A Formidable Foe (Risky Research)

by Kim McMahill

  Her brained screamed for her to go straight, but her feet veered left. She pulled her cell phone out of her pocket. She had programmed the campus police number into her phone as the first contact.

  As she continued to walk, she feared and hoped that she had let her imagination get the best of her. It wasn’t smart to try to coax in a killer, but she had never backed down to anyone, anywhere in the world, and she wouldn’t rest until Amanda got justice.

  Devyn was approaching the last curve around the pond. In another hundred yards she would be back to the commonly traveled portion of the path. She was just about ready to admit she had been wrong about the long-haired man when she heard a rustling in the bushes behind her. She pressed the call button on her phone and then glanced over her shoulder like any wary woman would do upon hearing a similar noise.

  The man bolted out of the bush and hit her in the back, knocking her to the ground. The phone flew out of her hand. She wasn’t concerned since she had already pressed dial. When she let out a scream that she didn’t know she possessed, she hoped the phone had rung enough times for someone to have answered. Hopefully her severe distress was loud enough to get the campus police moving.

  Still screaming, she tried to scramble to her feet, but the man grabbed her ankle. Even through her panicked adrenaline surge, her self-defense training had her mind quickly assessing the situation. The man wasn’t big, so as long as he wasn’t armed and she could get out of his grasp, she was confident she could hold him off until someone arrived.

  She struggled toward the direction she lost her phone, hoping to get close enough to let anyone listening know where she was.

  “What do you want and why were you following me around the pond?” she screamed, hoping he wouldn’t realize she was talking to an open channel.

  The man’s vice-like hold felt as if it were crushing the bones in her ankle. Devyn tried to roll over so she could kick out with her feet, but it was impossible to move.

  He kept her on her stomach, but thankfully had to release her ankle as he inched his way up her body until he straddled her back. Panic rushed like a wave. She knew she was in a vulnerable position and needed to make a move soon before her strength waned or he got his iron grip around her neck.

  “I knew you would be more fun than your friend. Say you’re sorry and beg me to spare you,” he hissed in her ear.

  “Sorry for what? Do I know you? Did Amanda know you?”

  “Say you’re sorry.”

  “If a generic apology will make you leave, I’ll say it, but I doubt that will satisfy you.”

  Devyn’s panic level subsided somewhat. If she could keep this madman talking he would give her an opening or maybe the campus police officers were already en route.

  He laughed. “Women like you just can’t say the words. You walk all over everyone, but you’re never to blame for anything.”

  “I won’t totally disagree with you there. I seldom apologize. But, Amanda was a gentle soul. She never hurt anyone, why would you target her?”

  “That was a mistake. It was you all along. I should have known she wouldn’t be enough. There would be no satisfaction of taking someone so weak and compliant. Now, say you’re sorry and beg for your life.” He grabbed a fistful of her hair and yanked back hard.

  Severe pain radiated across her scalp, but she knew this might be her best opening. As he pulled back, lifting her torso off the ground, she was able to get her arms under her chest. With all her arm strength, she pushed up, bucking as much as she could.

  The quick burst upward caused the man to lose his balance. He rolled over backward, taking her with him.

  Devyn wasn’t sure if her situation had improved much. He had been sitting on her back with her face plastered into the grass, now he was lying on his back with his arms wrapped tightly around her stomach, squeezing the air out of her lungs. She was still in a position that made it impossible to throw a punch or land a kick, but he wasn’t in much of an offensive position either.

  “I want to hear you beg,” he demanded.

  She had taken a criminal psychology course a year ago. Her mind ran through tactics to handle a situation like this. If she begged he would still kill her. Would taunting him to make him angry enough to try something rash give her an opportunity to make a move? She doubted kindness, apologies, or begging would help. She had no doubt Amanda would have done whatever he asked, and he had still killed her. The thought of Amanda gave Devyn a surge of adrenaline and fueled her anger.

  “I won’t beg. I won’t apologize for anything, and I most certainly have no intention of stoking your apparently fragile ego. I’m not going to try to reason with you or tell you what you’ve become is not your fault. If you want to kill me, I say give it your best shot.”

  Her spiel got the results she had hoped for. He squeezed her tighter. It was hard to get a breath, but he soon realized he wasn’t going to squeeze her to death. When he shoved her away from him, she was ready.

  Devyn gained her feet quicker than the man and took a defensive stance. This time when he rushed her, she was ready. She sidestepped collision and tripped him. The man sprawled to the ground. He got up and had fire in his eyes. After an unsuccessful attempt at charging her, he began circling, trying to get close enough to grab her.

  Fresh out of sparring practice, keeping out of his reach was kids play. Devyn’s gaze bore into his eyes, and she watched as his expression changed from anger to doubt. Through the years she had learned to interpret body language and his screamed that he was about to bolt.

  The second he tried to turn and run, Devyn sprang, slamming him in the back, knocking him to the ground. As he scrambled to his feet, she kicked out and connected hard into his chest. He staggered backward, but kept his feet. She kicked out again, and he fell backwards, hitting the ground with a thud. Devyn jumped onto the stunned form and landed three quick jabs to his jaw.

  “Say you’re sorry for killing Amanda and those other women,” she snarled as she landed two more devastating punches. Tears began to flow down her face.

  The man was silent and had ceased to fight back.

  “Say you’re sorry,” Devyn screamed between tearful sobs as she continued to punish the man with one blow after another.

  Devyn didn’t hear the arrival of the police, and it took her a moment to quit struggling as two officers pulled her off the bloodied man. The officer quickly passed her off to a third man as they each took an arm of the man on the ground and pulled him to his feet.

  As Devyn regained her sense, she realized it was Brad who was holding her as she continued to sob. She hadn’t cried since her parent’s funeral, but she couldn’t seem to stop. It felt good to let go. When she had no more tears left to shed, she looked up at Brad.

  “I guess you really can take care of yourself. Lucky for him your call got through and I answered. Someone else might have hung up before you screamed out that you were at the pond, but I recognized your number.”

  “Is she OK?”

  Devyn turned around and saw they had been joined by Captain Gaines and two more local cops.

  “I hope so, but it wouldn’t hurt to take her to the hospital and make sure there is no internal bruising. Hopefully all this blood isn’t hers,” Brad replied.

  Devyn had no more fight left in her, so she let Brad guide her from the scene. She knew she would grieve for Amanda all over again. She couldn’t let her guard down before since she realized she might be next. Now that it was truly over, she’d have to find a way to move on.

  She doubted this incident would drive her into a life hidden from the world in a quaint countryside cottage near a small town with seldom a crime. Her upbringing had made her strong and self-sufficient. She was a fighter and a survivor.

  Devyn had told Brad she could protect herself, and tonight she proved to herself that she could, but there were plenty of people in the world who were vulnerable, and creeps like this preyed on the kinder gentler souls.

  “My patrol car is j
ust over there,” Captain Gaines said as he handed Devyn her cell phone.

  She stuffed the phone in her sweatshirt pocket and glared at the captain until he squirmed. Her anger simmered near boiling over, though her strength was spent.

  “Thank you,” Devyn hissed.

  “For the phone?” he asked.

  “No, for defining my purpose. I will never let anyone convince me not to trust my instincts. I was right, you were wrong. I lost Amanda, and I feel responsible. I shouldn’t have given up or let you shake my conviction for what I knew to be true. I will spend the rest of my life trying to atone.”

  Devyn dug into her front jeans pocket and pulled out her car keys and handed them to Brad.

  “You drive. He wouldn’t help when I needed it, and I don’t need him now.”

  Brad put his arm around her waist to lend support. She leaned her head against his shoulder as they slowly made their way to her car.

  “Where will you go from here, I mean after this is all settled?”

  “I don’t know. I can’t stay here with all the memories.”

  “Didn’t figure you could. I’ll put money on the CIA or FBI. It’s where you belong.”

  Devyn tried to smile, but it seemed like everything hurt. She’d miss Brad. With her parents and Amanda gone, he seemed to be the only one who understood her.

  “You know I’m going to miss you,” Devyn stated.

  “That’s what all the pretty girls say as they walk out of my life,” Brad replied playfully.

  “Sorry. I know I still owe you a dinner and a movie. If they don’t keep me in the hospital, can I buy you a burger?”

  “Since it’s all I’ll probably get, I’ll take it. We can even watch cheesy romance movies until you collapse in exhaustion.”

  “That’s the best offer I’ve gotten in a long time.”

  “Just wanted to let you know what you’re giving up before you go.”

  Devyn would promise to stay in touch, and she’d make an effort for a time, but she knew after she left, she may never find another “Brad.” He would move on a find a nice girl and be happy. She’d dedicate herself to her job, but the prospect of happiness seemed a world away.

  Don’t miss out!

  Grab your copy of The Risky Research Series today. Available wherever books are sold.

  A Dose of Danger

  When researcher Grace Talbot and her team discover a possible solution for weight loss they become targets of a group dedicated to controlling the multi-billion dollar a year diet-product industry.

  Her unsanctioned testing methods bring tragedy to the family ranch and the attention of the local sheriff's deputy.

  With her colleagues either dead, missing, or on the run she soon realizes she must trust the deputy with her life, but can she trust him with her heart?

  A Taste of Tragedy

  Morgan Hunter sacrificed everything for her career. She had yet to encounter anything she wasn't willing to do to succeed...until now.

  When she uncovers evidence that the healthy foods she's been hired to promote may be dangerous, she must reevaluate her priorities. As questions mount and the body count rises, she finds herself caught in the cross-hairs of an organization that will stop at nothing to hide its secrets and protect its profits.

  With no one else to trust, Morgan is forced to seek help from the man she drove away, but whom she never stopped loving...

  A Foundation of Fear

  FBI Special Agent Devyn Nash is obsessed with taking down Coterie, a deadly group out to control the multi-billion-dollar-a-year diet-product industry. The FBI's plan to expose Coterie places Devyn's best friend and her partner's fiancé in the crosshairs of this ruthless organization. Can Devyn protect her friend and bring the coldblooded killers to justice before they strike again while distracted by injury, a sexist bully, and a long-distance relationship with a handsome Wyoming sheriff?

  Lobbyist and Coterie assassin Sofia Wilks wants nothing more than to regain control of her life. Sofia knows Devyn is nipping at her heels, but the FBI agent isn't the worst of her fears. She is drawn to a man who has the power to destroy her.

  Other books by Kim McMahill

  Deadly Exodus

  Big Horn Storm

  Marked in Mexico

  Shrouded in Secrets

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