Page 65 of Make No Mistake

He turned to face me, taking slow steps while I scrambled away.

The bat was lifted again, and I knew I had to stand and run if I was going to have any chance of escaping.

One-two-three.

I jumped up and sprinted back toward the parking lot.

I only got about two yards of distance when an arm reached around my stomach and pinned me against a hard body.

Screams filled the air before I realized it was me.

“Mac. It’s me. I’ve got you.”

His voice. I instantly relaxed into him.

“What are you running from?” His voice was tense.

“He was here.” I pulled away from him and pointed in the direction I’d come.

Jay looked at the area I pointed to and took off in a run. I hurried behind him, but lost him in the darkness.

Instead of standing outside, making myself vulnerable, I ran up the stairs to my apartment.

I dropped my towel somewhere, but luckily, I’d kept my keys looped through my fingers.

Once inside, I collapsed into a dining room chair. I was panting and knew I needed to calm down, but I couldn’t control my breathing.

“Mac?” Aubrey stepped out of her room looking confused. “Mac? What’s wrong?”

She hurried to me and scanned my face before looking over my body. “You’ve covered in scrapes. Mac, what happened?”

My mouth opened but nothing came out.

Shock.

I was definitely experiencing shock.

There was a pounding on the door that made me jump. Aubrey looked from me to the door and took slow steps toward it. She looked through the peephole briefly before opening the door.

Jay entered, huffing and puffing more than I was. “He’s gone.”

Aubrey looked back and forth between us. “Who?”

Jay met my eyes. “I ran through the entire complex. I didn’t see any cars leave either. He must have been on foot.”

“Who?” This time Aubrey said it louder.

“The attacker.” I panted.

“What?” She screamed the word and kneeled in front of me. “Mac, did he hurt you?”

I shook my head. “I heard him behind me.”

“I’m calling Detective Larson.” Jay walked away into the living room.

“Mac, honey. Let’s get you changed.”

I looked down and realized I was in practically nothing. If the police were coming, I definitely didn’t want to look like this.