one was going to hear her. No one was coming to help her. Where was Skulduggery?
The man lifted her off the hood and slammed her down again. Stephanie cried out in pain, and the man leaned in, his right forearm pressed beneath her chin. “I’ll snap your scrawny neck,” he hissed.
“I don’t know anything about a key!” Stephanie gasped.
“If you don’t know anything, you’re of no use to me and I’ll kill you here.”
She looked up at that horribly twisted face, and she stopped trying to pull his hands away and instead dug her thumb into the bullet hole in his shoulder. He screamed and let her go and staggered back, cursing, and Stephanie rolled off the car and ran to the Bentley. Skulduggery was pounding at the door, but it had buckled underthe impact, trapping his leg.
“Go!” he shouted at her through the broken window. “Get away!”
She glanced back, saw a figure loom up, and pushed herself away from the car. She slipped on the wet road but scrambled to her feet and ran, the man right behind her, clutching his injured shoulder.
He lunged. She ducked, caught a streetlight, and swung herself from her course, and the man shot by her and sprawled onto the pavement. She took off the opposite way, passing the two cars and running on. The street was too long, too wide, and there was nowhere she could lose him. She turned off into a narrow lane and sprinted into the shadows.
She heard him behind her, heard the footsteps that seemed to be moving much more quickly than her own. She didn’t dare look back; she didn’t want the fear that was lending her speed to suddenly sabotage her run. It was too dark to make out anything ahead of her; she couldn’t see one arm’s length ahead. She could be about to run smack into a wall and she wouldn’t—
Wall.
She twisted at the last moment and got herhands up and hit the wall, then pushed away, kicking off without losing too much momentum, continuing around the corner. The man couldn’t see in the dark any better than she could, and she heard him hit the wall and yell out a curse.
Up ahead was a break in the darkness. She saw a taxi pass. The man slipped and stumbled behind her—she was getting away. All she had to do was run up to the nearest person she could find, and the man wouldn’t dare follow her.
Stephanie plunged out of the shadows and screamed for help, but the taxi was gone and the street was empty. She screamed again, this time in desperation. The streetlights tinted everything orange and stretched her shadow out before her, and then there was another shadow moving up behind. She threw herself to one side as the man barreled past, narrowly missing her.
The canal was ahead, the canal that flowed through the city. She ran for it, aware that the man was once again behind her and gaining fast.
She felt his fingers on her shoulder. The first touch was fleeting, but the second was a grip. His hand curled around her shoulder and tightened just as she reached the edge of the canal, and shemanaged to throw herself forward before he could drag her back. She heard a panicked shriek from behind and realized she had pulled him after her, and then the freezing water enveloped them both.
The cold stunned her for a moment, but she fought it and kicked out.
She clutched at water and dragged it down to her sides, just the way she had done countless times off the Haggard beach. Now she was moving up, up to where the lights were.
She broke the surface with a gasp and turned her head, saw the man struggling, flailing his arms in terror.
For a moment she thought he couldn’t swim, but it was more than that. The water was hurting him, working through him like acid, stripping pieces of him away. His cries became mere guttural sounds, and she watched as he came apart and was silent and most dead.
She turned from the bits of him that floated to her and plowed through the water. Her hands and feet were already numb with the cold, but she kept going until his remains
The man lifted her off the hood and slammed her down again. Stephanie cried out in pain, and the man leaned in, his right forearm pressed beneath her chin. “I’ll snap your scrawny neck,” he hissed.
“I don’t know anything about a key!” Stephanie gasped.
“If you don’t know anything, you’re of no use to me and I’ll kill you here.”
She looked up at that horribly twisted face, and she stopped trying to pull his hands away and instead dug her thumb into the bullet hole in his shoulder. He screamed and let her go and staggered back, cursing, and Stephanie rolled off the car and ran to the Bentley. Skulduggery was pounding at the door, but it had buckled underthe impact, trapping his leg.
“Go!” he shouted at her through the broken window. “Get away!”
She glanced back, saw a figure loom up, and pushed herself away from the car. She slipped on the wet road but scrambled to her feet and ran, the man right behind her, clutching his injured shoulder.
He lunged. She ducked, caught a streetlight, and swung herself from her course, and the man shot by her and sprawled onto the pavement. She took off the opposite way, passing the two cars and running on. The street was too long, too wide, and there was nowhere she could lose him. She turned off into a narrow lane and sprinted into the shadows.
She heard him behind her, heard the footsteps that seemed to be moving much more quickly than her own. She didn’t dare look back; she didn’t want the fear that was lending her speed to suddenly sabotage her run. It was too dark to make out anything ahead of her; she couldn’t see one arm’s length ahead. She could be about to run smack into a wall and she wouldn’t—
Wall.
She twisted at the last moment and got herhands up and hit the wall, then pushed away, kicking off without losing too much momentum, continuing around the corner. The man couldn’t see in the dark any better than she could, and she heard him hit the wall and yell out a curse.
Up ahead was a break in the darkness. She saw a taxi pass. The man slipped and stumbled behind her—she was getting away. All she had to do was run up to the nearest person she could find, and the man wouldn’t dare follow her.
Stephanie plunged out of the shadows and screamed for help, but the taxi was gone and the street was empty. She screamed again, this time in desperation. The streetlights tinted everything orange and stretched her shadow out before her, and then there was another shadow moving up behind. She threw herself to one side as the man barreled past, narrowly missing her.
The canal was ahead, the canal that flowed through the city. She ran for it, aware that the man was once again behind her and gaining fast.
She felt his fingers on her shoulder. The first touch was fleeting, but the second was a grip. His hand curled around her shoulder and tightened just as she reached the edge of the canal, and shemanaged to throw herself forward before he could drag her back. She heard a panicked shriek from behind and realized she had pulled him after her, and then the freezing water enveloped them both.
The cold stunned her for a moment, but she fought it and kicked out.
She clutched at water and dragged it down to her sides, just the way she had done countless times off the Haggard beach. Now she was moving up, up to where the lights were.
She broke the surface with a gasp and turned her head, saw the man struggling, flailing his arms in terror.
For a moment she thought he couldn’t swim, but it was more than that. The water was hurting him, working through him like acid, stripping pieces of him away. His cries became mere guttural sounds, and she watched as he came apart and was silent and most dead.
She turned from the bits of him that floated to her and plowed through the water. Her hands and feet were already numb with the cold, but she kept going until his remains
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