AllFreeNovel
Share Us
And that was exactly how Tabitha was going to get in.
By the time Tabitha had shimmied through the flap sideways, ending up on the floor of the breakfast nook, streaked with snow and mud, Hannah gave off another scream. A second later, George came flying down the hallway, nothing but a blur, and disappeared. Tabitha could hear the attacker’s words now as he shouted at Hannah.
“I told you, you’re not going anywhere! Not until you talk to me. All I wanted to do was talk to you, alone. And you turned it into a fight! I came all the way out here—stop crying!—and all you got to say is I should leave. Well, I’m not leaving. And when I do, you’re coming with me!”
Tabitha paused in the dark breakfast nook, assessing the rooms and her situation. The man who was after Hannah wouldn’t expect anyone to stand up to him, particularly not a woman. She could use that to her advantage. She didn’t know for sure if he had a weapon, but even if he didn’t, he was much larger than Tabitha. Maybe a distraction was all she needed. After all, she didn’t have to stop him, just slow him down.
She faced the cold, dark fireplace nestled on the far side of the room, which looked like it hadn’t been lit in years. Tabitha had a fleeting thought about the difference between this fireplace and the beauty of the one she’d just shared with Hobbs. She grabbed the poker, nestled in a rack with other fireplace tools, in an iron grip.
She slid along the wall, toward the living room. Just as she rounded the corner, Gracie came flying in, barreling past. The dog ran right up to Hannah’s attacker, who now stood, towering over Hannah, fists clenched. Gracie reared back and barked. The man kicked his leg out, but Gracie dodged it, dropped back on her haunches and barked again, this time adding a growl to the mix. The man spun in circles, trying to connect his heavy boot with the barking dog.
That was when he looked up and spied Tabitha, frozen against the wall, poker in her grip. “Who the hell are you?” The man’s eyes were dark and dead, almost ashy, like the unused fireplace in the breakfast nook.
“Leave her alone.” Tabitha lifted the poker to her shoulder. Her hand was steady and her arm felt strong.
“Tabitha!” Hannah gasped. Her face was streaked with tears, blood dripping from her nose and the corner of her mouth. Her left eye was swelling up fast. “Run!”
“Oh, no, you don’t.” The man strode toward Tabitha, even though she hadn’t made a move. “You’re not going anywhere.”
Tabitha knew that first responders would be here soon, but how soon? She quickly took in the scene. The intruder didn’t have a weapon in either hand, other than those cruel hands themselves. There was one exit, but she couldn’t get Hannah and herself there before the man grabbed either one of them. She gripped her poker and adjusted her position, like a batter up to the plate. Tabitha used to love playing baseball in high school—her batting average coming back to her in a flash, something she hadn’t thought about in years—but she hadn’t batted anything since she was a teenager. She looked the intruder in his cold, dead eye and held his gaze. If nothing else, Tabitha had distracted him from Hannah, and if she could at least hold him off until the police arrived, that was all she needed.
The assailant, who’d been slowly walking her way, lunged, suddenly making his move. Tabitha wasn’t surprised. She’d seen what he was going to do in his eyes before his body had jerked. She darted out of his reach, but at the last second he caught the hem of her blouse and yanked. The shirt made a tearing sound and Tabitha stumbled, then fell to the ground. The man loomed over her, his eyes dark slashes and his mouth a grim line. He reached for her, and a great growling sound followed, like a snarling pack of wolves.
The assailant cried out, then cursed. He swung his leg and reached for the dog, which, to Tabitha’s surprise, was not a tawny Lab mix, but a black ball of fury. Trinity, in all her tiny pit bull glory, had her jaws clamped down on the assailant’s calf. She must’ve climbed out the open car window and followed Tabitha inside. Even when Hannah’s attacker kicked her, she yelped, but didn’t let go.
The attacker cursed a second time, then brought his fist down against Trinity’s face. The pittie yelped and fell back, blood on her jowls. The man’s arm reared back again, and just as he was about to hit the dog for a third time, Tabitha heard Hobbs’s voice in her head—Get mad, Tabby!She took a great swing and brought the poker full force to the back of the man’s knees. He bellowed and sank down. Tabitha reared back and brought it down again, this time against his back. He screamed out in wild, choking pain, then curled up on his side in a fetal position. Tabitha swung and gave him a third blow, this time to his shoulder. He screamed and pulled himself into a tighter ball.
“Don’t move,” she growled, “or your face is next.” Tabitha drew the poker high, poised to strike. She caught sight of Hannah, from the corner of her eye, her mouth agape, Gracie standing sentinel in front of her. Trinity hobbled over to Tabitha’s side, dribbling blood along the way, and smashed herself against Tabitha’s legs. Red and blue lights flashed outside as vehicles tore into the driveway.
Moments later, the police were inside. Tabitha dropped the poker and sank down on the floor. Trinity climbed on her chest, planting her paws over her shoulder, and that was the last thing Tabitha remembered before her eyes closed.
