All the fine hairs stand to attention on the back of my neck. “We have cameras?” I narrow my eyes at my stepbrother as he taps away on his tablet. When he lifts his head a couple of seconds later, I spot the grin he’s trying to fight. Oh, hell to the no. If this means what I think it means, I am going to kick his ass from one end of Lowell to the other.
“Do you know either of these men?” Ares turns the tablet around, showing us the image of the two tall dark-haired men standing at our door.
“That’s Vincent Fox. He’s my trainer,” I say, pointing at the man on the left the same time Jase says, “That’s Victor Fox,” pointing at the man on the right.
“They are brothers and well-respected masters attached to the Salinger family,” Bree explains.
“They are friends of our father and good guys,” Jase confirms.
Ares brow puckers. “What are they doing here?”
“Only one way to find out,” I say, stalking toward the front door with Bree hot on my tail.
ChapterSeven
Ares
Ashrill scream rings out, and Jase and I jump up as one, racing out into the hallway. The second I round the bend, something whizzes through the air at me, and a sharp sting pinches the side of my neck. The effect is immediate. I slump to my knees as I reach a hand to the small object embedded in the side of my neck. Losing all feeling in my fingers, I can’t pull it out. The last things I see as darkness encroaches on my vision are Jase collapsing beside me, both girls lying comatose on the floor, and a swarm of men in black military-style fatigues piling through the front door.
* * *
“Ares.” My eyes flicker as the whisper of her voice floats through my ears. “Ares, wake up!” The darkness calls to me, not wanting to let go, and my eyes go still as sleep returns to claim me. “Hey, asshole.” Ash’s voice is louder this time, and my shoulders vibrate as she shakes me. “Wake the fuck up. Right now.”
“Always so bossy,” I murmur, my voice thick with sleep as I force my eyes to open. It all comes back to me in a flash, and I jerk upright, smashing her against my chest as I take stock of our surroundings.
“Can’t breathe,” she mumbles, struggling to get free.
I narrow my eyes at the two assholes standing in front of the open fireplace directly beside the leather couch where Jase and Bree are sitting, across from the couch we are on. Bree is trying to rouse Jase, and he’s groaning as he slowly comes to. “What the fuck is going on?” I hiss, tucking Ash under my arm and warning her with a glare not to fucking move. This is clearly more Luminary bullshit. I still haven’t wrapped my head around the shit Stewart told me earlier. It sounds like something from a horror movie.
“We’ll explain everything as soon as Jase is awake,” the taller, slightly older-looking man says.
“They won’t hurt us,” Ash says, attempting to straighten up. “I know Vincent and—"
I interject before she can continue. “News flash, dollface. They already did hurt us.” I tighten my arm around her as I bare my teeth at the older dudes. An ache in my neck has me reaching toward the tiny hole in my flesh. I growl. “What the fuck did you do?” I ask as Jase comes to.
“I apologize, Blade,” the slightly shorter, younger man says. “It was only a mild tranquilizer. It won’t cause any lasting damage.”
Jase’s eyes scan over Ash before he jumps to his feet, swaying a little. He turns around, facing the two men. “She has a fucking concussion, you morons.” Leaning across the couch, he grabs the older man by the shirt, putting his face all up in his. “You better have a good reason for this, Victor,” he growls. “If you don’t, I’ll have your ass for this.”
“We didn’t have a choice, Mr. Stewart. Rhett Carter has cameras all over the townhome, and we couldn’t risk talking to you there.”
What the fuck? How is that even possible, and did Doug know? Or is this something Carter had done while he had us locked up in the creepy crypt?
“I have checked Ashley out, and she’s fine. You’ll all likely be a little bit drowsy. Maybe get a headache,” Vincent says in a voice that is way too calm and casual for my liking.
“I don’t care who you are.” I pull Ash to her feet as I stand. “You hurt her again, you touch her again, and it’ll be the last move you ever make.”
The older man smiles in my direction. “You remind me so much of your father. He was passionate and possessive with your mom in the same way.”
Yeah, I’m so not touching that right now.
“You have two minutes to explain yourselves before we’re calling this in,” Bree says, standing beside her brother. “We outrank you and could have you killed for the stunt you just pulled.”
“We need to talk to Blade, to all of you,” Victor says, “but the townhome is compromised. We didn’t want to put you at risk, any more than you already are, by talking to you there.”
“If you had asked, I would’ve told you I knew about the cameras. I could’ve switched them off,” I say, assuming Carter had just piggybacked off the existing cameras and not implanted new ones.
Ash thumps me in the ribs, attempting to wriggle out from my embrace. I tighten my arm around her, keeping her trapped as I stare at the two men. “Doug asked me to install them. He was worried about Ash though he refused to explain why.” It all makes sense now.
