“I said get in!” he demanded.
“And I said no!” I yelled and kicked him in the knee. He moaned and bent forward and I lunged passed him, running farther into the alley. I knew I should be running in the opposite direction, but I’d never make it past him. I just really hoped this didn’t turn out like a bad horror movie where the dumb chick gets it.
But I had to try. I had to at least attempt escape. I knew if I got in that car I wasn’t getting out alive. And his threat to Frankie was probably no good by now. She was probably already out of my apartment and on her way for help. If I could stall him or get away… that would be my best chance.
At the very back of the alley was a chain-link fence. When I reached it I skidded to halt but rammed into it and it made a loud clattering sound. My noise alerted two great big Doberman pinschers on the other side and they began barking and snarling. I swear one began foaming at the mouth. One of them tried to stick its head through a large cut in the bottom of the fence, snapping at my foot.
I looked over my shoulder. The man and his gun were dashing this way.
I had a choice to make. The dogs or the man with the gun.
I was going with the dogs. I dropped down on my butt and pried the fence up as high as it would go.
“Nice, doggie,” I tried but quickly realized that wasn’t going to help me.
“Git!” I yelled and kicked at one of them. They moved back and I began shimmying myself under the fence.
The man behind me made a sound, kind of like a growl, and I tried to move faster. But my shirt got caught on the fencing and one of the dogs bit at my shoe. And then he was on me, grabbing me roughly and pulling me back into the alley. I was still half lying on the ground when he leaned over me, snarling.
“You’ve been nothing but trouble, you know that?” he ground out and then he hit me in the head with his gun and everything went black.
Chapter Forty-Seven
“Determination - Firmness of purpose; resolve.”
Dex
I drove to Piper’s apartment because I figured there was nowhere else she would be besides work, and I knew she was off. Hobb’s words echoed through my head with every mile I drove.
There is always a choice.
Maybe in his world, but not in mine. He didn’t understand what I was caught up in. He probably never even considered that the Grim Reaper was even real. I never gave it much thought either until I met him and saw for myself.
Remnants of my time being recalled rattled around inside me and caused me to press down on the gas. I never wanted to go there again. I finally understood what Storm meant about there being worse things than not having a body. If I had to choose between not having a body and being recalled, I would’ve made the same choice as him.
I couldn’t even think of the words to describe that place. I wouldn’t even be able to begin to make them up either. There was simply no word or description that could give meaning to what I experienced.
I turned onto Piper’s street, steely resolve settling over me like ice on the ground, and looked for a place to park.
But there was nowhere.
Half the street was blocked off by police cruisers and people standing on the sidewalk. They were all in front of Piper’s building. My heart rate picked up a little and I told myself it was because the police made me nervous. Still, my eyes went up to the window that I knew was Piper’s.
It was shattered.
Jagged pieces of glass hung awkwardly from the sides and there was nothing left of the center.
I couldn’t park my car so I just slowed it to a crawl. I couldn’t help but notice how people turned to look and I realized this was not the kind of car that people drove in this neighborhood. This was the kind of car that would draw attention.
Just as I was about to take off down the road and ditch the car to come back on foot someone broke away from the crowd and came running. I was going to ignore her, but then I took another look… She looked familiar. It was the same girl I saw with Piper that day at the college. I think Piper said Frankie was her name.
I stopped the car and rolled down the passenger-side window as the woman with chin-length curly hair looked inside.
“Are you Dex?”
“Yeah. What’s going on?” I hitched my chin toward the building.
“Some guy who claimed to be a friend of yours came here tonight, pulled a gun, and kidnapped Piper.”
