Free Ellena by Dixie Lynn Dwyer Page A

floor but he had her hair gripped tight as she held on to his wrists. Her breasts were exposed, but she didn’t even care because of the pain radiating from her scalp to her neck and nearly to her spine.
    He looked her body over as he pressed her back against the table. She knew he was going to fondle her. His eyes zeroed in on her breasts. She was so scared.
    The creep licked his lips.
    “Don’t you touch me. Who the hell do you think you are?”
    He reached into his pocket, and a moment later she heard the click of a switchblade. It was long, at least six inches, and sharp, with a fancy handle. She jerked backward but the table stopped her from moving away. The look in his eyes told her he wasn’t a sane man. He was a fucking nut job, and he was going to rape her. The tears stung her eyes as he slowly trailed the bladed over her skin without cutting it. If she moved at all, she would be punctured.
    “You’re going to get to know exactly who I am Ellena. It was fate, us meeting the way we did. You’re going to do as I say, or there will be consequences.”
    “I don’t understand,” she whispered, unable to stop the shaking in her voice or her body.
    “This is your warning. You stay clear of the Rue men. I find out that you’re fucking them or even hanging out with them, and I’ll kill ’em one at a time. Starting with the deputy.” He used his fingers to caress her breast and nipple, and she gasped and cried. “Please don’t,” she begged.
    He held her gaze. “Firefighting is an awfully dangerous profession, don’t ya think, sugar?” he asked, indicating how he could get to Roy. Her heart ached with fear.
    “Dying by faulty wiring happens every day, ya hear.”
    She knew he was talking about Troy.
    He brought the knife to her belly and pressed just slightly enough to pinch her skin.
    “Please don’t. Oh God, please don’t hurt me.”
    He smiled down at her.
    “I’m going to leave you with a little something to remember this conversation. When I contact you to come to me, you better come. Ya hear?” he asked and he released her hair to hold her throat while he pressed his body against hers.
    She felt the tip of the blade move across her belly to her ribs, and then he cut her.
    She gasped, and he closed up the blade and placed it in his pocket as he held her throat, staring down at her.
    “Until we meet again,” he whispered then licked her lips before kissing her. She struggled to get free, and when he released her, he gave a little push causing her to lose her balance and fall to the rug. She cried, feeling the sting against her ribs and wondering how the hell she got into this situation and why.
    She tried to calm her breathing and think about what to do. If she told Leon and the men, what would happen? Could this guy be capable of killing them? Who the hell was he? How did he know so much about the men? She stood up and looked down at the cut on her ribs. It was a scratch, but enough to hurt and enough to be noticeable. She grabbed the robe and ran the back of her hand across her mouth trying to rid the taste of Parker’s kiss from her lips. She felt so violated. She could still feel his hands on her breast and the way he smelled and how intense he looked. She couldn’t stop shaking. She needed to get the hell out of here.
    She hurried to get her clothing and head back upstairs to her room.
    Please don’t let him be there waiting.
     
    * * * *
     
    Eloi and Leon walked into the commander’s office at the Eighth District precinct. One look around the office as they entered and Leon could pick out at least two men, officers who were involved somehow with this situation. These men had a reputation around the real cops, for turning their heads and ignoring certain crimes, but there was no concrete evidence that they were getting paid for doing it. Unfortunately, corruption around New Orleans in general was bad. Part of the reason why he and Jessy were asked to come work out of the Eighth