The captain gurgles and staggers around like a zombie, blood running from his neck. Unluckily, it’s not spurting out, which means I probably didn’t get the artery.
One of the waiters fires a shot, and Lex grunts. He falls sideways, crashing through a glass topped side unit and slicing his arms. Fuck, he shot Lex.
Everything slows as I go into the zone, focused only on what I need to do, which right now, is getting a gun and protecting Vani.
I lunge for the captain and grab his weapon, spinning around once the gun is in my hand and side-kicking him in the chest. He flies back, crashing against a serving cart next to the window and stumbling over chairs and colliding with the fake Christmas tree in the corner. Ornaments scatter across the floor. I twist, breathe, and aim at the waiter who shot Lex. I fire once, hittinghim in the stomach. He yells in agony and falls to the floor, clutching his guts.
Saint is on the other side of the table from me, standing, but with a gun still aimed at his head and a meaty arm around wrapped his neck from behind. He’s staring at something over my shoulder.
I follow his line of sight. Vani is being dragged by her hair toward the door by the supposed barman. I aim at them, following the movement, but don’t want to fire unless he goes for his gun, as that risks hurting Vani.
Saint or Vani? Vani or Saint?
I have a weapon but can only save one of them. I never thought I’d let anything happen to a fellow Viper, but in this moment, it’s not even a choice. I know it’s what Saint would want, too. I focus on Vani and the asshole dragging her away.
I realize I can see what’s going on behind me in the large antique mirror, which means I get to witness Saint go limp as the arm around his neck tightens. For a horrifying, heart-stopping second, I think he’s been shot, even though there was no sound, but then I realize he’s fainted. Or pretended to.
He slides out of the thug’s grasp and drops to the floor.
“Fucking pussy,” the waiter snarls.
But the next moment, he yelps and falls to the side.
I know what Saint did. He made himself go floppy and the waiter let him fall. It’s an old trick. Once on the floor, he could kick the man’s legs out from under him.
The waiter’s gun skitters to the side as he flails.
The sounds of fighting and scuffling fill my ears, but I focus on what is in front of me. On Vani and the man dragging her back with him. We’re on a fucking boat. Where does he think he’s going?
He’s heading for the door, but he’s not taking her through it, if I have any say in the matter. I fire one shot in warning, and the man stops dead, his gaze darting to me.
Fuck, I hate that I can’t speak.
Let her go, I mouth, unsure if he can lipread what I’ve said.
A shape catches my peripheral vision. Lex stands beside me, blood on his arms and face, but with a gun shakily aimed at the man holding Vani.
I exhale a sigh of relief. The bullet must have caught Lex’s cheek, but that’s all. While he’ll have a pretty scar—just like me—he isn’t mortally wounded.
The grunts, groans, and smacks of a fight ring out behind us, but neither Lex nor myself break off our focus from Vani. Saint is more than capable of taking care of himself.
“Let her go.” Lex’s words are low and deadly but slurred a little.
I hope to God he’s not losing too much blood.
The barman holds Vani tighter. “I let her go, and you kill me, so how about you let us both walk out of here, and then I release this pretty thing into the wild?”
“I won’t kill you,” Lex says.
“Ha fucking ha.”
The barman takes another step toward the door.
Vani is dragged with him, her breasts bouncing as she moves, and I can’t help noticing her nipples still look swollen. Has whoever delayed her in the bathroom done shit to her?
Her gaze meets mine, and I mouth,move.
I hope she knows what I mean. Up, sideways, or down, it doesn’t matter.Just move, any way you can, Vani, so I can get a shot in.
