Private Delights -

The muffled scream came out of nowhere and he stepped back to check his surroundings. When it repeated, he put his ear to the glass door.

Shit. It was inside. A woman spewed profanity and cried out in pain. He tried the door but it was still locked. Not sure why anyone was locked inside, he knocked on the door. If he was interrupting an early morning love call, he’d at least warn them of his presence. When he heard the female voice shout for help, he pulled his Maglite from his belt and tapped hard on the glass panel next to the lock. At the second tap, the glass cracked and fell into the building’s foyer. Nowhere near a silent entry, but he was in.

              The screams continued and he raced in that direction.

A man was wrapped around a woman, her arms pinned to her body while she kicked back at his shins. The way she moved kept the assailant from getting to the open door across the hall, even though he was taller and bulkier than she. Her eyes widened when Steve neared, fear intensifying, but he laid a finger across his lips and turned his focus to her attacker.

Years of combat training took him in a few silent steps to the man’s side. Using the handle end of the flashlight, he popped the man’s head and he went down like a rock. The woman flung her body forward, ending up on her knees.