This time, the blonde grabbed Gabi’s wrist, twisted the arm nearly to the point of breaking. Gabi locked gazes with her attacker, who wore a small smile and had a strange glee in her eyes. The blonde cocked her head to the side in an almost alien gesture, like some giant praying mantis from a sci-fi movie seeing a human for the first time.

Then the blonde drove her heel down onto Gabi’s knee and shifted her entire weight into the blow. The leg buckled, and Gabi dropped, screaming in agony. The pain shot all the way up through her body and was so intense it made her vision grow dim and her stomach heave as if she were about to vomit.

From the floor, Gabi sobbed and yelled for help.

The blonde typed a message onto her wrist, and the voice said, “There are a lot of walls and distance between here and anyone who can help you.”

She knew the woman was probably right. They were on the far opposite end of the massive store from the garden center, where the police had set up their triage unit. Plus, they were down a long hallway beside a loudly humming room that probably provided air conditioning or heat for the store.

And even if someone did hear her screams, would they make it in time?

If she was going to survive this, she would have to fight her way out, just like she had done her whole life. She hadn’t let her brother kill her, which he would have certainly attempted in time. She hadn’t allowed the giant or his young patsy to punch her clock. And she wouldn’t let this little bitch be the end of her either.

Then Gabi remembered Deb. Where had she been during all this?

Pushing herself up on her forearms and twisting on her hip, she looked farther back into the shadows of the manager’s office. Deb was hiding beneath one of the desks, crying, and begging for her life. The blonde seemed to have a spring in her step, almost skipping, as she approached Deb. She reached under the desk and grabbed Deb by the foot.

“No! No!” Deb screamed and kicked her legs, but the thin blonde woman was much stronger than she appeared. She caught both of Deb’s feet and dragged the screaming woman out into the open. Then she aimed the officer’s gun down at Deb.

Gabi’s eyes went wide, knowing she was about to witness another murder. She and Deb had never exactly been friends, and Deb had a way of getting under her skin. Still, they were coworkers, and she liked the woman on a personal level. Not to mention that Deb had two children and five grandchildren, who seemed to be the center of her world.

Gabi had to help her, but every time she made even the slightest movement, her leg protested with a spike of fire. She pulled herself up enough to see her leg and nearly fainted when she saw the white bone protruding from the side of her calf. She dry-heaved a bit but managed to fight off the wave of dizziness.