Free Edge of Chaos by Brynn O'Connor Page A

and Dillon’s size
thirteen boots.
    “Who is it, Kayla?
If you’re seeing another guy, you’d better tell me now.”
    “Really, Dillon? I
thought you changed, but you come barging in here just like you always do
whether I want your company or not. You just told me two minutes ago that you
are a changed man, but you’re behaving like—”
    “Shut up!” he
shouts, and then he catches himself and takes a deep breath. “I’m trying to make
some changes for you…us. But how can I do that when you keep throwing my past
up in my face?”
    “You’re supposed
to be making changes for yourself, not for me Dillon!”
    “Why the hell
would I want to do that? If I can’t have you, there’s no point changing
anything. Geez, you can really be dumb for a nurse sometimes, Kayla.”
    “I’m a Physician’s
Assistant, not a nurse; big difference, Dillon, now would just please leave and
show me you are a changed man.”
    “Okay fine.”
Dillon actually takes a step backwards and begins to turn back to the door. It
appears he has every intention of leaving.
    “What’re you doing,
man?” asks his friend. “You promised we’d have some fun here and now we’re just
leaving? What the hell?”
    Dillon stops in
his tracks and it appears he’s having some inner struggle between evil and… and
a little less evil.
    Finally, one side
wins out. “Sorry Kayla, but I did make a promise…”
    Kayla opens her
mouth to scream, but a boot stomping down on her stomach turns the scream into
a desperate gasp to get oxygen as all the air in her lungs is forced out in one
big burst.
    Kurt steps in,
slamming the door behind him. He turns and locks the deadbolt. Kayla gets up to
her knees and tries to stand, using the small hall table as a prop. Dillon sees
what she is doing and gives the little table a kick. His steel-toe boot strikes
a spindly leg, breaking the table in half. Kayla crashes on the floor again.
    A small object
rolls to a stop out of Kayla’s reach. It’s her pepper spray. She’d put it on
her table just in case, but never thought she’d actually have to use it. She
starts to get up to a crawling position when she feels a boot on her ass and suddenly
she’s sprawling face first on the carpet. Laughter fills her ears as she feels
around for her spray.
    “Why don’t you
stay right there, Kayla?” Dillon says. “No point in standing. You’re gonna end
up on your face again anyway.”
    Dillon reaches
down, grabs Kayla’s left shoulder and flips her over. As Kayla turns, she
brings up her right hand just inches from Dillon’s face. She is holding the
pepper spray. She depresses the trigger. Instantly, Dillon finds out just how
effective pepper spray can be, especially at close range. He stumbles backwards
and goes down hard against Kurt’s legs knocking him off balance. His vision
begins to go black as he hits his head against the door knob.
    Kayla takes advantage
of the moment and literally climbs over Dillon as she brings her weapon to bear
on Kurt. He throws his hands up but it’s too late! He too gets a face full of
pepper spray. Not wanting to stop here, Kayla actually climbs back over the
howling Dillon. He tries blindly to grab her, but can’t get a grip and Kayla
stumbles to her hall closet. She opens the door and fumbles around; but just as
she makes contact with the cool metal tube of her weapon, a pair of hands yanks
her backwards and away from the closet.
    Kayla screams and
kicks viciously at the hands holding her legs, but Dillon has an iron grip. He
may still be blinded, but he is deadly strong. Kayla makes one last swipe for
the weapon and just manages to grab it. Dillon yanks her leg again and this
time she lets him pull her towards him. As he does, she flips over on her back
and shoves the steel barrel of the shotgun in Dillon’s face. Both men freeze
when they hear the unmistakable sound of a pump action shotgun chambering a
round.
    “Get the fuck
out!” she screams as her finger begins to