Once bytten

One

2019It was pitch black and bullets were flying all around. James had no idea where his NVGs had gone and it didn’t look like he had the time to look for them. He needed to find cover. Fast. Another volley. From the right. James swung to the left and landed on something soft. Nothing was ever soft in Afghanistan. Even the sand that looked soft and silky from afar was prickly and itchy. He blinked, trying to make sense of his surroundings. Blue numbers stared back at him from what seemed like a small table. 03:45. 

James rubbed a hand over his face, the stubble helping to calm his racing heart a little bit. The shapes around him looked more like bedroom furniture than a truck in the desert. He brushed his fingers through the therapeutic length of his hair, just skimming the tops of his shoulders. He was no longer in the army, no longer in Afghanistan.

The millions of lights that kept New York City awake through the night had become an anchor for him. Keeping him grounded to reality. He walked to the glass wall that overlooked Central Park and soaked in the sight. Very, very few people could afford the luxury of that sight and he was glad to be one of them. He pulled on his sweats and a hoodie. There was no way he was going back to sleep, might as well make good use of the quiet city, and get his run in. 

Stepping out of the deliciously warm lobby, he pulled in a deep, freezing breath and started off on a slow jog which quickly built up in pace. Powering down E 79th street, he almost missed the little shop with the lights on. 

When the light and the slight figure inside the shop finally registered, James turned around and made his way back. The girl was furiously whipping something in a large bowl, completely oblivious to everything else. The soldier in him reared his head. It was unacceptable for anyone to have such a total disregard for situational awareness.

His mind made up, he walked up to the glass door and pushed it in. At least the woman had the sense to lock the door. She was clearly listening to music for she hadn’t noticed him standing at the door, or his first attempt at opening it. He took a moment to study the small shop and the woman inside. 

It looked like a bakery or a coffee shop with a seating capacity of about six or eight inside and she must put up a couple of tables on the sidewalk on good days. There were a couple of such shops on the first floor of his building, so he was pretty certain there was a light switch on the left on the door. 

His attention shifted to the woman. She looked tiny and wholly incapable of taking care of herself. And yet she was still unaware of his presence, a mere few feet from her. His temper rose another few notches. She was taking risks that could get her killed. It was time someone taught her a lesson. 

He rapped on the door. Startled green eyes snapped up to him as the woman dropped the thing she’d been beating around in the bowl; her hand going to her throat. If nothing else, her animal instincts were still alive! He gave her a full smile, making sure it reached his eyes. That smile had a long and successful record of drawing in women. 

Her hands dropped down to the sides of her apron and she clutched it until her knuckles turned white. Her eyes yo-yoed between him and the door handle as she took a couple of steps back. James waved at her and mouthed, “Hi.”

He could see her delicate throat work as she swallowed. Her grip on the apron loosened and she shook her head. Wise girl. But could she stand her ground? Her life could depend on it. But was she aware of that fact? James wasn’t going to leave until he found out. 

He kept the smile in place and rattled the door handle again, more for effect than anything else, and mouthed, “Please.” 

Her hands let go of the apron and she laced her fingers together in front of her stomach. She took a step forward and James’ smile almost slipped with fury. She was going to open the door. b****y woman! 

“What do you want?” she asked. He could hear it faintly through the door. 

“I came out for a jog. Didn’t realise how cold it is today. Could you, maybe, give me a cup of coffee? I know you are not yet open, but it is really bad out here today and I am quite a bit from home.”

He felt her eyes on him like an almost physical touch. He knew he looked like what he was. A wealthy man out for a jog. He crossed his arms across his chest, jammed his hands in his armpit,s and rocked up on the balls of his feet. He wasn’t cold, but he needed to keep up appearances. He knew she’d lost when she unlaced her fingers, wiped her hands on the apron, and walked tentatively toward the door. He kept the benign smile pasted on his face while his whole body was coiled, ready for action. He’d done this millions of times, only this time, he needed to be sure to control his strength. It’d be too easy to break the fragile neck.

She unlocked the door, took a deep breath, and opened it wide, “Come on in.”

In a flash, she drowned in darkness and found herself pinned to the glass front of the shop with a vice around her throat. She scratched at the fingers cutting off her air. She could still breathe, but barely. She knew the man was using but a fraction of his strength which meant that he didn’t want her to die. And that thought scared her even more. 

James eased his hold on her throat, but moved in closer, crushing her between his body and the glass. Placing his forearm on the glass near her head, he leaned down, his lips nearly brushing her ear, and said, “You foolish woman.”

A warm tear plopped on his hand and he realized his grip was still too strong. He moved his hand from her throat to the other side of her head, boxing her in, not allowing her any wiggle room, “Now. I am going to let you go and switch the light on. We are then going to have a talk. If you fuckin’ scream, you’ll be dead before the sound reaches the end of the street. Do you understand?” 

“Yes,” she whispered. Her voice came out scratchy and he winced. He’d throttled her too hard.

He switched on the light and moved away. She stayed put. Shoving his hands into his pockets, James leaned against the display stand. 

“What’s your name?” He asked, taking in the trembling girl for the first time. He’d been right about her height, or lack thereof. She didn’t exactly come up to his shoulder and would probably not tip the scale over a hundred pounds sopping wet. One thing was clear though. She was stunning. From her slim yet full figure, to her bow-shaped mouth, her moss green eyes, and raven black hair, to her porcelain skin, she was absolutely, f*****g, stunning. 

Her eyes flashed and she tipped her chin up, “What are you planning to do to me?”

He had to smile at that. “Not the answer I was looking for. But I'll humor you. If I wanted to do something to you, I’d not be standing here talking to you. Now, your name?” 

“Then why? What was the point of all this?” She ended in a fit of cough. 

He didn’t like to see her suffer because of him. But he’d take it if the alternative was some scumbag killing her, or worse because she couldn’t be bothered to be careful. But two could play the game. 

“Would you rather I had planned to kill you? After r****g you?”

She flinched, but her eyes stayed on his. He raised a brow and she looked away. 

“Ella.”

“That wasn’t so hard, was it, Ella?” James goaded.

“Get out!” she hissed at him and nearly jumped when he let out a deep rumble of a laugh. 

“How da…” 

“Because you were stupid enough to open the door to a complete stranger, in the middle of the night, when you are all alone!” His sharp voice whipped through her indignation. 

Ella looked away, finding a spot somewhere on the floor that needed mopping because she’d been too tired yesterday. “It is a really cold morning!” She tried to justify herself but it fell flat even to her own ears.

“Correct. And it was your life or mine. You chose mine, now I get to do whatever I choose with your’s,” his voice fell to an ominous low which had the fine hair on Ella’s neck stand up. 

For the first time since he’d let her go, she moved to put more distance between the man and herself. “You’re not being fair. You know it’s not so black and white.” Her voice barely carried the distance of the small shop. 

“Defenceless and helpless people never get a fair deal, Ella. I am sure you’ve learned that lesson already,” his voice dripped sarcasm as he let his eyes undress her shamelessly.

She stiffened, “I am not helpless. Or defenseless.” She pulled out a pepper spray from a pocket hidden somewhere either on her apron or the jeans. The way the jeans fit her, James was inclined to think it was the apron. The woman was truly priceless. She had the spray pointed at him, declared she was not defenseless, and had left her attacker standing. She was far too trusting for her own good. His hands balled into fists by his sides.

Fast as a whip, he was on to her, caught her wrist, twisted her arm, and had it pinned to her back, with her front pinned to him. 

“And just like that, you lost the one chance you had of using that weapon of yours.”

Ella closed her eyes as the man’s warm breath whispered over her face. She’d never be able to understand how people could hurt others without hurting themselves. 

“I understand what you’re telling me. But that’s why I didn’t spray you. Like you said, if you wanted to hurt me, I’d not be standing here talking to you,” she tried to explain. 

“You understand nothing,” he snapped and let her go. “Ever heardself-defenseence classes? There are tons in this city, some especially for women. Do a favor to yourself and get enrolled in one.” He stalked to the door and jerked it open.

“Lock the door behind me. And next time, don’t let a stranger in,” he threw over his shoulder before loping out of sight. It took all the will power he had to not look back at the stunned woman. Ella. The name suited her somehow. 

He’d only planned to show her the importance of being aware of her surroundings and to not trust strangers. However, walking away from the shop, he knew this wouldn’t be the last time he’d see her. Her ring finger was bare, which made her fair game.  

Ella stared at the empty space the man left behind. It took her a while to wake up to the empty shop and lock the door. She wanted to rant about how insane he was, but couldn’t in all honesty, deny that he did have a point. And he’d proven it beyond any doubt. His words were ringing in her ears. It wasn’t the first time she’d been told to take self-defence classes and it was certainly not the first time she was seriously thinking about it. It’s just that there was so little time in the day!

She was an early riser, but four am was early even for her. After being on her feet for pretty much ten hours straight, all she wanted to do after folding up the last table and chair at three pm was to get her feet off the ground. She could do something on Sunday, but that was the only day she had to herself, and self-defence wasn’t something she wanted to do in her ‘me’ time.

The oven timer dinged, pulling her from her day-dreams. She’d better get on with the batch the man had interrupted. She cursed herself once again - she’d told him her name! She stumbled and steadied herself on the display counter. The speed, strength, and precision of his attack meant that he had to be a soldier of some description. She had first hand experience of all three which she wasn’t going to forget any time soon. What if…?

She didn’t dare finish the thought. If he was spec ops like Christian, it was a very small world up there in the top echelons of the US military. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She had her ‘go-bag’ packed for when Christian found her. He would find her eventually, she had no doubt about that. All Ella hoped for was a warning, so she could run before he caught her. 

She baked every morning and die-hard joggers jogged past every morning too. Why did this man decide to pull his stunt today? She desperately wanted to run upstairs, pick her bag, and leave the city. But she dug her heels in - she’d not run at the first sign of trouble. She’d built up a comfortable life in the last two years and she wouldn’t let Christian ruin it so easily!