His hand came toward her.
At the last second, she made her move.
Her free hand swung up and wrapped around Pete’s wrist. Caught off guard, she was able to shove it in the direction of his leg and was rewarded by a sharp gasp as the needle pierced his skin. She depressed the plunger, and the drug filled his system.
Pete wobbled, his face contorted into a mask of pure rage.
As he fell, the hammer came up and then down.
Landing with a sickening thud on her arm.
Chloe felt the snap.
White hot pain ripped through her body.
She tried not to scream.
She bit her teeth into her lip so hard she tasted blood.
Her stomach roiled.
Bile bubbled up.
She turned her head to the side and vomited.
Even that small movement was enough to toss her headlong toward unconsciousness. She would have blacked out, only she heard a voice.
Tom’s voice.
She was saved.
*****
1:22 A.M.
“You should wait in the car.”
Fin just looked at Tom like he’d lost his mind.
“Backup should be here any minute, you should wait here for them.”
“I'm not staying out here, and I'm not waiting anotherminute. Chloe is in there.” He needed to get to her. Now. The longer she was in the hands of that maniac, the greater the chances that she’d be hurt.
“Fin—”
“Whatever you're going to say, don’t bother. I'm going in there right now with or without you.”
He didn't bother waiting to hear Tom’s response, just flung open the car door and started for Pete Larkin’s house. He wished he had a gun on him, but that wasn't going to stop him.
He was at the front door when Tom caught up to him. “We should wait.”
“Then wait.”
“Fin,” Tom sounded exasperated.
“If it were Hannah in there, would you sit around out here and wait?”
Tom sighed. “No. Which is the only reason I didn't handcuff you to the steering wheel. You can shoot, right?”