Page 5 of He Had It Coming

Then darkness.

Chapter Six

The world came back in a rush. The darkness gave way to fog, then confusion.

One turn, a stray shift, and my head started pounding. The space below my right ear thumped inside and out. I lifted my arm to check for blood . . . or I tried to. My hands didn’t move. I could shift my legs but only a little until a band pulled tight against my ankles.

A distinct buzzing started in my brain. Thoughts looped and twisted. Closing my eyes stopped the world from spinning. I’d had a concussion as a teenager but it didn’t feel like this.

After a few deep, settling inhales, I opened my eyes again. The blurry edges of my vision had cleared but nothing made sense. Keeping my head as still as possible, my gaze traveled. I faced the steps I’d jogged down to get below deck. I could see slim windows covered by shades off to my side, blocking the harsh sunlight.

Still not understanding what happened, I tugged my hand again and then stopped. My wrists were tied to the arms of the chair. Anxiety ramped up inside me as reality hit with a punch. Strapped in and surrounded by a plush sea of beige and gray. A bedroom on the Baby Doll.

Scattered pieces of the morning ran through my mind. Getting to the marina. Waiting on the dock. Hearing the crash. Stepping onto the carpet.

I heard thumping and looked up to see jeans and sneakers, taking the three steps one at a time. Casual. Then came the rest of her. A woman, but not just any woman. The bane of my existence.

She stood inches away but out of reach. This is the closest we’d been to each other since she landed the infamous courthouse punch years ago. The vicious blow to my face heard round the world, or so it seemed. The one caught on cell phones and passed around the internet.

She’d been in her mid-twenties when it happened. Now she was thirty-three. I knew because I’d done some searching when Anonymous entered the scene.

“Sabrina fucking Forde.” That’s how I thought of her. Always.

One of her eyebrows lifted. “That’s not actually my middle name.”

Same smartass tone. Her look hadn’t changed much either. She still hovered on the verge of being pretty. Not quite there and clearly not trying very hard. Brown hair pulled back in a ponytail, highlighting the severe angles of her cheekbones. She’d perfected the drawn look. Her exhausted-by-life affect. The dead eyes and grim expression.

“It’s Louise. You know, in case you were wondering. Sabrina Louise Forde.” She shrugged. “Blame my parents’ lack of imagination on that one.”

She wore a sleeveless shirt. Her toned arms peeked out. Sleek muscles replaced her previous softer look. Her body type once suggested a habit of overindulging on college pizza nights. Look at her now. Thin and tan. If she put on some makeup and wasn’t completely unhinged, she had a shot. Not with him but with some unsuspecting guy.

But she was a mess of a human being. That part hadn’t changed. Because this stunt? Yeah, she’d lost it.

I tried to shift my leg again but nothing happened.

“You’re crazy.” Probably not a great idea to poke the bear, but she had to know this stunt was too far.

“Look at you throwing around insulting words while bound to a chair.” She sat on the top step in front of me, putting us a few feet apart and face-to-face. “Such a big, tough man.”

Right. Still nuts as fuck. Eight years hadn’t done anything to cool her anger or bloodlust. The Anonymous site and all the stalking proved that. “What is this?”

“Fair question.” She rested an elbow on her knee with her chin on her hand. Totally calm. Acting like we were having a perfectly normal conversation. “The abbreviated version? Kidnapping. Justice. Revenge. I’m comfortable with any of those.”

“You stupid b—” Before I could finish the sentence, she kicked out her leg and slammed her heel hard against my knee. “Shit!”

The room spun. I would have jumped up if I could have moved. Apparently she’d taken an expert knot-tying class in her spare time between writing Anonymous posts. The bindings held tight no matter how many times I twisted and pulled.

“A wise man once said, Don’t piss off the woman with nothing to lose.” She smiled like she’d told some clever inside joke. “Not you, of course. I said wise.”

“Untie me.” Then I could get the restraining order I’d been wanting for years. Maybe even fight for criminal charges. This little scene might be considered kidnapping. At the very least assault. I didn’t know the basics because I didn’t get to go to law school as planned. Thanks to Sabrina and her sister.

“Never going to happen.” Sabrina’s mood didn’t change. She tapped her foot, dared to act like I was boring her.

Fury raced through every vein. Exploded in every cell. My teeth snapped together, making my jaw clench. “This has gone far enough.”

“Are we going to do this futile back and forth for long?” She glanced at her watch. “Just asking because I have a schedule to keep.”

“What are you talking about? I was supposed to be . . .” I almost laughed. The boat owner. Willa. Even my sister and her manic yapping about me always being late for meetings. I’d left breadcrumbs that would lead back to the marina and this nonsense. “People know where I am. They’ll be looking for me.”