"You're good, little girl. Not many can match me for speed."
Gabriel could. No doubt Stephan could as well. She hoped like hell he was listening in — no, make that running to the rescue. It had been nothing short of madness to ever think she could play this game with Orrin. The giant was too fast, too strong.
"As you said, we have something in common. Give it up, Orrin, while you still can."
"You're all talk, little girl. And if you're waiting for those others to come to the rescue, I have to tell you, five is not enough."
Fear slivered through her. "What are you talking about?"
He chortled. "Those five heartbeats that draw close. I sensed them ages ago, though I have to admit, I didn't feel you until you were really close."
Why? That was the question that needed to be answered — but she wasn't going to risk asking Orrin. The less the giant knew about her — or rather, her appalling lack of knowledge about her past and her skills — the better. "If you know they're there, you must know that you're never going to escape."
"They don't hold enough fire power to stop me."
"One laser set to full is enough to stop you, Orrin."
"But I am of the night. They can't see me. Only you can."
A point she'd mulled over not so long ago. "This is the SIU we're talking about here, Orrin. You think they don't have weapons to bring down rat-bait like you?"
He snarled, a sound that crawled across her skin, sending shivers up her spine. It was a malignant, angry noise.
"Then I'll just have to use you as a shield before I kill you."
"Not something I'm planning to let happen, I can tell you."
"Who said anythin' about choice?"
He rushed her again. Air surged from her left — a fist, looking for a target. She ducked and then swung the bar. Felt it caught in some gigantic vice before it was ripped from her hand.
She turned and ran. He didn't follow. Playing with his prey, enjoying the hunt, she thought.
She stopped at the far end of the room, her breath short gasps that tore at her throat. Fear, more than exertion.
He flung the bar to one side. It hit the wall hard enough to leave a dent and clattered to the floor. Halfway between herself and Orrin.
"Come get your toothpick, girlie."
Said the spider to the fly. "No, thanks. I'm comfortable right where I am."
He sighed. "You really aren't playing the game right, you know."
She flexed her fingers, trying to ease the tension knotting her limbs. Energy tingled across her fingertips, firefly bright in the darkness. Maybe she really didn't need the bar. Maybe she had a weapon primed and ready to go.
If only she could figure out how to use it without getting too close to Orrin.
"Fire won't hurt me, if that's what you're planning with that lighter."
He'd seen the brief dance of flames across her fingers, obviously. Overhead, thunder rumbled. The storm was close, so close. She could feel the vibrations of it shuddering through her soul.
Orrin swept toward her again. She ducked away, but this time he was ready for it. His fist connected against her chin and sent her flying. She hit the concrete with a grunt, the air leaving her lungs in a whoosh. For a moment, stars fizzed across her vision.
Then she felt the wind of Orrin's approach. She scrambled upright and staggered away. He stopped.
"I haven't had a good fight in ages," he said, almost wistfully. "Perhaps I shall kill you fast at the end, just to show my appreciation."
"Gee, thanks." She gingerly touched her chin. Blood dripped from a cut a good two inches long. Orrin must be wearing a ring of some kind.