CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE
I went down, twisting my body and turning my head, so I’d be able to keep tabs on them. My shoulder hit the concrete with a light thud, a few wisps of hair settling over my eyes. Unless he looked closely, Daniel wouldn’t notice me watching them.
Daniel lunged, swiping the knife at Zack’s torso.
Zack laughed, dodging the blade. “You can do better than that.” Stay down, Autumn, so this isn’t all for nothing.
I gritted my teeth, but obeyed as Daniel sprang again. Zack ducked, grabbed a wrench and on his way up, clocked Daniel on the side of his face. Daniel stumbled into a table laden with tools. He gripped a tire iron and swung. When it crashed into Zack’s side, he staggered and fell, his back slamming to the ground. Daniel jumped on him, sending them both rolling. Daniel landed on top with his back to me, Zack struggling beneath him. Daniel wielded the iron again, but Zack swung the wrench, hitting Daniel’s inside elbow. Daniel lost his hold on the iron and it skittered across the cement.
Fists flew, but from where I lay, I couldn’t tell who was winning.
The wrench clattered to the floor, which left Zack without a weapon. I couldn’t take it anymore and moved to get up.
Don’t distract me by doing something stupid, Autumn. I got it.
With Zack still trapped underneath Daniel, I wasn’t so sure about that. But I held still and hoped.
Zack’s legs and arms shot out at Daniel. A fist hit its mark, tossing Daniel off. Zack leapt to his feet and flipped a switch behind him, then grabbed the nozzle of a hose. When Daniel went in for another attack, Zack squeezed the handle and blasted air into Daniel’s eyes. He screamed and covered his face. Zack captured Daniel’s arms and shoved him back, immobilizing him against the side of a sturdy table. “Touching you this much is like my worst nightmare. You’re not my type.”
“I’ll kill you!” Daniel screamed, eyes squeezed shut.
“News flash for you, loser. That’s exactly what you’ll have to do. Because if you want Autumn, you’ll have to go through me to get to her. I’ll die before I’d let you get near her again.”
Daniel opened his eyes, then closed them again. “I can’t see.”
“Stop being such a wuss.” Zack easily blocked Daniel’s blow, then another.
Even without vision, Daniel put up a good fight, his fists thrashing wildly and relentlessly. Zack dodged them, but I knew any second, Daniel would be able to see again and Zack would be right back where he’d started. Killing him would be the most effective, but I didn’t want to think about that and certainly wouldn’t want to witness it.
Autumn, look away. You don’t want to see this.
Apparently, Zack was one step ahead of me, as usual. The next moment, Zack jammed the nozzle into Daniel’s eyes while he released the air. Daniel wailed as blood trickled down his cheeks. The tossing in my stomach returned and the possibility of throwing up was too real.
“Stop screaming like a girl, Daniel.” Zack stepped away to search the table, finding a roll of duct tape. “It could take an hour or two before you can see again, although I’m not sure if you’ll live that long. That depends on you.”
“Zack, let him go.” William, Daniel’s maker, stepped into the garage in a flurry of rage, but he went directly to his fledgling, seizing him by his shirt and throwing him to the ground. “You halfwit. I told you not to involve the human.” He leaned over and slapped Daniel, hard, followed by a series of punches to his face.
“She’s doesn’t know anything.” Daniel curled up in a ball in an attempt to shield himself from the onslaught. “She didn’t see me when I chloroformed her.”
“But she’s here, isn’t she? She’ll know it was you, pinhead. What if she goes to the police?” With one hand, William picked Daniel up by his shirt and set him to his feet. He backhanded Daniel with so much force, a bone cracked. “You just don’t listen.” A strange energy emitted from William, almost a vibration. I guessed his patience with Daniel was used up. “You better pray you dosed her properly and she wakes up.”
“She will. I only gave her a little bit.” Daniel rubbed his eyes with quivering hands.
William released Daniel and he reeled backward, bouncing into the edge of the table. “You and your foolish vendetta. You will be punished for defying me.”
“I have to see Autumn. Where is she?” Daniel extended his arms and groped sightlessly.
William didn’t answer, backing away and sneering, like he enjoyed seeing Daniel suffer. Zack stuck out his leg and Daniel stumbled over it, his hands shooting out to break his fall.