The Carlswick Affair
Page 44
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“Whadda ya wanna do with her?” the man said to Alex, who came running out of the room after her.
“She has caused me no end of problems, give her to me,” he said. “You take care of the bags.”
Alex pulled her roughly from the man. She tried unsuccessfully to bite him as his hand replaced the other man’s over her mouth. He dragged her, struggling, further down the corridor. She dug her heels into the dirt floor trying to slow him down, but he was really strong. He threw her heavily into the wall, momentarily dazing her while he struggled with the rusty slide bolts on the top and bottom of a door that appeared to be cut into the brick. Stephanie briefly saw blackness at the edge of her vision and put her hand to her head feeling a trickle of blood from her temple.
Glancing back over her shoulder, she saw the big guy shake his head and disappear into the wine cellar.
“Alex,” she said sweetly, straightening up and using his arm to balance.
He paused, surprised at her tone, a frown creasing his face.
Putting her other hand on his opposite shoulder, she pulled herself upright and using his arms for extra leverage, quickly raised her knee, slamming it into his groin.
“Arrgh,” he gurgled, doubling over in pain. As his head lowered, Stephanie punched him hard in the jaw, sending him sprawling into the wall.
Two brothers, two days, she thought ironically, shaking her bruised hand, as she began running down the tunnel towards the light.
“Stop her,” she heard Alex shout.
Heavy footsteps pounded after her, but this time she didn’t make the mistake of looking back. As she rounded the corner in front of her, the tunnel abruptly ended.