Beware Of Me(8)

Her phone rang.

Pausing just a moment, Carly pulled it out of her purse and glanced at the screen. When she saw the number there, Carly couldn’t help but tense. She’d been avoiding this particular call for a reason.

She started to ignore the ring but…

Deal with it. Deal with him. Her finger slid across the screen and she lifted the phone to her ear. “Hello.”

“Carly?” The voice was smooth and deep, easily recognizable even though the caller then said, “This is Dr. Nelson. I’ve been worried about you.”

Right. Because he was the worrying type.

“You missed your last appointment…”

That would be due to the fact that she’d been in the hospital, unconscious. But she didn’t tell him that. He’d probably freak out. “Sorry about that,” she said, quickening her pace even as she glanced around her. Because of Ethan, she felt a bit hypersensitive, as if a boogeyman might jump out at her any moment.

I met a real boogeyman once. He’s dead.

“I was…out of town,” she added, voice a bit breathless as she hurried.

There was a tense pause. “Is everything all right?” Dr. Nelson asked, obviously, he was worrying again.

All right? No, not even close. “Yes,” she lied. “It’s great.” It was way easier to lie to her shrink over the phone than in person.

“Are you planning to come in for a make-up appointment?”

“Actually…no. No, I think I need to take a break.” Dr. Nelson had been helpful enough when she’d first started seeing him, but lately… “Thank you for all you’ve done, but I—”

“Carly, I can tell when you’re hiding something from me. I want to help you.”

She paused at the crosswalk.

“Come in today. After you get off work. We’ll tie up loose ends, and if you want to discontinue your therapy, that is certainly fine with me.” There was the faintest hum of sound then he said, “You should know, though, some…visitors have been here, inquiring about you.”

The light changed. She didn’t move. “What kind of visitors?”

“The FBI.”

No, no. “You didn’t…you didn’t tell them anything, did you?”

“Absolutely not,” he assured her at once. “You’re my patient, but the questions they asked—I’m concerned, Carly. We really must talk.”

Jeez. Right. “I’ll be there after work.” But that would be her last visit. She was sick of poking into that particular wound and sick of being told that she’d always have to face the monster in her mind.

Why couldn’t she just shove him into some deep, dark hole and move on?

She pushed the phone into her purse and moments later, she was hurrying down the stairs that would take her to the subway. Her eyes adjusted quickly in the stairwell, and she rushed forward, moving as fast as she could until—

Someone grabbed her. Hard hands yanked her back into the shadows at the base of the stairs. Carly opened her mouth to scream, but a sweaty palm was slapped over her mouth even as the sharp point of a knife pressed into her side. “Not a word,” her attacker rasped. “Not a—”

She slammed her high heel down on his tennis shoe. As hard as she could. In the same instant, her elbow plowed back into his stomach. Her attacker’s hold eased on her, and Carly screamed—as loudly as she could even as she leapt forward.

“Bitch!” The knife slashed down. Carly saw the glint of the blade coming for her. She didn’t stop, but hurtled forward—right into…Ethan?

His hands closed around her and a fast glance at his face showed a mask of cold, absolutely lethal fury. Her heart was pounding frantically in her chest and yes, maybe, she was glad to see him.

“Ethan—” Carly began.

But he had already pushed her behind him and lunged toward her attacker.

That was when Carly realized a crowd had gathered down there. Some people reached out to her, asking if she was okay. Others—well, they stood there, filming the scene with their phones. What in the hell?

The man who’d grabbed her tried to run, holding the now cut strap of her purse.

Is that what he was doing when the knife pressed to my side?

Her attacker didn’t get far. Ethan caught him by the nape of the neck and yanked the fellow back. “You’re not going any damn place.”

The attacker whirled around, jabbing out with his knife.

Ethan dodged the attack easily, then caught the guy’s wrist. He squeezed that wrist until the attacker screamed. Did Ethan break the fellow’s wrist?

Someone was calling for the cops. Carly could hear the frantic call, but she couldn’t take her eyes off Ethan.