The Air Singer (The Cantors) by K. Huber Read Free Book Online Page A

attack. She underestimated him. She never would have given a stranger the opportunity to drug her. She would have gotten physical. She should have stepped on his foot or kicked his groin. She should have gone for his eyes instead of just flailing her arms at his head.
    Should’ve, would’ve, could’ve. You don’t let your clients dwell on the past; only learn from it.
    Deciding to take a refresher course in self-defense at the community center next week, she put the dryer back in the cabinet under the sink, used some concealer, blush and mascara to brighten her face, and headed to her room to get dressed. Weekends brought in new customers to the shop and she liked to look the part of a psychic reader. Long skirts or dresses dominated her weekend wardrobe. After last night, she picked out jeans with a nice top. She took a final look in the full-length mirror on the inside of her bedroom door and realized that her lip-gloss was in her purse. Opening the door to the family room, she felt a slight breeze move her hair away from her face. She never opened windows this late in the season and the air conditioner was not running at that moment.
    Alerted that something was not right, she stopped moving forward and let her shields drop. The nausea hit her hard and fast. Her heart raced as she felt two energies in the space outside her bedroom. She recognized Sean’s at once as flashes of his dark eyes appeared in her mind. The other appeared new, but shadowed with ill intent.
    She wanted to call the police, but her phone sat in her purse on the kitchen counter. She could scream and hope that a neighbor would check on her before the intruders captured her. No, surprise was her one advantage right now and she didn’t want to give it up. She looked back in her room trying to find something to use as a weapon. Pictures of nature scenes adorned the walls of her room while small statues of religious deities and a variety of rocks and gems decorated every available surface. Her eyes widened as they rested on a stone sitting on the bottom shelf of her nightstand; a piece of rough black onyx that weighed about three pounds. It was small enough to fit in her hand but heavy enough to add some weight to her punches. She planned to knock one of them out immediately and hope to startle the other enough to grab her purse and run outside. Holding the rock in her hands, she closed her eyes and tried to sense where the men were in her apartment. She felt a darkness lurking in the corner near the front door and another near the entrance to her bedroom. If she didn’t want to lose the element of surprise, she had to act now.
    Taking a deep breath a nd lifting the rock high above her, she burst out of the room screaming like an amazon and attacked the nearest intruder with a solid hit to the back of his head. Letting out a cry, he crumpled to the floor and Tally recognized Sean. She ran to the kitchen counter, grabbed her purse with her free hand and turned to gauge her path to freedom. A man much larger than Sean stood between her and the door. Wearing a baseball cap and denim jacket, he towered over Tally and could probably bench press her for a warm up. He charged and Tally moved to the far counter near the butcher block, dropped her purse and grabbed a steak knife. Turning to face her attacker, he stopped just out of arm’s reach with a malicious grin that turned to a low whistle.
    “The guys will never believe that a little scamp like you took Sean out that easily.” He reached into his jacket and pulled out a stun gun. “Now drop the knife and come over here or you might have a little accident and cut yourself.”
    Tally froze , realizing she was trapped. Deciding she would not go quietly, she prepared to take a pound of his flesh with her. Armed with a blade in one hand and a stone in the other, Tally readied herself for a fight.
    Suddenly the front door slammed against the hinges and Roland exploded into the room. With her assailant’s