Karly laughed when the hundred-pound shepherd nudged her aside as she placed his food bowl on the floor. “Brutus, mind your manners.” She rubbed the large male’s stiff ears. The smaller border collie mix ignored the food. He was more interested in busting out of the place.

“Hedge, I’ll take you for a walk later.”

A menacing growl and focused stare from Brutus made her turn.

“Hello, sweetness.”

Karly’s heart pounded in her ears. “How did you get in here?”

The man on the other side of the kennel gate laughed. The low, menacing rumble made the hair on her arms stand on end. He looked like a gangbanger. A heavy chain hanging out of his back pocket. Low-riding, loose-fitting jeans that potentially hid a gun, knife, drugs, or just about anything else.

“Who are you?”

Even when he smiled, the demonic, tattooed face told her he wasn’t interested in adopting an animal. In fact, he wasn’t interested in doing anything she wanted to help with. He wrapped his fingers through the wire fence. “Now, isn’t that an interesting question?”

She eased away from the gate. “What do you want?” The demand emerged as a parched squeak. She couldn’t swallow.

Brutus stood in front of her, growling, snapping his teeth, but his behavior didn’t frighten her. He was doing what he was bred to do: protect.

Tattoo man retrieved a gun out of the back of his pants. “I came to play.” His mouth twisted into a snarling smile.

Karly moved toward the back wall and glanced at the dog door. She’d never fit. “I don’t want to play.”

“That’s too bad.” He aimed the gun at Brutus. “Come out now, coño, or I shoot the dog.”

No. She held out a hand. “Don’t shoot.” Her mind raced to find options.

Tattoo man rotated the gun sideways, his index finger resting on top. “Come on, then. I don’t have all day.”

Karly moved to the gate. “You promise not to shoot?”

“I promise.” He took a step back. His black and yellow tattooed face reminded her of a serpent’s head... fitting, since his blood must be pure, unadulterated venom.

She lifted the gate latch and, as she started to swing the gate open, she drew upon every ounce of willpower she could find and slammed it wide open, knocking him back.

Run. Her mind screamed.

She fought for air.

Pop. Pop. Brutus, nooooo. Pop. Hedge!

The screaming cries of the dogs nearly destroyed her.

What have I done?

Blood pooled around Brutus’s head. Both dogs lay on the floor, unmoving.

When the stalker took a step in her direction, she yanked the container of dog food over and bolted for the front door.

Boom-boom-boom. Her heartbeat pounded in her ears.

She grabbed the front door handle and pushed. Locked. Key? Where were the keys? The office.

Her feet slapped against the linoleum floor while she pulled the phone out of her back pocket. She tried to run and dial at the same time, but messed up, hit the delete key and tried again.

Tattoo man’s cackles thickened the air around her, making breathing and moving hard.

Grabbing her keys, she turned. All she could see was a wall of man in the hallway. She raced into her office and locked the door. She tried again to phone for help, but the cell slipped out of her hands and hit the floor.

Grief over Brutus and Hedge nearly drowned her, but the handle of the office door jiggled.

Window. Get out. Now.

Dragging the chair over to the filing cabinet, she stood on the chair seat.

Pop. Pop. Pop. Bullets splintered the door.

She shoved with all her might to push open the window, but it wouldn’t budge. Her hands shook as she tried the latch again. Just as the window gave way, a hand closed around her ankle.

“Let’s play.”

“No.” She kicked back, “Stay away from me.”

Another hand grabbed her other leg and yanked hard.

Her grip on the window slipped.

A scream welled from her core, but she lost her balance, bounced off the chair, and collapsed on the floor, the breath knocked out of her.

Tattoo man grabbed her hair and gave it a painful twist. “No more running.”

“P-please let me go.”

“Don’t worry. I’m going to let you go. In fact, I’m going to make you disappear.”

Disappear?

He crushed her phone with the heel of his boot. All hope of rescue was gone. Terror paralyzed her, body and mind.

“Come on. Let’s go play.”

He hauled her to her feet. With his arm around her neck, his gun to her head, she didn’t dare move. He pushed her toward the back entrance.

“Please don’t hurt me. Where are you taking me?”

His hot breath made the skin on the back of her neck shrivel away from him. “I’m taking you to paradise.”

She gagged, swamped by the foul odors of tobacco and licorice on his breath.

Noooo. This can’t be happening.

“Move! That way.”

The back door was coming up fast. Don’t let him take you. The defense instructor’s instructions came back. Fight. Kick. Punch. Anything to get away.

Two steps away from the door, she mentally prepared. She could do this. She would survive.

A prick on her neck made her swat at the sting. She looked behind her.

“Easy there, coño.”

“What did you just do?”

“I sent you to paradise.”

The room dimmed.

Legs turned to water.

Can’t swallow.

No… Oh, God, no.