Paperthin
an excerpt

“Why the hell are you watching me?”

“You can take that knife off of my neck, sweetheart. Won’t do a thing except sting like hell, if that.” He drawled confidently, smirking. “But I bet you know that, don’t you, little girl?”

She, slightly shaking, did the opposite, pressing the tip harder into his skin, the sharp edge drawing a little blood. “I don’t know what you’re talking about. I’m not little; I could easily take your ass down.” Amandine threatened, feigning confidence in hopes that her opponent would believe it.

“Oh, really now? Would that be with or without your twin brother helping you?” The man asked, gesturing with a gloved hand out to the red PT cruiser, which Alexei was patiently sitting in, waiting for the coffee and donuts his sister was bringing.

“Leave him out of this!” She shouted, the jerky movement pushing the knife in further. The man, though, wasn’t showing any signs of pain, not even irritation. This puzzled her. She went over the lines he had said in her head, trying to piece them together.

She, however, wasn’t expecting what he did next. He turned in a rush, the knife slicing a shallow line in his neck, and clamped his hand over her mouth. She struggled against him, but his other arm twisted, and he pressed her against one of the freezer doors.

“I need you to be quiet—silent, okay?” He whispered, lips pressed close to her ear. His grip did not relent, though he pulled back just a little, lips still fairly close to one of her ears. “In a minute, I’m going to let go of you. You’re not going to make any noise. All you’re going to do is be a good little girl and follow me out the back door and around to the right and behind the yellow recycling dumpster. Am I speaking perfectly clear?” He told her, his tone entirely serious.

She swallowed, nodding as much as she could in her current position. Amandine really didn’t see any other choice then to comply. God knows what this guy was; for all she knew, he could be able to rip her to shreds just by thinking about it.