Testing The Boss(26)

He didn’t look familiar to Evelyn, but she had to assume he was one of Longineu’s men. Which meant Luke was probably screwed right now. This guy definitely seemed formidable. He was well over six feet tall and had a muscular build that showed exactly how much time he spent in the gym.

His dark brown hair was slicked back and his clean-shaven face clearly showed his handsome features. Which meant he wasn’t worried about Evelyn identifying him later. Not the best sign.

But he came alone. Which was his mistake. He also hadn’t shot her right away, which probably meant he wanted to kill her in a quieter way. She could handle that. All she needed was one chance to get to her gun.

“I have money,” she said, looking for a way to distract or stall him. Even if he lowered his gun, would she have time to draw? Guns were horrible for close quarter fighting anyway. Maybe it would be easier to disarm him...

He glanced around the tiny apartment with a scowl. “I doubt it.”

“There’s a laptop on the table,” she pointed out. “And I have savings. I’m sure we can make a deal.” All he had to do was lower the gun just long enough for her to rush him. She inched closer to the table.

“Don’t move!” he ordered.

“No, it’s a really nice laptop! Top of the line, brand new! I’m sure you can get a few hundred for it!”

He let out a laugh even as she kept inching to the table. “I’m getting a lot more than a few hundred for this.”

He took a step closer, and Evelyn forced herself to let out a fearful squeak as she jumped closer to the table. As much as she wanted her fear to be completely an act, every second that passed, her heart beat faster and faster. All it would take was one flash of impatience and he’d pull that trigger and she’d be done.

She just needed time for one distraction and she could get him. And the distraction was just a few...more...inches...away...there! Evelyn hooked her foot under the chair and gave a quick yank.

The wooden chair clattered to the ground, and the man’s gaze jerked to follow the noise.

Evelyn jumped on her chance and ducked low as she rushed him. He must’ve seen her as he started to reposition the gun, but he wasn’t fast enough. Her shoulder slammed into his stomach and she kept going, pushing him back until she rammed his back into the door. As he tried to catch his breath, she grabbed his gun hand with both of hers and pushed up and back, jamming his wrist into the wooden doorframe with all her strength.

He grunted but didn’t let go. Shit. She brought her knee up hard into his groin. That got his attention. He moaned in pain, and his grip finally released on the gun enough for her to pry it out of his hands. She tried to turn it on him, but he retained his composure enough to push the gun down and on the floor.

Fine. They’d do this the old-fashioned way. Evelyn brought her elbow up and rammed it into the man’s throat. Take that, jackass...

Then she fisted her fingers in his hair, slamming his head into the door before she kneed him in the gut and tossed him farther into the kitchen.

While he was sprawled on the floor in front of her, Evelyn dove for his gun, but this guy was one step ahead of her. The second she brought it up to aim, a stream of burning liquid hit her eyes, blinding her and clouding her mind with pain. Evelyn screamed and fired off a shot in the direction he’d been in. She heard a grunt of pain and then the clash of breaking glass. She forced her burning eyes open for the briefest moment but didn’t see anyone.

“Fuck!” she screamed as she closed her eyes again. Her lids felt like sandpaper rubbing against her sensitive eyes. Her scream caused the spray that she’d inhaled to get in her lungs, and she coughed at the whole new irritation. “Ahh!” She’d had him!

At first, she’d had a horrifying thought that he’d thrown acid at her, but she’d been around enough pepper spray to know that she wasn’t in danger of losing her eyesight. But that didn’t take the pain away. Or the anger. Damn it, she’d had him outmatched and outgunned and he’d still gotten away. She had a feeling she hit him with the one shot, but she couldn’t be sure. And she wasn’t about to chase him down, waving a gun around when she could barely see two feet in front of her.

Luke... If they were at her place, they for sure knew about Luke. Evelyn dug out her phone but couldn’t keep her eyes open long enough to dial anything. She cursed under her breath as she pocketed the phone and pushed herself up, feeling her way to the sink.

As soon as she was there, she flipped on the cold water and splashed it in her face. She managed to get just enough washed out that she could keep her eyes open long enough to dial Luke’s number. She turned it on speaker as she splashed more water in her sore eyes and drank big gulps from her cupped hands. Ugh, even drinking hurt.