Payback
From FEARLESS ™Payback
GAIA
When I was five, my baby-sitter, Claire, took me to see my first movie. It was already dark when we came out of the theater, so we started walking toward this big intersection two blocks down where we were sure we could catch a cab.
I was still feeling dazzled by the memory of the music and the big colorful screen when a huge, heavyset man stepped out of a doorway and yanked Claire into the hallway of a nearby brownstone. At that moment I remember being startled and feeling worried about Claire, but I never -- not even for a minute -- felt scared.
I watched silently as the man shoved a rag into Claire's mouth and began dragging her up the stairs. And instead of running for help like any other kid would have done, I followed the attacker as he dragged Claire, kicking and clawing, up four flights. The guy never even looked around to see where I'd gone.
When we got to the roof, he started tearing off Claire's clothes and fumbling with his belt. Of course, I didn't know what that meant at the time, but I knew fear when I saw it, and it was written all over Claire's face. At that moment I start ... read full excerpt from Payback ebook
