Chapter 9
Chapter Nine
Xavier sprang into action.
Jumping in front of Nova, he brought his knee up and caught the assailant in their midsection.
Clearly surprised with no time to block the attack or react, there was an audible Whoosh as the wind was knocked from the assailant’s body. They flew a couple of feet and landed hard atop the floor with a dull thud.
They were spry and nimble, though, because they didn’t stay down long. Before Xavier could reach them, they were back on their feet and running out the door.
That told Xavier a couple of things.
First of all, they hadn’t expected him. They’d probably assumed Nova would be alone and an easy target.
Secondly, they didn’t want a fight right now. Whether they just wanted to scare or actually hurt Nova, he didn’t know. But neither things were going to happen.
Xavier couldn’t leave Nova alone but he didn’t want the would-be attacker to get away, either.
So, he gave chase as they left the room and was glad to see two security guards that he recognized hurrying down the hall, most likely drawn there by the noise. They’d been hanging back all afternoon, never far from Nova.
“Protect her!” he yelled.
They nodded and rushed toward her while he continued to chase who he presumed was the stalker.
Of course, there was no real way to know right now. It could be another crazy obsessed fan just dying to get close to Nova Monroe. Or worse—someone who wanted to hurt her for their own sick reasons.
There was only one way to find out: he needed to catch them. With any luck, it was the idiot who’d been mailing her all the letters. Maybe this little matter could be put to rest today.
Knowing Nova was safe freed him up to accomplish his goal.
So, he pumped his legs harder and increased his speed, though the possible stalker had a good headstart and seemed to be gaining ground with each stride.
The chase continued down that long hallway and through a series of corners.
Xavier was annoyed with himself for losing sight of his quarry, but he was thankful the path was linear and he could hear their heavy footfalls clacking ahead as he followed.
Until he came to a dead end with multiple doors.
A red sign told him one led to the fire suppression system. That would most likely just be a small room with pipes and various nozzles and such with a computer system that tied it all together. Someone could hide in there, but they’d easily be discovered.
Another door said MAINTENANCE. Again, he figured it was just another room.
The third door said EXIT.
That had to be the one.
Throwing it open, he stepped out but instantly moved to the side and sank low, just in case it was an ambush.
There wasn’t anything flying at him or anyone waiting for him.
So, he stood upright and bolted down the corridor that stretched before him, a slight incline in the floor until he reached a set of double doors at the top.
They were safety doors and he just had to push in on the bar to open them, saving him a few seconds. He was now on the casino floor.
The games started gradually—a cluster of slot machines here, a few more over there. There was a seating area and a triangle LED sign sticking up from the ground, currently showing a slide with Nova to advertise her residence.
But the space eventually opened up to a bigger area, with gaming machines as far as he could see, a maze of colorful flashing screens and lights.
The hooded figure darted out from one row and pressed on deeper onto the casino floor.
“Gotcha!” Xavier said to himself.
The chase was on once again.