“We aren’t liable, you know.” Another one argued. “You signed the waiver.”
“You’re right.” I agreed quietly. “They did sayeveryonewho entered this building risked bodily injury.”
“Listen, the monsters are allowed to do whatever they want in here, so?—”
“Lucky me.” Liam murmured, cracking his neck like a twitch, as he stood next to me, breathing heavily.
“Masks off.” I demanded calmly, and the goblins all looked at each other and then back at me, while I chuckled darkly, explaining, “That wasn’t optional.”
They shifted nervously.
“NOW!” I barked, and they startled, quickly pulling them off.
“It was just a?—”
“Shut. The fuck. Up.” I bit out cooly. “Here’s how this is going to go, two of you are going in that cooler, and one of you gets whatever the fuck I decide, and I can promise you—it’ll be a hell of a lot worse than the cooler.” Their eyes went wide. “Decide amongst yourselves.”
One made a run for the door, and Jules stuck her leg out, tripping him. Atta girl.
“Bitch.” The guy spat, and Liam decked him square in the nose before shoving him in my direction.
I shrugged. “I guess that decides that, then.” I hauled the first goblin over to the cooler.
“Wait, it was just a joke. Please.” The goblin begged, nose pouring blood as I dropped him in.
“Then I’m sure you’ll find this fucking hilarious, won’t you?” I shoved him into the cooler, and there was a hard crack and groan behind me, and then Liam was stuffing the other guy in, right on top.
I forcefully shoved the lid down, and Liam and I dug in, shoving the cooler under a table so it wouldn’t open.
They were already screaming.Good.I hoped that thing bit the shit out of them.
Meanwhile, the other guy was headed for the door, but Jules had already shut it and was standing, wide eyed, blocking his way out with a determined look on her face.
The guy grabbed her, and she yelled as he threw her to the ground and ripped the door open, but not fast enough—Liam had him by the scruff in the next instant, shoving him against the wall. “Don’t you fucking touch her.”
“You’re the one who touched something that wasn’t yours to touch.” I tilted my head, and my blood thrummed as white-hot protective rage blinded out everything else—because after everything she’d been through, this shit was going to end here. Now. With me.
“It was nothing.”
“It was everything.” I seethed, quietly demanding, “Now, for starters, you can apologize—to both of them.”
“You’re fucking insane.”
I seized him by the throat and shoved him into the wall, coming nose to nose with him. “I amnotgoing to ask you again.” I reached behind me and grabbed my gun, jamming the barrel into his neck.
“Shit.” Jules hissed somewhere behind me.
“Apologize.” Liam growled right next to me. “Or youwillregret it.”
“I’m sorry.” The guy ground out in a childish tone.
I actually laughed as I cocked the gun. “I swear to you on my mother’s grave, I will pull this goddamned trigger if you don’t make it sound like you mean it.”
“Carter?” Jules said softly, coming around my side, tentatively placing her hand on my arm. “Let’s just go. She’s going to be okay.”
“Jules.” I said calmly, glancing back at Sara, who was currently lying on the floor like a fucking starfish, just staring at the ceiling.
“Yes?”
