Marcus flips open the center console, draws out a tracker, and puts his hand on the door handle, stopping only when Carter interrupts us.“I want to know how high the risk is. I’m not willing to take a chance on your life, Marcus.”
Marcus sighs as his eyes cut to me, sadness emanating from him. I give him a weak smile, knowing that it cuts him to feel like he’s constantly having to stick up for me. Weighing the situation, I answer, “It’s a high risk. There are at least eight guards, potentially more. If I were her, I’d make sure to have some out of sight, walking up, which is why I’m concerned about us still being here. That said, if you want, I’ll do it.”
There’s hushed murmuring, but I don’t let it distract me as I keep my eyes on what’s in front of me. There’s no way in hell I’ll let Marcus take the risk. If anyone is going to do it, it’ll be me. I always led my men from the front, and even if Marcus is no longer mine, I won’t put him at risk. And not even because Carter would skin me alive.
“Fine. I?—”
The knock on the glass has me cursing. “Get out. Leave your weapons in the car.”
“What the hell is going on?”Carter demands, but when staring at three men, all with guns pointed at us, there’s not much we can say.
Blowing out a breath, I exchange a worried glance with Marcus. His jaw is set, but he chokes out, “Love you, Keegan, and Cole.”
I want to scream against the injustice of it, but with a nod at each other, we remove the guns on our side holsters, setting them on top of the dash. Then we both open the car doors, slipping out, even as we can hear Carter screaming for information. The doors close with a finality that makes me sick, but I hold my head up. I refuse to be cowed by these fucking men.
By the time I make it to the front of the car, Marcus is already there. I don’t focus on the guns—I focus on the men. The one on the right appears to have intimate knowledge of what he’s doing. In fact, he looks somewhat familiar, though my mind can’t get past its sedated feeling enough to place him.
The one furthest left…he’s definitely not as familiar. In fact, I’d place him as a LEO, one who wants to do the right thing. And that leaves the man in the middle. Who keeps glancing between the two men he’s in between, and seems unsure about all of this. Unfortunately, that makes him even more dangerous. He’s the type to shoot at the slightest movement, simply because he doesn’t know what to do. Fuck. Not good odds.
“Come on. Let’s bring you to the Boss. She’ll be thrilled at who we found,” the one who seems familiar gloats, and I clench my fists tightly.
Fucking hell. As much as I want to be near the bitch and demand answers, it’s the wrong fucking time. It’s a losing hand, and I know it. If we let them take us to her, and the rest of the guards, we’ll have no chance.
I loosen my hands, tapping my fingers against my leg.One.Two.Three. Pause.One.Two. Pause. Marcus may not seem to be looking at me, but I know he’s watching. We’ve been in too many situations like this, where the odds were against us, but we had to find a way out. He’s been by my side since we clawed the Family to the top.
I pretend to fall, drawing their attention to me and Marcus expertly jumps forward, snapping the man on the left’s neck, his body falling to the ground. Unfortunately, that leaves the two most dangerous. I roll, hitting their legs, and both go down. We’re not able to stop their shouts, knowing it’ll draw more men toward us. Fuck.
I pounce on the middle one, stripping him of his gun and tossing it back to Marcus. Unfortunately, by the time I finish, theone on the right is standing up again, and has his gun pointed directly at Marcus, even as Marcus has the gun I threw at him aimed too.
“A standoff.” The man’s voice is flat, but eerie, as if he doesn’t really care whether he’s the one who pulls the trigger first or not.
Either way, if Marcus pulls his first, the guy could still get his own shot off. That’s unacceptable. I’m not putting Marcus in danger. I slide in between them, ignoring Marcus’s curses, and raise my hands. If he shoots me first, it’ll guarantee Marcus can get a shot off when I go down.
“You don’t want to do this. If you do, I can promise you there will be more than one Family out for your blood.”
“As if I care. I won’t betray my Bosses or my position. But thanks for making this so easy for me. I really don’t need a washed up leader.” His mouth screws up in a twisted smile, his eyes lighting up for the first time, likely at the thought of blood. I know men like this. Hell, I’ve trained them.
Sirens fill the air just before he pulls the trigger. The bullet slams into me and I fall to the ground. Another shot rings out, and through blurry vision, I see the man fall. With a savage smile of my own, I give a shaky exhale, content knowing Marcus is safe—for now.
“Fuck, we need to get out of here before the others get here,” Marcus swears as he comes closer to me, helping me up, even as I work to staunch the bleeding.
Grunting at the pain and the dizziness, I stumble along with him back to the SUV. Hell, I didn’t think we’d gone that far away from it, but each step feels like a million, as fire licks at the wound. Thank fuck for the sirens, as it was enough to jar the man’s aim. Instead of killing me outright, the bullet hit my shoulder. At least, I think that’s all it was. For some reason, everything is becoming fuzzier as we get closer to the SUV.
Marcus opens up the door to the back, helping me to get in—or more accurately, shoving me in, because I don’t have the strength to help much. Fuck, the world is spinning, and my breath is coming in harsh gasps.It was the shoulder, right?
“Actually, I think it got a little closer to your chest than your shoulder,” Marcus says grimly.
I blink at him, suddenly aware I said that aloud. I must be out of it. Well, fuck. Struggling against what feels like the weight of an elephant on me, I manage to say the few words I have left in me. “Make sure Emilio is safe. Please. I love him…and all of you.”
“FUCK,” Marcus screams, before slamming the door shut and getting in the front seat. The engine roars, and I wonder if it somehow has become airborne, because everything feels like it’s floating…
I fight to keep my eyes open, hearing snatches of words from Marcus that make no sense, but eventually, it all gets too much. Darkness weaves its cold cocoon around me, stealing what’s left of my breath and energy… At least, if I don’t make it, I know I saved one person. And in turn, maybe my love’s life too…
Lio is not okay. I don’t know what the fuck Cecily did to him, because he won’t talk to me, and it’s worrisome.
I’m going to kill her. Slowly, painfully, I’m going to make her suffer for making my friend look as if all the light has gone out of him.
Struggling with my own memories of my last kidnapping, I’m next to useless to help Lio, though I’m not even sure if he’ll let me. He’s been quiet, and the pain I see in his eyes makes me feel so fucking helpless.
