Walking toward the back stairs to her apartment, she clicked off the lights in the clinic, one by one.
Suddenly a figure loomed in front of her. Screaming, she jumped back in fright, but found herself held in place by a large arm with a hand held over her mouth. Without thinking of anything other than escape, she bit down on the hand. She was flung away only to be backhanded across the face. Her head snapped to the side and she tasted blood as she was once again pinned in someone’s arms.
Heart pounding, she blinked as the lights came back on in the room. Two men stood in front of her, with the third man at her back holding her tightly. One of the men was tall, distinguished looking in a dark suit, with an air of danger swirling around him. Perhaps it was the scar that ran down the length of his face from brow to chin. His eyes bore into hers. They were cold. Dead. The second man was dressed much more casually. Black pants, black t-shirt. And a smile. A smile that was not friendly. A smile directed at her.
“Who… are you? Wh…what do you want?” her voice weakly asked. Trying to pull herself together, licking her split lips, she continued. “There’s no cash in the drawer. It has already gone to the bank.”
The smaller of the two men chuckled. Fear trickled down her back and if it wasn’t for the arm around her waist, she was sure she would have collapsed to the floor.
The man in the suit spoke. Quietly. Softly. “Dr. Donavan. You have cost us a considerable amount of money. I assure you that whatever was in your cash drawer would not even cover my expenses for an hour.”
“I…I don’t know wh…what you are talking about?” she replied, terrified to move. “I don’t know you.” She tried to swallow but found that her throat was closing with fear. Her chest heaved as her breathing became more rapid.
“My needs are simple, doctor. You found something that belonged to me, and I want to know where it is.”
“I don…don’t have anything.” Her eyes darted around as though looking for something that she might have that belonged to someone else. Clarity struck her as she looked back into his sinister gaze. “The drugs. Oh Jesus, you want the drugs.”
“With the police now involved, I am sure you don’t have my possessions here, but surely you knew what you had. Surely you are hiding it to see how much I will pay to get it back.”
“I didn’t keep it. I thr…threw it away,” she stated, hoping this would give them a reason to leave.
The smaller man’s mouth curved into a slow smile, as his eyes seemed to glimmer. His hand had slipped into his pocket drawing out out an object that she did not recognize until he flipped it and realized that he was wielding a knife. Oh my God. She began to shake with fear, but the man holding her only tightened his arms.
“My dear doctor. Are you trying to tell me that you did not know you were holding a quarter of a million dollars in your hands? I highly doubt that. But…” he held her gaze. “If it is true, that would be very unfortunate for you.”
“I don’t have it. Honestly, I threw it out.”
The man with the knife approached her slowly, the smile never leaving his face. He drew the flat surface of the blade down her cheek. Annie felt a tear slid down her cheek, mingling with the path of the metal.
The man in charge watched her carefully. “You know, Jose, I think I believe her. I don’t think she knew what she had at all.”
Her eyes sought his, looking for a reprieve from her terror. But it wasn’t going to come.
“My dear, you may have tossed out a fortune in cocaine, but you will still have to be an example. I can’t have everyone acting with such cavalier ignorance.”
A loud noise came from the front of the clinic. “Annie! Are you still here? I forgot my cell phone,” yelled Leon.
Jerking up, Annie began screaming. “Leon, call 911, I’m being robbed. 911. 911.”
The man holding her tried to put his hand over her mouth again, but she was too quick. Ducking her head, she continued screaming. Kicking out, her shoes hit his shins, causing him to loosen his grip just enough for her to wiggle away. The taller man was already at the alley door, making his escape. The shorter man’s glare was no longer smiling as she now saw a gun in his hand aimed at the hall.
“Nooooo!” she screamed, terrified that Leon would come into the room, then found herself being thrown to the floor as the man who had been holding her pushed her down so he could escape. “Stay back, Leon! They have a gun!” she yelled.
She looked up just in time to see the gun pointing at her as the man called Jose was at the alley door. His eyes, soulless, pulled the trigger just as she tried to roll away. The sound of gun blast in the small area deafened her as a pain sliced through her side.