Safe Haven

Chapter 3

Taking a deep breath, she dropped the weight of her body close to the floor.

The man's split second of surprise was all she needed. Yanking an arm free, she spun around, punching him hard and fast in his throat.

He let go of her and staggered backward.

Hayley pivoted, striking the side of his kneecap with her heel. Ignoring his howl of pain, she lunged forward again, kicking his groin as if it were a wooden door.

He staggered backward and she ran into the main corridor, frantically looking for Tank and her mom.

A security guard rushed toward her. "Are you all right?"

"A man tried to kidnap me. He's down there." Hayley pointed to the corridor and searched for Tank.

The guard yelled something over his shoulder and ran past her.

She couldn't see her mom or Tank; couldn't see anything except the worried faces of the people around her.

Another man in a uniform ran toward her. "Come with me. I'll take you to the medical center."

She wasn't going anywhere with someone she didn't know. "I need to find my mom."

"Another security guard has taken her to the doctor."

Hayley looked around the mall. "I don't believe you." She put her hand in her pocket and held onto her pepper spray. No one would get near her again.

"Hayley?"

She turned around and rushed toward Tank. Blood dripped down the side of his face, splashing a red tide of color against his shirt. "Are you okay?"

"I'll survive. Are you hurt?"

She shook her head.

"Let's go."

He held her arm and ran toward an elevator. The guard followed them and Tank pushed the button for the second floor.

"Is Mom all right?" She took a handful of tissues out of her pocket. "Hold still." Tank didn't move while she held the tissues over the gash on the side of his head.

"She got more of a fright than anything. Oww, that hurts."

"It's supposed to stop the bleeding. You need stitches."

If Tank's face wasn't pale before, it definitely was now. "I'll be okay. I've got some butterfly clips in my first-aid kit."

"Butterfly clips won't help." She looked at the open wound before replacing the tissues against his head. "You need antibiotics and pain relief. Between the cut and the bruising, you're going to have a huge headache."

He took the tissues out of her hand and held them against his head. "I'm sorry."

"What for?"

"I shouldn't have let anyone get close to you."

"It's not your fault. You were right behind us."

He leaned against the elevator wall. "I'm supposed to be looking after you. It shouldn't have happened."

"Someone hit the side of your head. They knew you were protecting us. You're lucky they didn't shoot you."

The elevator stopped and the guard looked at them. "You were both lucky no one had a gun. The medical center is down this way. The police will want you to talk to you."

She looked at Tank's head.

"I'm not having stitches," he muttered.

"You're supposed to keep us safe. You can't do that if you die from blood loss."