Heart's Ransom

Echoing footsteps threatened behind her. Julie froze. The underground garage was as silent as a tomb -- silent except for the frightening sound of her blood pounding through her veins. Suddenly a man leapt from the shadows. A gun was pointed at her breast. A hand reached out to tear the briefcase from her grasp. Terror seared through Julie. She turned and ran blindly into the shadows as a shot exploded to shatter the ominous quiet. Then, suddenly, she was grabbed, pushed behind a pillar and held close to a strong, muscled chest. "Don't make a sound," she was warned, "or we're both dead!"