Full
Measure is one of those stories which has more than one villain. Each
of them is nasty, though some more than others, and each is strongly
motivated to get exactly what they want. This particular villain is a
hit man called Domino, who was hired to take out Daphne and Ralan, who have just escaped an explosion.
A
man in uniform approached her. He looked slightly familiar, but she
couldn't place him. Her ears rang and she was dizzy. The man was
tall, dark haired, with a penetrating gaze and a pleasant smile.
"Miss
Winstead?"
"Yes."
"Mr.
Hendrix is asking for you."
"He's
okay? Oh, thank God!" She almost hugged the man, but he dodged,
grinning.
"He's
fine. Follow me. I'll take you to him."
Daphne
looked around to see if any of the team were around. She didn't see
them. Hoping the man knew what he was talking about, she agreed.
Disoriented, her steps were unsteady. The man grasped her arm at the
elbow. His grip had a familiar feel, more of control than aid. A
tingle started at the base of her scalp as the hairs on her neck
rose. The man was leading her further from the crowd. Despite her
dizziness, Daphne realized she'd been tricked. She yanked her arm
away, but his grip tightened, fingers digging into her flesh.
His
dark eyes burned angrily. "Try it, girlie. Anything you can dish
out, I can take. I'm not a pushover like your boy."
"Ralan
will kill you if you hurt me."
"Ralan
isn't gonna kill anyone." He jerked her toward a nearby
building. Shoving her through the door, he propelled her toward an
idling SUV.
Pushing
her roughly in the back, he slammed the door. Daphne heard a groan
from behind her. She looked over the seat and saw Ralan sprawled in
the cargo space. His clothing was scorched and rumpled, his face
blackened, bruised and lacerated. Too horrified to speak, she stared
at him. His dark eyes flickered open and he winked one swollen lid,
adding a dramatic groan. A vestige his rakish smile twitched bloodied
lips.
"What
did you do to him?" she demanded loudly of her captor.
"Nothing
he wouldn't do to me given a chance."
"You
bastard!"
The
man had removed the uniform top and she saw his domino tie. He
smiled, eyes icy cold. "You'll think more of me later—much
later." He leered at her and Daphne had the uneasy feeling that
he intended to do horrible things to her while he made Ralan watch.
"You'll
regret it," Daphne said, lifting her chin defiantly.
"Regret
what?" his voice was as cold as his eyes, his accent reminding
her of a bad Dracula movie.
"Regret
hurting us."
"Oh,
I doubt that, darling." It sounded like darlink.
"Never
doubt me," Daphne said, her voice harsh.
She
sat back, arms folded across her chest, dark eyes glaring into
Domino's. He blinked, surprised, and withdrew slightly, her anger
following him across the seat. Daphne knew she and Ralan had the
advantage. Although he was harshly bound at wrists and ankles, she
wasn't.
©
2017 Dellani Oakes
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