Free In the Dark by Alana Sapphire Page B

pinning me against the railing.
    “A year…” he grumbles against my ear. “A whole fuckin’ year I’ve been chasing you. He takes one look at you and you throw up your skirt without hesitation. What is it, the money?”
    Oh, God. Please don’t let him hurt me! “What are you talking about?”
    He grabs the back of my neck and squeezes. “I know . I know everything.”
    Fuck. It’s Jimmy! He’s the one sending the cryptic messages.
    “That first night in the parking structure,” he continues. “It was supposed to be me. If that bitch Rosalinda hadn’t held me up, I would have been your knight in shining armor.”
    The parking structure? Then, it dawns on me – the reason they couldn’t find anything wrong with my tire. “ You let the air out of my tire!”
    “Yes,” he admits. “I saw the way he looked at you. I should have killed him then.”
    “No!”
    He tightens his hold on my neck.
    “Instead, I watched you…your apartment, the condo…like I said, I know everything.”
    “Oh, my God! You’ve been stalking me?”
    “I think of it as…surveillance.”
    I feel sick to my stomach. How could I not know? How did we not know we were being watched?
    “Jimmy –”
    “Shut up! You’re gonna give me some of what he’s been getting or I will let everyone know.”
    He grabs my skirt, pulling up the floor length material.
    “No! Jimmy, please…don’t!” I struggle against him but he’s surprisingly strong. Reaching behind me, I try to grab or scratch him but I can’t. My panic grows when he rips apart my pantyhose.
    “Stop!” I scream, trying to break his hold on me.
    The door bursts open behind us, and I thank whatever angel is watching over me.
    “I believe the lady said no.”
    Rick! There’s a cracking sound, and I spin around to see Jimmy falling to the floor.

**Rick**
     
    I heard her voice coming from outside but I wasn’t expecting the scene that greeted me when I opened the door. The bastard had her bent over the balcony, and was about to rip off her underwear.
    “McAllister,” he spits at me from the floor.
    Kelly uses the opportunity to move around the man, and runs to me.
    “Are you okay?” I ask.
    She nods and steps behind me. I observe the scum on the floor, shooting him a furious glare. I want to kill the son of a bitch.
    Slowly, he struggles to his feet.
    “You’re dead, McAllister. Then I’m gonna have her. One way or another.”
    He swings at me, and I swat his hand away like I would a bug. The action sends him spinning. Moving behind him, I put him in a headlock, and punch him in the side.
    “You so much as think about her again, I will kill you with my bare hands. Understand me?”
    He tries to get free, but I tighten my hold on his neck until he goes limp. I release him, and he falls to the floor in a heap. When I turn to Kelly, she runs into my arms, tears streaming down her cheeks. I wrap her in a tight embrace.
    “It’s okay. You’re okay…” I coo in her ear.
    “Is he…?”
    “No. He’ll wake up soon.”
    “Oh, God, Rick! He was going to –”
    “Shh…”
    “If you hadn’t…how did you know?”
    “I didn’t. I was looking for you, and I heard your voice when I walked into the corridor.”
    “You were looking for me?” She stares up at me with wide eyes.
    “Yes. I wanted to talk to you.”
    “About what?”
    “Us. I don’t want to hide anymore. Fuck the company and what people will say. I want you and I want everyone to know you’re mine. I think…I think I’m falling in love with you, Kelly.”
    Fresh tears well in her eyes. “Oh, Rick…” She throws her arms around my waist. “I love you.”
    “Really?”
    “Yes. Yes, I do!”
    She loves me. I can’t believe it. What have I done to deserve her love? I don’t care. Whatever it is, I’m happy. She’s mine and I’m not letting her go. Removing my handkerchief from my pocket, I wipe her tears.
    “Come on. I want to dance with the most beautiful woman at this