Hard Fall: A gripping, noir detective thriller (Thomas Blume series of Hard-Boiled Mysteries, Book 1) by P.T. Reade

torn and face bruised. His wrists had been rubbed raw where plastic ties had crudely bound him to an old radiator and his mouth was gagged with a dirty rag.
     
    For a moment I thought that I was too late and the poor boy was already gone, he was so still, but a then a miniscule breath inflated his chest and I saw hope.
     
    I cupped my hand against the glass to get a better view. Suddenly the boy's gaze flicked up. I froze in place as our eyes met. Shit. I could see his mouth moving and he started to struggle. I shook my head and signaled for him to stay quiet.
     
    I had to get the kid out, fast.
     
    Still, I would have to be sure before I did anything drastic. I knew I'd need something to cut the ties with so I decided to go around the back of the house and do some reconnaissance, to learn as much as I could before making my move. Still trying to stay as flat against the wall as possible, I turned away from the window and—
     
    That’s when it happened.
     
    Through the torrent of water, I barely saw the board come sailing towards my face. I brought my hand up just in time, but there was still an explosion of pain in my arm and I was pretty sure a few of my fingers were broken.
     
    I went to the ground and looked up into the pouring rain. Billy Bennett was standing over me, holding a wooden two-by-four in his hands, eyes wild with rage. The thunderous downpour coated him in water like a vengeful monster.   He raised the board, as if he were about to strike a golf ball, aimed for my face.
     
    My world was a kaleidoscope of pain. Everything was spinning. I managed to send my foot hard into Billy’s left knee. He stumbled just a bit, but that was all I needed. I got to my hands and knees and charged at him. He raised the board with a roar, and I collided with him just as he brought it down. It bounced off of my back, and we went sliding into the mud.
     
    I wasted no time delivering a punch to his stomach and one to his face, crushing his nose. He bellowed and threw me off with an elbow to my chest. I let out a whoosh of air as I stumbled back, slipping in the mud and falling on my ass. I tried to get up, but the damn rain made the ground too slippery and my ankle was shot.
     
    I got to one knee, but not before Billy’s full weight came charging at me. With a sickening crunch he landed a kick to my ribs, and fire erupted in my chest. All the air left my lungs and agony overcame my body. I tried to move, to escape, to do anything, but my gasps of breath came ragged. I was pretty sure I tasted blood.
     
    I was only half aware when Billy picked the board up again and this time brought back like a baseball bat.
     
    I was dead.
     
    My body just hadn’t realized it yet.
     
    I tried to climb to my feet, but the muscles in my arm had given up long ago, and I collapsed to the rain-soaked dirt. The comfortable numbness of defeat welcoming me.
     
    “Get down.”
     
    As I lay there, thunder rumbling and icy droplets stinging my face, I stared at the twisted form of death above me, and I knew the painful truth. This was it. All of my searching, all of my fighting was for nothing. I’d have laughed if I could have remembered how.
     
    Then the voices came again, calling for me to surrender my struggle against the inevitable, dragging me from consciousness.
     
    “ Give it up,” they echoed . 
     
    I glanced to the bitter rain clouds as colored stars wheeled overhead and time slowed to a crawl. The monster lifted his arm to finish me, and I watched him swing the weapon at my head, beckoning me beyond.
     
    “Blume?!”
     
    Then it all went black.
     
    I’d known that was it. The board was going to hit my face, breaking every bone above my neck—and maybe my neck itself.
     
    Then I saw it. Billy had stopped. His feet locked up, and his eyes went wide. It made no sense to me at first, but then I noticed that he was spasming. I strained to look all around as the giant dropped to his knees, in obvious pain. He gave me