Читать книгу Colton Baby Homecoming - Lara Lacombe - Страница 11

Chapter 5

“No!”

Darcy took a step back, her heart in her throat as she faced down the masked intruder who had forced his way into Ridge’s home.

He lunged for her but she sidestepped, narrowly avoiding his grasp. He grunted in frustration and pressed forward, leaving her no choice but to back away.

“Give me the baby,” he demanded. His hands were everywhere, grabbing and grasping for any kind of hold. Darcy kicked out but he dodged the blow and kept coming.

Penny barked and growled, darting in to snap at the man and then pulling away again. She was doing a nice job distracting him, but it wasn’t in the dog’s nature to be vicious and she seemed reluctant to commit to a bite that might actually hurt him. The intruder seemed to sense her hesitation and lashed out, landing a solid punch to Penny’s shoulder. She yelped and skittered away but then darted back in to snap at his hands, trying her best to protect her master’s home.

Darcy took advantage of Penny’s antics to move farther away from the threat. The man was blocking her access to the door, so she darted to the other side of the room and set the baby on the recliner, freeing up her hands so she could better defend herself and the baby. Then she turned back to face the man, her eyes scanning the room for something, anything she could use as a weapon.

A baseball bat was propped up next to the front door, mocking her. It was too far away to be of any use, but maybe there was something else? She took a step forward, intending to draw the intruder away from the baby. Her foot landed on something hard, and she glanced down to find a large rawhide bone lying next to Penny’s bed. Darcy scooped it up and held it high, ready to strike. It wasn’t much, but it was solid and the edges had been gnawed down to a fine blade that she might be able to use as a type of knife. He’d have to get close for her to use it, but it was better than nothing.

Penny was trying her best to keep the man occupied, but he had made his way over to the other side of the room, closer to the baby. Darcy had to get him away from the little one, but how? A frontal attack wouldn’t work—he was too big for her to stand a chance. She would have to come in from the side and gain the upper hand by attacking from his blind spot. But that meant leaving the baby undefended.

Where is Ridge? She screamed out again, hoping he would hear her this time. She couldn’t hold him off forever, and unless Ridge got here soon, the intruder was going to overpower her and take the baby.

It was now or never. Moving as stealthily as she could Darcy crept up alongside the intruder, trying to stay out of his line of sight as she approached. One step, two, and then she was there, within striking distance.

She lifted her makeshift weapon above her head and started to swing, but before she could make contact, the man turned. She saw the glint of satisfaction in his eyes and realized her mistake—he’d known what she was doing all along!

He kicked out, his foot smashing into her left shin bone. Pain exploded at the site, a viscous, black thing composed of tendrils of agony that wrapped around her leg and threatened to take over her whole consciousness. She sucked in a deep breath and pushed back against the darkness. If she fell down, it was all over.

She swung wildly with the dog bone but missed him. To make matters worse, the gesture put her off balance and she listed dangerously to the side. Gravity took hold and she felt herself going down. Desperate to stay on her feet, she scrabbled for some kind of support. Her hand made contact with the back of a chair and she pulled herself up, but her leg wasn’t going to hold her weight much longer.