The door swings open, and a man I don’t recognize faces us, his expression going from curiosity to surprise in an instant as I leap from my position with a scream and wrap my legs around him. He staggers, trying to find his balance before falling onto his back. His gun clatters over the warehouse floor as I begin to pummel his face with every ounce of strength I possess.
"Run!" I shout, and the rush of the women as they move past me feels like freedom.
"Stop," the man beneath me shouts as he tries to grab my wrists. Only now I’m utterly feral, biting at his arms and scratching at his eyes. Hitting any part of him I can reach. Relentlessly battering his nose and eyes.
I hit him hard, feel bones splinter and reach for the gun while he cups his nose with both hands. Within seconds, I have it pointed right between his eyes.
"Fuck," the guy grunts.
"Well, if that isn’t the sexiest thing I’ve ever fucking seen."
I spin and find Yakov nearing us.
"I’m going to kill him," I say, my voice ragged and breathless.
"I see that, but I’d rather you didn’t, as he is one of my best men."
My head snaps back to Yakov before returning to the man beneath me.
"Oh my god, I’m so sorry," I say, dropping the gun as a laugh bubbles from my throat. I clamp a hand over my mouth and swing my panicked eyes back to Yakov. Shocked at what I did, but more so at the desperate urge to laugh about it.
"It’s okay," he says with a gentleness I would never have imagined him capable of. He lifts me from the man on the floor and strokes the strands of hair from my face. "You did great, you got everyone out."
"Laurie—"
"She is okay, too. We have a couple of medics here, they are seeing to them."
"You're okay," I say, looking him over as my entire body begins to tremble uncontrollably.
"I'm fine. Are you hurt?" His eyes scan over me, checking for injuries.
"No. But you're bleeding—"
"It's nothing." He pulls me against him and holds me tight. "Kaiden, check the area, make sure all the women are found and getting the help they need."
The man on the floor sits up and shakes his head as he tentatively touches his nose his nose, frowning when his hand comes away smeared with blood. "Yes, boss," he says before adding, "I think she broke my nose."
Yakov leads us away from the container and through the warehouse. I try not to look at the bodies, but I catch glimpses anyway. Blood. Empty eyes.
Outside, three black SUVs are idling at the loading dock. Men in tactical gear are loading the women into the vehicles, efficient and gentle despite their intimidating appearance.
One of them, tall, blonde, scary in the way all of Yakov's men seem to be, approaches us. "Boss. Everyone's accounted for. We're good to move."
"Take them to the safe house. A larger medical team is already on their way. Full checkups, trauma counseling, whatever they need." Yakov's giving orders like he didn't just fight off god knows how many men with guns. "And Luka?"
"Yes, boss?"
"Make sure they know they're safe now. No one touches them without permission. No questions they don't want to answer. They've been through enough."
Luka nods. "On it."
Yakov turns to me. "You and Laurie go with Luka. He'll make sure you're—"
"No." I step closer to him. "You’re coming too."
"Laney—"
"You can’t just ship me off when you’re bleeding. You need to come too." I glance at my sister, who's being helped into one of the SUVs by a gentle-looking guy with kind eyes.
