AllFreeNovel
Share Us
I was paying too much attention to him and not enough to the rest of the situation. My butt bumped into the boards, and that was when Guy lunged for me.
His feet slipped on the ice, but he caught both hands around my neck as he went down, dragging me with him.
I squirmed to get myself in a better position, fighting to breathe with his hands making that complicated, but it was no use. He used his leverage and got himself above me, his knees shoving between my thighs to get a better grip on my throat. I couldn’t spare the energy required to scream, not that it would do me any good if I did. It might scare Sophie, and that was the last thing I needed.
Don’t panic. Stay calm. Think!
My arms weren’t long enough to hold him back, but I remembered what I’d learned. I crossed my arms up over the top of his and grabbed hold of the outside of each of his wrists. Raised my hips as high as possible. Brought them down again with as much force as I could muster, and my arms at the same time. That was enough to break his hold on my neck. I bucked a hip out and got a skate in the bend of his hip. The other followed a moment later. I inched my skate blades closer to his crotch, and I kicked with everything I had in me.
My head slammed hard against the boards, leaving me dazed, and he let out an animal-like scream of pain. But I was free of him, at least for now. I scrambled to my feet and took off toward the other side of the rink as fast as I could, but I was woozy and kept stumbling every few feet. He tackled me halfway there, one hand catching my ankle. I hit hard when I went down. Hot, red blood stained the ice below me. Maybe I’d hit harder than I’d thought.
My other foot was free. I kicked. Made contact with something. Kicked again and again and again until he released my foot.
Then I was up again, skating as fast as I could. Threw myself over the boards, tumbled to the concrete floor. I crawled to the bench and grabbed my keys. I hit the button on the pepper spray before I’d fully spun around, holding down the button as he screamed in agony and fell, covering his face with his hands. Even then, I didn’t let go.
Not until the doors banged open and cops rushed inside, guns pointed at the two of us, shouting, “Nobody move!”
I dropped the pepper spray and kept my hands in the air where they could see them.
“Fucking bitch!” Guy screamed.
Two of the officers hurried closer, their weapons still aimed in our general direction.
Dizzy. So dizzy.I swayed in place, and one of the policemen lowered his gun and put an arm on my shoulder.
“Sit down. Looks like you’ve lost a lot of blood.” He lowered me to the nearest bleacher while one of his partners dealt with Guy.
“I think—” I stopped, shaking my head. It was too difficult to think.
“What do you think?” he asked.
I blinked at him. Couldn’t bring him into focus anymore. My head hurt, and I reached up to scratch it. Came away with more blood than I’d ever seen in my life.
He put a cloth or something on my head and held it there. “Why don’t you lie down?” he suggested.
That sounded like a very good idea. I let him lower me until I was stretched out on the aluminum bench. But then I shot straight back up, instantly wishing I hadn’t. Couldn’t tell which way was up and which way was a quick way to a concussion. Which I might already have, come to think of it.
I held my hand to my head and wished the world would stop spinning. “Sophie! And Gord. Are they okay?”
“Everyone’s going to be just fine,” he said, gently easing me back again. “Including you, if you’ll let us do our jobs.”
I nodded. Immediately regretted it. Nothing would come into focus, not in my vision or in my mind. Except—“Am I under arrest?”
The cop laughed, which confused me.
“Let go!” It was Sophie’s voice. “Let me go. I’m gonna take care of her for Levi.”
Then I felt her small, strong hand gripping mine.
“I did it, Cadence. I called nine-one-one.”
“You sure did,” I said, doing my best to stay calm and coherent for her sake. “You did great, Sophie.”
“They said the ambulance is coming. I’m going to ride with you.”
I nodded again, but the more she talked, the less I understood. Then she faded. Faded. Faded away.
“WRONG SKATES, PECKERWOOD.” Koz tossed a roll of stick tape in my direction.
