I swallowed my scream. Better to contend with one man than bring a whole slew of guards down on my head. I stopped struggling as well. Whoever this guy was, he wasn’t going to let me go until he wanted to. Begging wouldn’t help — that much I remembered from self-defense class.“I’m not going to report you,” I said in the calmest voice I could muster.He tsked. “That was too easy. Most guards don’t promise that until after I’ve tied them up.”The scornful way he said “guards” meant that he wasn’t one. Figuring I had nothing to lose, I said, “I’m not a guard.”“Right,” he scoffed. “You just dress like one?” His breath warmed the side of my neck as he leaned closer. “And smell like — Hey, how come you smell like a meadow?”“Get off me!” I shoved my elbow back, hitting what felt like ribs.Spinning me around, he pulled the cap from my head. “You’re not a guard.” He smacked the wall beside me and the lights snapped on, bright and blinding.As my eyes adjusted, the first thing that struck me was his lack of a shirt.
