Bastard didn’t even have the decency to look abashed. He looked bored as he waited for the partner he’d said was coming. Amanda had asked what would happen to her then, but the man had smiled, told her not to worry.
She worried.
The pain in her upper arms started to dull as numbness crept into its place. Amanda closed her eyes and tried to collect herself. She was incapacitated and defenseless. There had been a time when she hadn’t wanted to be responsible. Now she wasn’t. Her fate laid in someone else’s hands. She should be ecstatic.
Tucking her knees into her chest, she curled into a ball. She was an idiot. Of course, she was responsible for herself. Just as she’d been responsible for her little sister. Every second that she’d questioned her actions, relived the moment when she’d fought off her father and plunged a knife into his side, all those recriminations were over.
She’d made a decision to protect herself and Liz. She’d taken the responsibility of stopping their father, and she wouldn’t regret it.
She would even repeat it if given the chance. Amanda opened her eyes and pressed her lips together. She would get out of here, even if she had to kill her captor to do so. She circled her wrists as much as the ropes allowed, not stopping when she felt blood trickle down her palms.
Her kidnapper tossed a glance over at her, and Amanda froze. He cleared his throat and spat something Amanda didn’t want to identify onto the floor. Sighing, he peered back down the narrow hallway.
Amanda tugged on her left hand. It shifted an inch. Her blood slickened her wrists, easing the way. She tugged again and bit back a whimper. She was sure she’d lost some skin, but her hand had moved another inch.
Something soft echoed in the distance, a steady beat growing louder. Her abductor pushed off the wall, coming to attention.
Amanda twisted harder. She might,might, have a chance against one man. Against two there was no hope.
Her hand popped free as a second man filled the small doorway. She swallowed back tears, her chest burning. Life just wasn’t fair. It was as though the fates were telling her not to even bother fighting back.
She was going to miss so much. Laughing with her sister. Being a doting aunt to Liz’s children. Enjoying whatever time was left of Julius’s touches.
Her heart squeezed. It was that last one that would be her final living thought. It would keep her warm as the darkness crept in.
The two men talked in low tones before turning towards her. They filled the small chamber, looming over her as they stepped close. A blade glittered in her abductor’s hand.
Yes, she would think of Julius in her last moments, not of pain or fear. She closed her eyes and put a picture of him in her mind.
Someone cursed, and something heavy hit the ground.
Amanda snapped her eyes open, and her image of Julius came to life. He stepped over her kidnapper’s body, grabbed the other man by the hand and twisted his wrist. The ruffian dropped to his knees with a shriek, grabbing for the hand contorted beyond any reasonable angle.
Julius turned ravaged eyes on Amanda. He was as pale as moonlight and looked as though he might cast up his accounts at any moment. He was the most beautiful thing she’d ever seen.
She scrambled into a seated position. She tried to push to her feet, but her arms weren’t cooperating. “Julius! How did you—”
“Are you all right?” Julius kneed the man in the face and dropped him. He took two steps and lifted Amanda by her shoulders. “Did they hurt you?”
Amanda opened her mouth and caught a flash of silver flying at Julius. She threw herself to the side, pulling Julius with her, and the blade of her kidnapper’s knife scraped off the stone wall.
“Close your eyes.” Julius pushed her into the corner and faced the attacker.
The kidnapper slowly approached, swinging his arm back and forth, his blade in constant motion. The other man stumbled to his feet, cradling his arm.
“What?” Why would she close her eyes? Not with two men intent on doing them harm in the room.
“Please.” Julius’s voice was hoarse, desperate. He kicked the kidnapper in the stomach, and the man fell back a step. “I don’t want you to see me do this. I don’t want the image of the next few moments anywhere in your head.”
She wanted to argue. Tell him that nothing he did would ever frighten her. Or disgust her. But there was no time. So, she nodded and closed her eyes.
And wished she had blocked her ears, as well. The sounds were horrific. The cracks echoing off the stone, noises that could only be bones snapping. The howls of pain. And finally, the silence.
A thumb brushed her cheek, and she threw herself at Julius. He wrapped his arms tightly around her waist, burying his face in the crook of her neck. “Keep your eyes closed,” he said and stroked her hair. “Will you keep them closed until I say?”
She nodded.
Julius lifted her into his arms and started walking. Amanda rested her head against his chest, felt the rapid pounding of his heart beneath her cheek. His arms trembled beneath her legs and back. She couldn’t imagine what this had cost him.
