Chapter 11 - The Chase in the Dark
|
Nell sprinted down the pitch-black corridor, her memory of the mansion’s layout her only guide. She heard Teddy’s heavy boots pounding against the hardwood floor behind her, closing the distance with terrifying speed.
“There’s nowhere to go, little bird!” Teddy laughed, a cruel, echoing sound.
Nell darted into the formal dining room, knocking over a heavy wooden chair to block the path. She scrambled toward the swinging doors leading to the butler’s pantry, her breath coming in ragged, painful gasps.
She burst into the pantry, slamming the door shut and throwing the heavy brass deadbolt just as a massive weight crashed against the other side.
The wood groaned under Teddy’s assault.
“Open the door, Nell,” Teddy coaxed, his voice dropping to a sinister whisper through the crack. “Bruno just wants to ask you a few questions about what you heard in the study. Make it easy on yourself.”
Nell backed away, her hands desperately searching the dark shelves for a weapon. Her fingers closed around the cold, heavy handle of a cast-iron skillet.
The deadbolt began to bend under the relentless kicking.
With a final, deafening crack, the door splintered open. Teddy stumbled into the pantry, a vicious grin on his face. He reached into his coat, pulling out a long, serrated hunting knife.
“Wrong move,” he sneered.
He lunged forward. Nell swung the heavy skillet with every ounce of strength she possessed. The iron connected brutally with the side of Teddy’s head.
He grunted, stumbling sideways, but his hand lashed out, the knife slicing a shallow, burning line across her forearm.
Nell screamed, dropping the skillet, and shoved past him into the kitchen.
May you like
Before Teddy could recover and give chase, the kitchen doors burst open.
Rafe stood in the doorway, a customized, suppressed pistol raised perfectly steady in his hand. His eyes were entirely black with murder.
