JoJo attacked, forcing his mouth onto hers. She bit, struggled, and pushed his face away. He clawed for her waistband and gave a hard tug. She slapped him.

Like his brother, JoJo had no reservations about raising his hand to a woman. He slammed her to the ground. She momentarily blacked out when her head bounced off the hard surface. The taste of her own blood revived her.

Her glazed eyes went to Jack who groaned and fought to push himself off the ground. Another brutal kick from Taj sent him onto his back, unconscious.

JoJo seized a fistful of her hair and pulled Lyla to a standing position.

"So how's it going to be, ho?" he growled into her ear. "You want it nice and sweet, or you like it rough? Rough works for me."

She watched a drop of blood trickle from her mouth on a thread of saliva.

"Answer me."

Tears welled in her eyes but they weren't tears of sorrow or surrender. They were tears of fury. She lowered her head while composing a desperate strategy.

"Okay," her voice squeaked.

JoJo taunted. "Can't hear you."

She raised her volume. "Okay, I said."

He hooked a finger beneath her chin and lifted Lyla's head, a wicked grin cutting across his face. But only for a moment. Before he could react, she had his finger in her teeth.

"AGH!" he yowled. He cocked his fist but never got to launch his punch. Her knee shot up forcefully between his legs.

He collapsed.

She bolted, sprinting away from Taj, down the hill past the pickup truck.

JoJo struggled to his feet, his gray face contorted by rage.

Lyla lost her balance, but she couldn't dare fall. Staying on her feet kept her alive. Her calf muscles knotted, pain boiled the blood that coursed through her thigh muscles but she kept her legs churning. She took a quick glance over her shoulder.

Breathing fire, JoJo chased her.

"You're gonna pay for that, you bitch!"

Her weakened muscles had depleted her body's reserve of blood sugar. She'd never experienced such intense muscle and nerve agony as she bounded down the hill. She realized that she was slowing but she kept pushing. Starved of glucose, her brain began to shut down but she knew the stakes. She was literally running for her life. If he caught her she would die. End of story.

JoJo swiped for her, his thick fingers grazing her back.

She lurched forward, her fingertips hitting the turf. She wobbled but somehow regained her footing. The tall field grass lashed her legs. She could hear heavy panting behind her, hard, deep breaths drawing closer.

He lunged desperately, yanking a few strands of hair from her scalp.

She cried out and accelerated. Her mind began to clear. Her body's last dose of adrenaline took control. The yellow sod. Where was the yellow sod, and the deep pit? She strained to remember as she veered from the path.

Her maneuver caught JoJo by surprise. He slipped and howled when sharp pain reminded him of his broken arm. He cursed and got back on his feet, exhausted and in considerable discomfort.

She concentrated on running, long strides, fluid movements of her arms in perfect synchronization with her hips. Her lithe body sliced through the field grass. SLAP! SLAP! SLAP! SLAP! Her feet flattened the grass. Her arms were like pistons, pushing her body to its limit.

"You're only... making it worse... for yourself," he wheezed.

She could hear him grunting, desperately trying to catch her. And then she spotted it. Just ahead on her right, the lighter-colored clump of vegetation.

JoJo was gassed, his pace had slowed noticeably.

She taunted him. "What's the matter? You giving up?... Bitch!"

He took the bait, shifting into high gear, his fiery eyes locked on his prey. "Your ass is mine!" he screamed.

She leaped over the discolored sod and landed on solid ground.

JoJo wasn't so lucky. Inches from taking her down, the ground simply disappeared beneath his feet. He uttered the most horrific sound imaginable when his chin struck the edge of the seam. His jaw cracked, teeth shattered.

By the time Lyla turned, JoJo was in freefall, down, down, down deep into the bowels of the earth. His frightened eyes met hers as he plummeted to his death.