Chapter 66

“I can’t thank you enough for your time,” Allegra said, shaking Sandra Cobb’s hand.  “I’ve thoroughly enjoyed it, and you’ve sparked some exciting ideas for me to take back to Philly.  ” 

She’d finally reached Sandra’s office about four o’clock, and the women had instantly clicked.  By the time they’d exchanged pleasantries, reviewed the materials Sister Mary had sent, and discussed the accomplishments and initiatives going on in Detroit, it was well after six. 

“It’s been my pleasure,” Sandra assured her.  “Your genuine interest and enthusiasm are inspiring.  I’m glad you’ve made your way to us here at the Soul Foundation, and I know Jon certainly is pleased to have you aboard.”

With a laugh, Allegra shrugged into her coat.  “We disagree from time to time, but our hearts are in the same place.”

“Your hearts are DEFINITELY in the same place.  Now, do you have a car waiting?  I would walk you out, but I have a few more things to finish up before I’m done for the evening.”

Silently berating herself for not getting here sooner, Allegra apologized.  “Oh, I’m so sorry for keeping you this late!  I feel as though you’re stuck here now because of me.  Let me just get out of your way so you can finish up and go home.  I’m just going to grab a taxi downstairs.”

“If you’re sure?”

“Absolutely!”

“Well alright then.  There’s a doorman at the main entrance.  He’ll hail a cab and make sure you get safely on your way.”

“That sounds perfect.  Good night, Sandra.”

She sauntered out of the Director’s office with a spring in her step, feeling as though everything had gone well.  Sandra had outlined some of the current challenges they were having in the Detroit area with concern.  Unfortunately, those challenges weren’t unique to this area.  As a matter of fact, Allegra had noticed some of the same things in Philadelphia.  The realization had prompted a bit of a brainstorm, and she was eager to run some ideas past Jon.

Dipping her hand into the seemingly bottomless pocket of her coat, she fished out her phone while stepping into the elevator.  The screen lit up at the flick of her thumb to display its recent activity.  She had a missed call and voicemail from Richie, and a text from Matt.

Rich thinks I’m supposed to be with you?  He’s not happy.

She would owe Matt an apology, but Richie would be alright once she got back to the arena.   Why was he being such a worrywart?  Her fingers quickly navigated through the correct series of buttons to play his voicemail.

‘Dammit, why didn’t you take Matt?  Call me as soon as you get this.’

Not a chance.  There was no way in this world she was going to call and get lectured like an errant teenager.  She opted to take the path of least resistance.

Meeting ran late.  Be there soon.  Xoxo

Arriving at the lobby level of the building, Allegra stuffed the phone back in her pocket and looked for the doorman.  It may have been due to the late hour, but oddly enough, there wasn’t a soul to be seen – except a solitary man sitting by the windows and reading his newspaper.

The lobby wasn’t all that large, but she spun in a slow circle, just to make sure she hadn’t overlooked the fellow who was supposed to be on duty.  No.  He wasn’t anywhere to be found.  With a sigh, she stared indecisively out the windows.

She should probably wait here, but that wasn’t going to get Richie pacified any quicker.  The sooner she got back to the arena, the better.

It’s not dark yet.  I can get my own taxi and be halfway to there by the time this guy turns up.

Decision made, she directed her footsteps toward the building’s entrance.  Her soft-soled loafers moved noiselessly across the tile.  She approached the exit and escalating volume of downtown traffic.  Even though the building was deserted, the streets were still bustling. 

 She was just about to spur the revolving door into motion when a hand clamped roughly around her upper arm.  Whipping her head about, she tried in vain to see who had hold of her, but they were standing just out of her line of vision. 

Glancing back toward the bank of windows, she saw that the man with the newspaper was gone. 

“What do you think you’re doing?”  She attempted to free herself, but determined fingers only latched on more tightly.

“I told ya to watch yourself,” a harsh male voice snarled into her ear. 

Watch myself? 

The words worked through her subconscious, sounding elusively familiar.

‘You better watch yourself.’ 

Cloudy images gradually transformed into a solid memory, and she recalled the hastily uttered words of an arena crew member.  The one she’d almost collided with earlier in the day. 

I don’t know this guy.  What does he want with me?  Is he ticked because I was in a hurry? 

A gasp was ripped from her. 

Through the layers of clothing and outerwear, something sharp swiftly pierced into the small of her back.  “Move, or I’ll cut out your kidneys and feed ‘em to ya.”

Her heart began to race.  Whatever his beef, he was taking it seriously and making sure she did too.

With a heave, she was propelled toward the back of the lobby, to a door marked ‘Employees Only’.  Holding firmly to her arm, he lowered the weapon from her back long enough to turn the handle and wrench the door open.  He gave her a harsh shove through the entryway, and the unexpected momentum sent her sprawling to her knees with a grunt.

The door banged shut and lock clicked noisily, echoing in the little room.  Clambering to her feet, she spun to see exactly who it was she was dealing with.

Her first view was of his back.  Dark hair, average build, about her height.  A glint of light bounced off something in his hand, and her eyes widened.  The sharp object in her back had been a knife.  Not a big one, but it looked – and felt – sharp enough to carry out his threat.

He tested the door handle, assuring himself that it was secure before turning with a smug grin of anticipation. 

Oh Jesus.

Her heart slammed into her throat and she was deafened by the blood thundering through her veins.  He looked a little worse for wear, with his unkempt hair and unshaven face, but there was no doubt about her captor’s identity.

Felix.

The last time she’d seen him, he had his hand around her throat.  She walked away that day without a backward glance or second thought.  She hoped the same would be true this time.

“What do you want, Felix?”

She subtly assessed her surroundings.  They were in what appeared to be an office/lounge of some kind.  There was a small table in the corner by the door that housed a coffee pot and the various accessories, along with a microwave.  To her left there was a desk, chair and filing cabinet.  A refrigerator was on right, and she thought she’d seen a small dinette table and chairs that were now behind her. 

He slunk toward her with a predatory gleam in his eyes.  “I want to finish what we started in Seattle – in the elevator.”  His index finger traced the vein throbbing wildly in her neck.  The touch repulsed her and she jerked away.

“Yeah, I remember you like it rough.” 

No further warning was uttered before he backhanded her across the mouth.

A small cry escaped Allegra as the force of the blow snapped her head back.  Closing her eyes tightly against the tears that wanted to form, she touched her lips carefully.  Blood stained her fingers.

She had to keep control.  On two separate occasions she had walked away from this little weasel.  It would be the same today.

Her eyes were ice cold as she reminded him, “No.  You wondered if I MIGHT like it rough.  Nobody ever said I did.”

“Ya know what?”  The tip of the knife came to rest against the vein that was still wildly pulsing.  “You’ll like exactly what I tell ya to like, bitch.  I got fired and a fuckin’ restraining order slapped on me because of you! “ 

She fought to remain still and calm as his other hand slithered inside her coat.  Her stomach heaved with revulsion as he brushed against the satiny material of her camisole, but her features remained schooled into a passive expression.  Showing emotion would only fuel whatever demons were driving him.

“If you had just let me fuck you, everything would’ve been good.  Instead you guarded that precious pussy of yours like it was gold.  ”  His grip on the knife relaxed as his other hand forced its way between her legs, pawing at her through the material of her slacks.  She instinctively slapped at his hands, scrambling away from his crude groping.   

It was a mistake.

The spurned hand flew to her nape, jerking viciously backward with the hair he found there.  Her exposed neck immediately felt the cold steel of the knife blade.  The sound of the air being forced from her throat was overridden by his furious words.

“Listen to me ya stupid whore!  You had your chance to do this the nice way.  Now I’m gonna violate you in ways ya never dreamed of.”  He bumped his pelvis into hers and she could feel his erection pressing into her flesh.   “You push me away again and it will be the last memory you have.”

Hearing him actually voice his intentions allowed fear to fully consume Allegra for the first time.

The knife pierced the lace edging of her camisole at the valley of her breasts.  She felt as clearly as she heard the distinctive shredding of fabric that the blade produced as it lurched down the center of her torso.  The delicate garment stood open beneath her coat and suit jacket, leaving her exposed, her bra providing only the scant illusion of modesty.

 Eyes pinched tightly closed, she didn’t so much pray as interrogate.

God, why are you allowing this to happen?  Is it my punishment for leaving the Church?  For questioning Your authority?

As though in immediate answer, her mind was filled with the image of Tessa’s haunted face.

She resolutely bit back the bile that rose unbidden from her roiling stomach. 

She would not succumb to this sick, deranged slime ball.  He wouldn’t defeat her the way Tessa had been defeated.   He wouldn’t take her self-worth to build up his own pathetic little ego.  She wouldn’t allow it.  Tessa deserved that much.

With a grunt of exertion, she spun away from his grip, wincing as a part of her hair remained lodged with him.  She hastened to the table at her back, shoving one of the chairs at him and darting around the other side.  The chair slammed into his thighs, surprise slackening his hold enough to drop the knife.  It clattered to the floor, skidding out of reach under the desk.

She whizzed by him as he struggled to untangle himself from the legs of the chair.  The door was only a dozen feet away, and she raced for it without hesitation.

“Oh no you don’t bitch!” he bellowed and lunged for her, pitching to the floor and latching ferociously onto her ankle.  With a brutal yank, he sent her crashing to the ground with a loud ‘oomph’.

Allegra instantly rolled to her back, wildly kicking at his face with her untethered foot.  When his hold didn’t loosen, she frantically pounded her heel into the wrist that held her captive.  After repeated blows, his fingers slackened and she was able to wriggle out of his grasp.

Twisting her body into a mobile position, she scurried away on her hands and knees, the fabric of her pants sliding ineffectively against the linoleum tile.  Pulling herself along with her palms, she crawled up the door facing and reached for the lock. 

“Unh!”  Her head was slammed forward into the solid wooden barrier.  She was barely able to avert her face so that her nose wasn’t broken.  Instead, her cheekbone and temple took the brunt of the impact, and promptly throbbed in agony.

“You’re pissing me off!”  Felix was climbing to his feet, and pulling her along with him by the hair of her head.  The neat knot she’d started the day with had disintegrated into a snarled mess, and his fingers were twined firmly in it this time.  There would be no escaping that grip.

His other hand wrapped around the collars of her coat and suit jacket, ripping them away from her body and flinging them aside.  Her torso was now barely concealed by her tattered camisole and bra. 

Through the splitting haze of agony in her head, she knew her opportunity for escape was narrowing.  Felix was going to rape her if she couldn’t get away in the next couple of minutes. 

That was not an acceptable option.  Richie was the only man she was going to allow to touch her intimately.  If she had anything to say about it, he would be her first, last and only. 

With emotion overriding the absence of a good plan, she began madly swinging her elbows both high and low. It didn’t matter what part of him she hit, she just knew that she had to debilitate him in some way. 

His grunts of pain let her know that she was landing at least a few painful wallops to his ribs and arms.  One attempt successfully connected with his cheek.  It was the last blow she landed before he bound her up with his arms.  She was effectively immobilized, arms pinned at her sides.

At least I’m not the only one who will have a black eye.

“That’s it for you bitch!  You’re soooo fuckin’ gonna regret that!” he screamed in outrage.

Her breath came in heavy pants, but she couldn’t stop now – not while there was still the tiniest chance. 

With limited options, she reverted back to kicking.  Her heel careened into his shin with intent to maim, and he yelped like a kicked puppy at the impact.  She didn’t hesitate to continue her onslaught, stomping down on his sneaker-clad foot with all the force she could muster.

His roar of pain and outrage should have warned her, but she was too intent on her freedom.

With the ferocity of a wounded bear, he spun and savagely hurled her away from him, sending her reeling into the full-size refrigerator.  Her ribs and shoulder received the full impact of the door handle, forcing the oxygen from her lungs in one agonizing ‘whoosh’.  Combined with the unbearable pounding her head, she worried that she may black out from the excruciating pain. 

God, no.  Please!!!  I may be carrying Richie’s baby.  I need to protect it!

Clinging to the handle, she remained upright only by sheer force of will.  She blinked her eyes furiously, and struggled to focus on her surroundings. 

Keep it together Allegra. 

With great effort, she finally zeroed in on the coffee pot that was just a few feet away.  She could smash it in his face and run.  Not exactly rational, but she was well beyond that stage by now. 

She had taken the first halting step when she heard his voice directly behind her.

“Stop right there ya goddamn cunt!  I would’ve liked having ya struggle under me, but I’m fuckin’ tired of this heroic bullshit.  Say goodnight…”

“Mmpfh!”  The hot poker of pain shot from the base of her skull to all points north, south, east and west.  There was no place in her body that didn’t feel the agonizing blow that had just been delivered.  She took one more tottering step before her body gave up all pretense of obeying her commands and crumpled to the floor. 

Her head bounced a single time on the linoleum, and she registered the smell of floor cleaner just before everything went black.