The dickhead waves hello. “Nice to have you back, Atticus.”
“Aw, hello, you little coward. I’ve been looking forward to coming back to kill you proper.”
Lyle’s nostrils flare, and for a fraction of a second, I swear he might pull the trigger, but Crane steps between us.
“Now, now, boys. Let’s not get ahead of ourselves. First, we have a reunion celebration. Come.” Crane gestures to Elite. “After you, Wraith.”
At least he’s not calling me by that stupid fucking name he gave me. And then I’m shoving past him, and I’m back in Elite. First thing I see is Owen standing in the corner with a semiautomatic leveled at me. If it was just Lyle with a weapon, I’d have a chance at disarming the asshole and shooting both him and Crane and ending this right here, right now. Two armed men is a game changer.
Fuuuck.
Second thing I notice is Jamie curled in a ball on the filthy mattress. She’s wearing only a shirt and panties, with her hair a tangled mess that’s covering her face.
Christ.
She’s alive and intact, and my heart jackhammers as a hundred bad scenarios play out in my head on why her pants are on the floor and not on her body. Then I imagine exactly how I’m going to cut Crane’s dick off if he hurt her.
“My beautiful wife.” He runs his tongue along his lower lip. He tracks my gaze to her jeans and tsks. “It’s not what you think. I’ve been saving that for when you got here.” Then to Lyle, “Wake her up.”
Lyle slings the AK over his shoulder. “With pleasure, boss.”
He pulls the baton from its sheath, and I stiffen in anticipation of the crack against the bars. Jamie gasps and bolts upright, slamming her hands over her ears. She rocks back and forth, moaning in misery.
Lyle cackles and steps back, the baton still in his hand.
Everything in me rebels when I recognize her suffering. “You gave her ket, you motherfucker.”
“I had to.” Crane curls his hands around the bars. “My wife orchestrated your escape.” He jerks his chin at her. “This is the consequence of that decision.”
Every part of me is vibrating with fury as I drag my gaze from Jamie and give Crane my full attention. My grin is downright deadly as I take his measure. “I’m going to kill you.”
“No, you won’t. Your people will come, and my men will gun them down. And while the Unholy are up there dying, you’ll be down here being tortured to death while Lyle rapes my wife. Then I’m going to kill Jamie and walk out of here and disappear.”
“Just like that?”
He gives me a slow nod. “Just like that.”
“Yeah, we’ll see.”
Lyle nails me in the back of the head with the baton. Momentum drives me forward, and I ricochet off the bars. Instinct has me turning on him, but he grabs and spins his AK, aiming it at me.
“Try it. Go on. Come at me and see what happens.”
I grunt out a nasty laugh. “Crane won’t let you shoot me.”
“Not in a vital organ,” Crane corrects smoothy.
“Wraith.”
Jamie’s husky whisper stops me cold. I turn to see her sitting on the edge of the bed. She’s so small, her feet dangle above the floor.
“I’m here, Jamie.”
She hiccups on a breath when she tries to stand. Wavers, but steadies herself. Only she can move with such grace and look that damn proud under these circumstances. She shuffles toward the bars and curls her fingers around them. Her eyes are glassy, dazed, and so fucking sad. “You shouldn’t have come.”
“All in, remember?”
A tear slips down her ashen cheek. “Ket hurts.”
