I ended it on a scream and launched myself forward.
He shot—Palma screamed at the same time I did. A second bloodcurdling scream erupted from her, instantly making my stomach churn as Marshall dropped to his knees with an abrupt and violent thud. Heath scrambled, trying to go to him, but he and Palma still had their hands zip-tied behind them. Their tape was in place except Palma broke free a corner of hers. Her scream was too powerful, and a corner hung from her mouth, while the top of her lip was bleeding. Tears streamed down her face. She and Heath knelt down, but had to keep turning around to try and help Marshall.
Oh, god. Marshall.
I was caught by one of Spence’s brothers, and I wasn’t thinking clearly enough to get free from his hold. I tried jerking out of his arms, but he held tighter until my knees buckled. Marshall’s wide eyes met mine. Shocked. Scared. Blood drained from his face. He tipped backward. His chest was heaving while blood pooled on his shirt, spreading around him.
This was me. Because I moved in with them—this wasn’t just on Creighton. I should’ve gotten my own place. I shouldn’t have made friends.
This was all my fault.
“There.” Spence brightened, his cheerfulness like a dagger into my chest. “One down. Three more to go.” He aimed at Palma.
“Hey!”
Tristian West was storming our way, his own gun up and aiming at us. Correction—at Spence. The other guard who didn’t have a hold of me tried to intercept, but West growled at him. “Back the fuck up, Penn.”
He raised his hands, his gun in the one hand, and backed the fuck up.
As soon as he was clear, West lowered the gun until it was resting against Spence’s forehead. I could tell this was not how Spence thought things were going to go. His face was slack.
“What are you doing?” Spence asked, hoarse as his head moved against the gun’s muzzle.
“You don’t give us gifts and then kill one before you hand them over.” West extended his other hand, palm up. “Keys.Now.”
Spence didn’t dare move an inch. Slowly, he slid a hand into his front pocket and pulled out a key. He handed it over.
West took it, and held it behind him.
Walden snatched it up, whistling at two of the guys that came in with them. They went to unlock the cell where Marshall was bleeding all over the floor. As Walden’s two guards stepped in and began to move Marshall, West spoke, “Lane took four of our people.Four.You’re going to shoot another one, and that would’ve left us with only three as a bargaining chip. Three to four. You would’ve sabotaged us before we were even able to start negotiations with Lane. How do you think that would’ve gone over?”
Spence was so eerily still. Beads of sweat trickled down his forehead, and he swallowed again before pointing to me. “You only need her. He doesn’t care about the others. Just her.”
West’s eyes skirted to me, hardened, and went back to Spence. He leaned in, and lowered his voice to whisper though everyone could hear, and that was the point. “Shecares about them, I bet. Right?”
Spence wasn’t following West’s logic.
He pushed harder against Spence’s forehead, enough where Spence flinched from the pain. “The thing you don’t get is that Green, herself, is another player on the board.”
I frowned, confused, but was distracted because the guards returned. They began to pull Palma and Heath out of the cell.
Palma screamed, “No!No! Please.”
I tried getting to her, and this time, the big oaf holding me wasn’t expecting it. I launched free, and was across the room in a second. There were shouts behind me. I ignored them all and flung myself at the guard who was trying to manhandle Palma.
Think, Blake!
Of course that voice in my head wouldn’t sound like me. Of course it would bark at me, sounding like Creighton, and of course, I would adhere to it because dammit, it/he was right. I needed to think. Be smart. We could get out of this alive.
Walden’s guard wasn’t expecting me to know a few things, how to handle myself, so when I launched at him, he opened his arms to catch me. I let my body turn to dead weight, which he wasn’t expecting. As I went down, through his arms, I grabbed his gun, completed a somersault on the floor. Shoving back up to my feet, I had his gun up and pointing at ... Well, at everyone. I grabbed Palma and hauled her behind me. Heath helped, herding her too. They were trying to help each other with their tape and zip ties. The problem was that we were going farther into the cell.
There was still shouting.
I tuned them out.
The guard realized my mistake the same time I did. He lunged for the cell door, which would’ve locked us inside. I changed direction, going for the door.
I was going to be too late.
