“Hello, Miss Bradley,” he said. The sound of his calm, measured voice chilled her down to the bone. “My congratulations. You've turned out to be a very hard woman to kill.”
Oh God, she was going to die.
She made a little whimpering sound. Fear held her paralyzed. She tried to beg for her life, but nothing came out. Not that it would have mattered. This man wasn’t the kind who could be swayed by words.
He held a big black gun in his hand, and it was pointed at her. Not at her chest this time. Of course not. This time the gun was aimed straight at her head. He pressed the button for the top floor, and the elevator started to rise.
“You understand that I have to make sure the job is done right this time. Nothing personal.”
Beth closed her eyes tight. In just a few seconds, her brains were going to paint the wall behind her.
This stranger was going to kill her just because she had wandered into the wrong place at the wrong time. Just when she had finally figured out what she wanted in life. Just as she'd found love. It wasn't fair.
Beth opened her eyes. No, it wasn't fair. It was wrong. And she wasn't going to let it happen. Not without a fight.
The man waited until they were between floors before leaning back and pulling the emergency stop button. The old elevator lurched awkwardly. The man tilted off balance. And Beth saw her opportunity.
She threw herself at the man. Her body hit him full force, and he stumbled backward. His head hit hard against the wall, but he held fast to the gun.
He stumbled, lashing out with his fist. The punch landed hard against Beth’s face, and the metallic tang of blood filled her mouth.
She was going to have to find something to fight with or this was going to be one short battle. The man outweighed her by a good fifty pounds, and he had a gun. She went for the only thing she could find in the confined space. The fire extinguisher.
She swung it against him just as he recovered enough to take aim at her. The gun went off.
Searing pain tore through her left arm. The florescent bulb behind her exploded, plunging the elevator into darkness for a fraction of a second before the emergency lights came to life. A surreal red glow filled the elevator.
The man swore in pain and grasped his wrist with his free hand.
Beth didn't waste any time. She swung again. And again.
The gun fell to the floor. So did the man.
She swung again and heard a bone crack.
Once more, and his eyes rolled up into his head. A long groan came from his lips.
Beth dropped the fire extinguisher and picked up the gun. She positioned herself in the corner, propping her back up against the wall and holding the gun in front of her with both hands. Blood streamed down her arm and onto the barrel before dripping to the floor.
She'd been shot. The pain was almost unbearable. She had to get to help or she was going to collapse right alongside her attacker.
She managed to push the emergency stop button back in with her good hand, then the lobby button. The elevator slowly made its way back down to the ground floor.
It only took twenty-three seconds for the elevator to reach the lobby and the doors to open. Beth counted every single one of them.
Alex was standing there when they arrived. He stared down at the bloody and limp body on the floor, and then up at her. Relief washed over his face.
His arms were around her in a heartbeat. Only then did she drop the gun. She slumped in his arms as her legs gave out.
“That's him,” she said, through the tears and blood that covered her face. “That's the guy.”
John entered the elevator as Alex carried her out. He gave her an appreciative nod as she went by.
“You're wounded,” Alex said. He called out for help before sitting her down just outside of the elevator.
“You should see the other guy,” she said.
Alex managed a shaky smile. He grasped her face between his hands and kissed her just as the EMTs arrived. They tried to get Alex to move away as they treated her and got her up on a gurney, but he refused to leave her side. Not even for a second. Not as they wheeled her from the hotel. Not as they put her in the ambulance. It wasn't until she had to go into surgery that he finally let go of her hand.
“You're going to be fine,” he said, kissing her on the forehead before letting the medical team push her through the double doors. “I'll be here waiting for you.”
***