Free Affairs of the Heart by Maxine Douglas

lay in their own
fluids seeping onto the tiles.
    Levi Andres thrust one last time then
opened his eyes. Fear swam in the blue orbs of the actress beneath
him. Pain shot through his shoulder and he froze. He flew into the
air. His shoulder jammed the floor hard landing between two
cameras, knocking one over.
    Levi scooted into a dark corner away
from the gurgling cries of his co-star echoing in his ear. Bloody
hands covered his ears. His head pounded and fear iced over his
heart. His mind twisted in horror. Death had entered the room like
a demon in the night.
    A large dark mass hovered above him, a
junk yard dog ready to pounce on a piece of meat. Levi curled into
a fetal position as a boot made contact with his ribs and abdomen.
His screams bounced around the sound proof studio as repeated kicks
hit his body one right after the other.
    His world spun out of control. Weak
and on his knees, he heard the crack of his jaw before the pain of
repeated blows seared through his face. Why was this happening? Who
would want to harm him? Where was everyone?
    The blows kept coming continuously,
one right after another. Then it was over and he knew he’d die.
Salty blood trickled onto his lips and he dropped to the floor like
a bag of dirty laundry. The last thing he remembered as he fell
into unconsciousness …
    “ I’ll have a bag of candy
kisses, please.”