The man by the car leans in to retrieve the keys. I’ve got seconds before he pops the trunk.
Mani licks his lips, and I try not to be sick. His gaze rests on my breasts for a moment, and then he nods to the thug by the car. “Cut him loose.”
I let out a long breath as the man leaves the car and heads toward Tyler. He pulls out a knife and cuts the tie that’s holding Tyler in place.
“Get him out of here,” Mani growls.
The thug grabs Tyler’s arm and jerks him to his feet.
Tyler struggles against him, but the man is too big. “No. Willow. This is my mess. I’ll deal with it.”
I force myself to look at my brother. All I can see is him as a boy with tears in his eyes, calling for his momma to come home. I couldn’t protect him from that heartache. But I can protect him from this.
“Let me say goodbye,” I beg.
Mani nods to the thug, who then hauls Tyler in my direction. I pull him into a hug and whisper in his ear. “Find Bedrock Security. Hudson will help you.”
Hudson will help him get a new life. He’ll help him move on from me and not get caught up in another situation like this. Hudson will keep him on a straight path, unlike what I failed to do.
“Don’t do it, Willow,” Tyler pleads, but the man jerks him away.
I can’t watch as they lead my brother through a side door. The man comes back a moment later, and I know Tyler’s free.
At least I can give him that.
I’ve bought freedom for my brother. Now, I must pay the price.
As Mani paces toward me, I force myself to remain still. He trails a hand down my shoulder and over my arm. “Well, what a prize. I wasn’t expecting this.”
I force myself not to be sick as I count in my head. If Tyler has any sense, he’ll have run as soon as he was released. If I can cause enough chaos here, he might have a chance of getting away. For me, there’s no hope.
I should’ve let Hudson help me. I should’ve trusted him to do the right thing. Now, I’ll never get the chance to see if we can work in the real world. I’ll never get the chance to prove to him that I can keep my things tidy, that I can be on time for him. I’ll never get the chance to tell him how I feel about him. Regret for all the things that might’ve been threatens to overwhelm me. I force it down and stay focused.
Mani circles me, his gaze roving over me as if he’s assessing a new cattle purchase. When he stops behind me and takes a step closer, I hold my breath, trying to calm my instinct to flee. His men are grinning; the tension of a moment ago has dissipated. I’m one woman; how much trouble can I cause?
They’re about to find out.
Mani brushes up against me, and I wait until his body presses against mine. I suppress a shiver and focus on the prize. I can’t escape, but I won’t go down easily.
His hand snakes down my hip, and he lets out a strangled groan. I slide my hand down the side of his hip, waiting for my moment. He groans again, and that’s when I strike. My elbow shoves withall my strength into his balls, while my other hand grabs the gun from his holster. I take off running toward the crates with my heart in my throat.
“Bitch!” Mani bellows behind me. “Get her.”
There are heavy footsteps behind me, one of his thugs, I’m guessing, but I don’t turn around to check. I dive between the crates and turn into a gap. I keep running, darting in and out of the crates.
I turn the safety off on the gun and spin around as I point it in front of me. My hands shake as the man thunders toward me.
They shake so much I can’t pull the trigger as the man gets closer, and I squeeze my eyes shut just as the place erupts around me.
29
HUDSON
Iburst through the side door with Marcus on my tail. Thanks to the intel that Tyler gave me when we found him outside the warehouse, we know how many men are inside and what they’re armed with.
He’d been about to go back in alone to defend his sister. Stubbornness must run in that family—or a death wish. It was hard to convince him to stay in the car and let the professionals handle it.
Inside, we find chaos. A man in the center is bent double holding his crotch, and I’d bet anything it was Willow’s doing. He turns to us as we burst through the door and pulls a gun from his pocket. I fire before he has a chance to get one off, and he drops to the ground.
