“Oh yeah?” he sneered. “I don’t think you’re in any position to be making threats, officer,” Cottins rejoindered sarcastically. “And I’ll do what I please. I’m a little upset right now because she’s complicated my plans.”

Hilly struggled in the man’s grasp, but he cuffed her in the face, sending her spinning across the room to stop a few feet away.

Clearly, Nel had seen enough.

She leaped at the man, teeth snapping. Cottins yelped in pain as she tore into his bicep, but when she wouldn’t let go, he punched her with his free hand, and she went sprawling with a pained whine.

“Nel!” Hilly screamed.

“Call your dog off, Hilly, or I’ll end her, I swear it,” Cottins spat.

Hilly knew by now that Cottins meant business.

Trembling, she addressed her best girl. “Go home, Nel. Home.”

The dog clearly understood the command, but sat down stubbornly. She didn’t want to obey.

Hilly, like Cisco, fully realized what was at stake if her pup didn’t follow orders.

“Bad dog, Nel.” A sob escaped Hilly with the lie. “Go home.”

Nel gazed at Hilly with sorrowful eyes, but Hilly purposely set her features to stern. Finally, Nel turned, and with one last growl at Cottins, she slunk from the shack

Cisco clenched his teeth and spat. “You’ve just signed your death warrant, old man.”

Cottins fingered his bleeding bite, then angrily grabbed Hilly up by the collar of her shirt and shook her like a ragdoll.

“You’ve caused me too much fucking grief, cunt, and now you’ll pay.”

Cisco saw a spark of fire enter Hilly’s eyes at Cottins’ rough treatment, and taking what she’d previously learned, as well as what she’d taken away from Cisco’s self-defense courses, she immediately went into action. She stomped hard on Cottins’ foot before jamming her elbow back into the out-of-shape man’s soft belly.

Cottins “oofed” and lost his grip. Which was all Hilly needed. She spun and went at his face with clawed hands.

She raked his eyes.

He bellowed.

She brought one knee up sharply toward his groin, but the asshole managed to move at the last minute, and the blow struck him mid-thigh, instead.

He roared, and backhanded Hilly so hard, her body staggered across the room and collapsed in a heap in the far corner.

“Hilly!” Cisco howled, beyond furious, but his girl remained stunned for only a second before sitting up to give him a short nod. She was clearly hurting, which angered Cisco no end, but so far, Cottins hadn’t taken all the fight out of her. Anger practically radiated off Cisco’s tough lady, and he could see her bunching her feet underneath her to launch another attack.

An oblivious Cottins, bleeding from the grooves Hilly had dug into his face, and the bite Nel had inflicted, sneered down at Cisco, still gloating.

“You’ve given me a setback, I’ll admit. But it only means I’ll have to take care of both of you instead of just one. And now that I think of it,” his face took on an even more evil cast, “this new situation might work out to my advantage.”

“Give it up, Cottins,” Cisco growled. “Before Hilly got here, she called in SWAT. My entire team will be here, momentarily.”

He saw Cottins blanch, then out of the corner of his eye, he watched Hilly hurl herself forward, tackling Cottins around the knees.

The man went down like a load of slag, but he was tougher than he appeared, recovering fast, kicking Hilly and striking a devastating blow to her shoulder.

She cried out, bent, and clutched her arm. It was clear to Cisco that she was done.

Frustration ate at him as he struggled with his restraints. Hilly was taking the brunt of Cottins’ anger, and he wanted it directed at him.

“Fight someone your own size, Cottins,” he taunted irately. “You’re such a big man you can only take on someone half your weight? What a tough asshole you must be,” Cisco mocked desperately.

While he ranted, one knot came undone. Hilly had loosened it up, but it still wasn’t enough. There were more to go.

Cisco thundered at Cottins as the man managed to regain his feet. “Touch her again, and you’re a dead man.”

Cottins ignored him, sneering at Hilly, instead.

“Fucking cunt. I’ve had enough of you,” their aggressor snapped. “You’re coming with me.” He grabbed her by the back of her shirt, and roughly dragged her from the shack.

“Nooo!” Cisco worked frantically at his restraints. What was Cottins going to do to her? Cisco needed to free himself before whatever plans the man was making, came to fruition.

From outside he heard Cottins give a stark order…

“Touch it, bitch.”

“I won’t,” Hilly’s voice, although weak, still held defiance.

“You will.” Another smack to flesh rang out.

Cisco couldn’t fathom what he was hearing. His blood boiled. What new damage had the asshole done to Hilly, and what was she supposed to touch? If Cottins so much as dared assault her in another way, he’d kill the prick, twice.

Cisco wrestled even harder with the ropes.

He was almost there.

Another minute…

“Cottins has a gas can, Cisco,” Hilly’s called out, her tone feeble yet determined. “He put my fingerprints on it. He’s going to set the shack on fire!”

“Shut up, bitch,” Cottins yelled, and Hilly grunted. Cisco could only imagine that the dead-man-walking had pummeled her again.

Cisco howled, smelling gasoline as he fought with the last of his wrist bindings. His feet remained tied, but that would only take him seconds…

A whoosh sounded from just outside, and a burst of fire immediately leapt high, visible though the open door.

Fuck. It was spreading, fast.

Cisco needed to get out. He needed to get to Hilly.

“Ciscooo!”