him in the shoulder, the chest and the side, but weak as she was he was able to withstand the abuse and eventually catch...her...wrists....
“Gotcha.”
And he did. He had her, and worked quickly to tie her arms over her head and latch her to the door. Though she could barely draw in a breath, though her heart was fluttering painfully and her vision was dimming, she contorted her body to kick at him. He soon had her legs corralled and her ankles tied to his desk, leaving her stretched out, open to attack.
Tears beaded in her eyes. She’d lost, she realized. As easily as that, she’d lost. And—no, no, no—she was going to pass out. Any moment now, she would fade, utterly vulnerable, even more helpless.
“Now, now,” he said. “I’ll make sure you enjoy yourself. There’s no reason for you to be upset.”
“I said no!” she gritted out.
“And I said oh, baby, yes.” He began unbuttoning his shirt.
This wasn’t happening. Was it? This couldn’t be happening. Could it? Her boss, a man she had known for three years, had not just threatened her, bound her with his necktie and rope. He wasn’t stripping. And she wasn’t fighting for every breath, holding on to her state of awareness with every fiber of her being.
“The things I’m going to do to you...” He discarded the cotton with a shrug of his shoulders.
“Please, don’t do this,” she pleaded.
He ignored her words, looking her over. “I’ll be very careful with your clothes, so that there’s no sign of a struggle.” He reached down, tugged her shirt and bra over her br**sts, baring her to his view, and licked his lips. “Well, well. I never expected you to be so pretty here.”
The tears cascaded down her cheeks, burning. “Please.” The room was growing darker by the second.
“Hmmm, I do like when you beg.” He unsnapped the waist of her jeans, slowly lowered the zipper.
“Why are you doing this?” she whispered, fighting sobs. Darkness...so much darkness...
“Because I want to. Because I can.” She heard the slide of his zipper.
A ferocious bellow suddenly ripped through the entire room, scraping at her ears. Mr. Ritter stiffened—just before his weight was thrown off her.
Boom!
Nicola blinked, light returning. She saw her boss across the room, plaster and dust forming a cloud around him.
“I grant you battle rights to the demon,” a familiar voice snapped, and then Koldo was leaning over her, cutting her loose, righting her clothing. His big, strong hands were gentle, comforting. “But the human is mine.”
He was here.
He had saved her.
The sobs finally battled their way free, and she threw her arms around his neck, holding him as tightly as she possibly could.
“Are you all right?” he asked in a soft voice.
She tried to reply, but she was choking, gasping, and couldn’t work out a single word.
He lifted her against his chest, anchoring her with one hand and righting the chair she’d vacated with the other. He placed her in the seat and tried to straighten, but she maintained her grip.
He knelt in front of her and cupped her cheeks, forcing her to face him. “What was done to you, Nicola?”
Somehow, she found her voice. “He...he...tried to...was going to...”
A hard gleam in his eyes as he said, “But he didn’t?”
“Not yet.”
“I know you gave me rights, but I will bow to your desires. What would you prefer I do?” an unfamiliar male asked. “Capture or destroy?”
“Destroy,” Koldo replied, and with the word, whatever tether he had on his control must have snapped. He straightened, every inch of him vibrating with aggression, and stomped over to Mr. Ritter.