Wei dug his fingers into the other’s throat. “Tell me his name.”
“F-fuck you.”
Wei squeezed until Scott’s face turned red. If he wanted, he could crush the other’s windpipe, crumple it like a piece of paper in his fist. But Scott wasn’t the one whose blood he wanted on his hands.
“Tell me your friend’s name,” he said steadily.
Scott made a gargling noise.
“Let ’im go, you bastard, or I’ll shoot!”
A quick glance revealed that three guards had entered the cage, surrounding Wei. They were large and obviously slow-footed since it had taken them this long to intervene.
Wei moved, yanking Scott from the bars and switching their positions. Scott now faced his men, Wei behind him. Wei twisted Scott’s arm behind his back whilst continuing to grip the man’s throat.
“Shoot, and your leader dies first,” Wei said.
The brutes looked indecisively at one another, their weapons wavering. Stupid as well as slow, which worked to Wei’s advantage. He was going to get his answers from Scott, and he wouldn’t let anyone stand in his way.
“Wei, look out!”
Glory’s voice punctured Wei’s concentration. He turned his head, seeing a guard outside the cage a few feet away, his pistol aimed in Wei’s direction. Before the man could shoot, Glory dove into him, tackling him to the ground. But the brute was huge, outweighing her by at least five stone. He rolled atop her, getting the upper hand.
Wei’s vision flashed scarlet.
No one hurts Glory. She’s mine.
In a raging heartbeat, he made his decision. With a frustrated growl, he struck his palm into Scott’s back, the force of his hit sending the other flying into two of the guards. The brutes toppled under the weight of their leader while the remaining man tried to get off a shot. Wei leapt into the air, a bullet whizzing past him an instant before he planted his foot into the guard’s chest. The man sailed backward, smacking his head against the bars and slumping to the ground.
With a last fierce look at Scott, who was struggling to get up, Wei exited the cage. He shoved past the fleeing crowd, getting to Glory. He yanked the attacker off her and knocked the bastard unconscious with a strike to the head.
He pulled Glory to her feet just as Scott and his men staggered from the cage. Shielding her body with his, Wei readied to do battle.
“Don’t worry,” she whispered. “I’ve got this.”
He saw that she’d lit a match and was holding it to the bottom of a flask. He spotted the other Angels doing the same. Glory lit the fuse, tossing the device to the ground, and thick grey smoke billowed into the air. He had an instant to meet Scott’s slitted stare, and his shoulders bunched with fury—with the need to seize what had so long eluded him.
I’m so damned close—
Glory slipped her hand into his, tugging urgently.
“Let’s go.”
Glory, Wei, and the rest of the team made a quick escape to the alley where three carriages were waiting. Fi and Hawksmoor went off with Mr. Devlin while Livy and Hadleigh boarded their own vehicle.
When Glory didn’t follow, Livy poked her head out the window. “Aren’t you coming?”
Glory looked at Wei, who returned her gaze stonily.
“I’m going with Mr. Chen,” she said.
Livy narrowed her eyes. “Are you certain that’s a good idea? After he—”
She was cut off by Hadleigh, who murmured something in her ear.
After a moment, Livy turned back to Glory with a sigh. “All right, but do be careful—”
“I’ll be back at your house soon,” Glory promised.
