KNOCKOUT Read Online Free

window. I struggled and squirmed against his substantial weight. I put everything I had into it but his strength was too much.
    He reached for my neck. I tried to push him away but my one free hand couldn’t match his. His fingers found my throat and slipped to either side. He bared down with a crushing grip.
    I flung myself spasmodically back and forth, putting every last bit I had into surviving. The fight was draining the life out of me. My struggle for oxygen was real. As I focused all of my energy on staying conscious his fingers started to probe and tug at the button on my jeans.
    I’m let my eyes relax. My will to fight wasn’t gone, but my ability was. How could this happen to me? Things like this don’t exist in my world. I wanted my mind to go to a happier place, to block out what was about to transpire. That’s when my gaze fell beyond my attacker’s shoulder and came to rest on a heroic face. Staring back at me with eyes full of concern and rage was a man I knew I’d never met. Somehow, he still seemed vaguely familiar.
    The rest happened in a blur. The man from outside ripped the door open, almost taking it clean off its hinges. He pulled my attacker away, freeing my fragile body.
    I scrambled to a sitting position, hugging my knees to my chest. It was like a scene from an action movie. This guy -my savior- was pummeling the would-be rapist into dust. Sharp, bad-intentioned punches were coming one after another, raining down on his head.
    He dragged him from the car by the collar of his shirt and flung him against the building. Rick hadn’t made a sound. I think he was having as much trouble figuring this out a I was.
    In the moonlight, I got an unobstructed look at my hero. He was tall and lean, maybe 6’3” with big shoulders and thick, defined arms... A modern day Spartan with dark hair and piercing, angry eyes.
    I managed to squeak out a sound which caused him to turn his attention in my direction. The intensity in his face nearly melted me to the ground. He had a strong jaw and a couple of days’ worth of stubble the gave his handsome face a hint of ruggedness.
    With my hero’s attention solely on me, my captor took the opportunity to scramble away like a frightened child. The mystery man snapped his head around and started to give chase toward the entrance of the alley. I ran after him, reaching the main street and shouting loudly.
    “Wait… please! Don’t leave me alone out here.”
    He stopped in his tracks and came back to me begrudgingly as the filthy man moved out of sight.
    “What the hell is going on?” he said. “Do you know that fuckin’ guy?”
    “No, I… he grabbed me near the Stop ‘n Go on 22 nd . He made me get in his car and brought me here. He was trying to…” I trailed off as the magnitude of the situation settled in my chest.
    “You saved me,” I said, having a hard time maintaining eye contact. Out of sheer habit I sucked my lower lip and arched my back.
    “You shouldn’t be out alone so late. You know that’s not smart right? Are you okay?”
    “Yeah, I think I’m fine. Maybe a bump or a bruise here and there but I’m tough.” I said.
    “We need to call the police… I don’t carry a phone when I’m out running. Where’s yours?” he asked.
    “On the street where he grabbed me,” I replied. I turned and looked back into the dark alley toward the car.
    “I think I saw a cellphone in the car...”
    I took a step back into the alley but gasped when a strong hand grasped at my shoulder.
    “Stop. Someone else is back there,” he said, peering into the darkness. All I could hear was the idling engine of the old Buick. Before I could protest, the engine roared. The wheels screamed as it spun round, high beams blinding me as I stood in directly in its path like some kind of stunned animal.
    “Get out of the way!”
    I screamed as he pushed me aside just in time to watch the car come tearing past, speeding away.
    “Who the fuck was that?” the man