Hey everybody. . .galaxyMafia apologizes for not putting the fourth installment of "Bulletproof Love" on the blog last week. Not that this is an excuse but, let's just say that GM had serf duties at the old Barnes and Noble that she could not lie, cheat, steal or kill her way out of. (Go Barnes and Noble Strangler!! Hey C.C. - we're gonna be on the Today Show, I promise!)

Anyhoo. . .we last meet, Went and Gabby were still fighting and turning each other on. . .and not exactly in that order. Gabby also had just jumped over the balcony railing. . .

Wentworth stared down at the pool in disbelief. . .
She hadn’t just jumped over the railing down into the pool, had she?
Had she?
But, she had. . .it was true. . .because he saw her in the water, gasping for air, swimming across the pool. . .pulling herself out of the pool. . .dropping to her knees before dragging herself across the courtyard. . .
And he knew. . .this time, she was headed out the front door.
Turning, he ran back towards the glass doors he’d shot.



The drop from the railing down into the pool was a little more than 15 feet, and Gabrielle was paying for it.
After struggling to swim across the pool, using arms and legs that felt as if they had broken as soon as she'd hit the surface of the water, she managed somehow to pull herself out of the pool, where she promptly collapsed on the courtyard, and rolled over onto her back, trying to draw giant gulps of air into her burning lungs. . .
And now, when she really had to, she couldn't move.
She told herself to get the fuck up. . .she couldn't just lay out there, a clear, open target for that bastard. . .she needed to move. . .
But, she couldn't. . .
That crazy sonofabitch up there was going to find his gun, he was going to aim it at her, put three or four holes in her. . .
. . .the police found his body. . .
She turned away, unable to face him, his questions, his suspicions
. . .he was shot three times. . .
Three? He was shot three times. . .are you, are they sure. . .
What do you mean are they sure? They found his body. . .there were three gunshot wounds in his chest. . .
No. . .no memories, not now!
And none of this bullshit about laying there paralyzed. . . she didn't care how bad her arms hurt, how sore her legs were. . .what was going to happen was, she was going to get up and get out of that house. . .now. . .she wasn't sticking around to greet Went when he came down to kill her. . .
She took a deep breath, dragging herself up onto her knees. . .her body protested, and she groaned. . .but, her body would get over it. . .once she got out of the house, she could head back to the place she'd rented, crawl in bed and slip into a coma.
But, now. . .she had to move.



His flash light lost, Wentworth ran though the darkness, down the stairs into the gallery, taking a sharp left, hurrying through the hall that lead into the dining room.
As he passed the wide opening into the foyer, he looked to his left. The front doors were closed. . .he didn’t think she’d made it to the front of the house yet. . .and unless he was wrong, and she’d decided to exit via some other room at the rear of the house, he suspected that he would catch her in the Butler’s Pantry, or the kitchen. . .
Catch her. . .
Wentworth wasn’t sure that he could. . .and if he did, would he be able to contain her. . .
He felt as if he were doing more than chasing Gabby. . .
He was hunting her, tracking her scent. . .
Snap the fuck out of it, Went, he scolded himself. He wasn’t some goddamn big game hunter, seeking some kind of elusive, wild animal. . .all he needed was to stop Gabby, and find out who’d hired her to steal the diamonds, that’s all they’d hired him to do. . .
Still, the thought of seeing her, touching her, colliding with her again made his heart slam against his chest. . .it was more than anticipation. . .
Wentworth wanted another encounter with her. . .
It was more like a frantic longing. . .
He remembered the way she’d fought him. . .the fierce way she’d bucked beneath him. . .



Gabrielle walked down the dark hall, staying close to the wall, holding her hands out in front of her.
Her backpack, her flash light. . .she didn’t know where they were, when she’d lost them.
She stopped to lean against the wall, catch her breath. . .she was shivering, still wet from the pool. . .the tight black pants and T-shirt clung to her body, weighing her down. . .her hair was plastered against her scalp and neck. . .
Behind her, in the darkness. . .she heard nothing, she felt no presence. . .Went hadn’t followed her. . .
Then where the hell was he?
Waiting for her. . .setting his trap. . .what did he have planned, what would she unsuspectingly walk into. . .
No. . .
Gabrielle pushed away from the wall, moving forward again. . .
It wouldn’t be unsuspecting. . .
She would know Went was there. . .even though it was dark, even though she couldn’t see her hands in front of her. . .
He’d touched her, and she knew him, instinctively, she would always know when he was there. . .next to her, across from her, surrounding her, behind her. . .
Gabrielle paused. . .
Went was coming closer to her. . .she could almost feel him. . .
The electricity in her veins told her, and she knew, without a doubt, that her heart was beating fiercely not because of fear. . .she wasn’t afraid. . .
She was anticipating. . .

It happened in the kitchen. . .
Her fragrance slid around Wentworth. . .she was there. . .waiting for him, ready to strike, to defend, to hurt him and enjoy it. . .
Wentworth tensed. . .his hands trembling slightly. . .



Gabrielle could feel his presence, the galvanized air. . .the electric current snaking through her gut. . .
She held her breath, taking a step backwards, trying to discern his shape in the darkness.



Wentworth took a step forward, preparing himself. . .
He heard thunder. . .
Lightning flashed. . .and for a second, the entire kitchen was bathed in blinding, white light. . .and he saw her. . .less than a foot away from him, glaring at him, wet and fierce. . .
Quickly, darkness reclaimed the kitchen. . .Wentworth reached out for her. . .his fingertips settling upon her smooth cheek. . .moving down over her lips. . .
She kicked him in the gut.
He doubled over, coughing, gasping for air. . .



Gabrielle turned, started to run. . .
He grabbed a handful of her hair, yanked her back. . .
She hit the solidness of his chest before he spun her around. . .his fist met the center of her face. . .
Gabrielle cried out, dazed, stumbling against him. . .



Wentworth grabbed her. . .felt her foot behind his calf. . .
She clipped him, and he fell to the floor. . .
He tried to scramble up. . .she kicked him in the side, near his kidney. He yelled out as she stepped on his chest, kicked the side of his head. . .



Her face throbbing in pain, Gabrielle kicked him again. . .
Sonofabitch! Hitting her in the goddamn face! Who the hell did he think he was? Who did he think she was? Did he think he could slap her around a few times and make her behave?
Did the bastard –
He grabbed her foot, yanked it, sending her crashing to the kitchen floor. . .



Wentworth was on top of her instantly, fighting off her wild hands, grabbing her throat.
Her body jerked violently beneath his as she tried to get away. . .
She sank her nails into his face, scratching him. . .he grabbed her hands to stop her and pushed her arms down, over her head, holding her wrists down. . .

copyright 2005. . .galaxyMafia just saw "March of the Penguins" and it was fantastic!! Mad props to the mama and papa penguins who risk -80 below zero weather, hurricane winds and near starvation all in order to protect and feed their chicks. . .human parents could learn a lot from these animals. Penguins rule!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!