Free Little Black Break (Little Black Book #2) by Tabatha Vargo, Melissa Andrea

to my car to get my gym bag. I tried not to let my mind wander, but it was hard not to jump at every sound that echoed throughout the garage.
    I was only a few feet away from my car when I started searching through my workout bag for my keys. I’d been too distracted by my own thoughts to remember to pull them out before I left the gym.
    I breathed a sigh of relief when my fingers brushed the uneven edges of my car keys. I pulled them out just as I reached the door and the jingle they made was music to my ears. I hit the unlock button on the remote but nothing happened. Panicking now because I swore I’d heard footsteps behind me, I pushed the button three more times before I realized why it wasn’t unlocking. I cursed myself for not getting it fixed like Sebastian had told me to.
    A week before, I’d mentioned to Sebastian that my remote wasn’t working. He was busy with the club and the restaurant remodel, so he’d told me to have Martin take care of it, but I was too busy with work and the gym and everything else to think about even mentioning it to Martin. I was kicking myself now that I felt like someone was right behind me.
    The footsteps were getting louder, and my hands shook uncontrollably as I felt completely paralyzed. I was afraid to move, afraid to look behind me. The footsteps couldn’t be more than a few inches behind me, so I waited, holding my breath.
    Seconds later, the footsteps were walking past me and I was able to look in the direction they were coming from. An older man smiled and gave me a small nod.
    “Good evening,” he said, walking past my car toward his parked two cars down.
    “You, too,” I managed to get out lamely before he was out of earshot.
    My unwarranted fear was like a splash of cold water as I realized I had nothing to fear at all. I took a deep breath and leaned against my car. Laughter bubbled up from my chest as I couldn’t help but laugh at myself.
    My heart was still pounding loudly in my ears, but I managed to get the key in the door and unlocked. I climbed in and locked the door for peace of mind. I felt silly now for being afraid of nothing. I’d been using this parking garage now for weeks and had no reason to be uneasy.
    I knew my thoughts had put me on edge, and I made a note not to let that happen again. Lifting my gym bag from my lap, I threw it in the back. The gruff sound startled me and I twisted to turn around but was stopped short.
    “Ah-ah, sweetheart.” His voice sent chills down my spine, but I didn’t move a muscle. “If you know what’s good for you, you’ll keep looking straight ahead.”
    I watched as the man who had scared me earlier drove past my car. My mind raced quickly. If I were fast enough, maybe I could get out of the car before the man in the backseat could comprehend what I was doing. I could run toward the car, wave him down for help or I could, at least, run back to the gym.
    “Whatever you’re thinking in that pretty little head of yours, you can forget it.” His voice was low, unrecognizable. “Put your hands on the steering wheel,” he demanded. “Slowly.”
    I lifted my hands, letting him see they were empty, before wrapping my fingers around the leather wheel.
    His body shifted, and I could feel his legs pushing against the back of my seat. He was tall enough that he barely fit in my small backseat.
    “What do you want?” I was surprised at how calm my voice was.
    “That’s the million-dollar question, isn’t it?”
    “Money? You want money?”
    “Do you have money to give me?”
    He was playing with me.
    I could tell by his tone.
    So I didn’t answer.
    “I didn’t think so. So I guess we’re back to the question- what do I want?”
    I gasped, unable to help it when I felt cold, sharp metal moving down my arm.
    A knife.
    I didn’t have to look to know what it was, and I hated that I gave him a reaction. My stomach turned, nausea burning my chest as I fought to hold back giving him any further