“It’s Dany,” I said. “And you’re getting out of here.”
A few of them flinched, and I realized how I must look; blood everywhere, a bullet hole in my shoulder slowly knitting itself back together. I couldn't blame them. I looked like a fucking nightmare in fishnets.
“I’m not going to hurt you,” I assured them. “Give me your hands,” I ordered, holding mine out.
One by one, they shuffled toward me. I sliced through zip ties, ropes, anything holding them in place. My fingers were shaking with the bloodlust still driving me, and I accidentally nicked Lola’s wrist with the tip of my knife.
“Sorry,” I muttered.
She shook her head, tears spilling down her cheeks. “You’re here,” she said, like that was the only thing that mattered.
Behind me, Lucifer leaned against the container wall, watching with eyes that had turned some unreadable shade of dark.
“You can get them out,” I threw over my shoulder at him. “Right?”
He arched a brow. “I do many things, dearest Dany. Ferrying traumatized mortals to safety is not usually one of them.”
I looked back at the girls, at Sapphire trying and failing to cover herself with her own arms, at Trinity positioning herself in front of Nova without even realizing she was doing it, at the way Caramel was shaking so hard her teeth chattered.
My glare snapped back to him.
“Then figure it out,” I growled. “You wanted me sharpened? Fine. This is the part where you hold the goddamn whetstone while I go for the throat.”
Something like pride flickered across his face.
“Girls,” I said, drawing their attention back. “Listen to me. You’re going to follow him—”
There were a few panicked noises at that.
“He’s an asshole,” I said flatly. “But he’s not going to hurt you. I swear on my fucking life, okay? Stay together. First lit road you hit, you split. Scatter. Find help. Cops, hospitals, whatever. Don’t come back to the club. Don’t look for me. Do you understand?”
“What about you?” Caramel’s voice cracked on the last word.
I smiled softly and let the sadness I felt wash over my expression. “I love you, but I want you to forget you ever knew me.” She started to protest, but I cut her off. “Trust me, Carm. It’s better this way. I’m not who or what you think I am. But I want you safe, and I want you to live a life away from this fucking city.”
We looked at each other’s tear stricken faces for a moment longer. I was going to miss her. All of them. But before I could change my selfish mind, I said, “Luci, please.”
He snapped his fingers and just like that, they were gone.
“Guess that’s one way to call an Uber,” I rasped. “Where did you send them?”
“Somewhere safe with no memories of what’s happened here.”
I jerked my chin up. “You made them forget? Isn’t that against free will?”
“Sometimes, Dany, circumstances are worth breaking the rules for.” His gaze was pointed and, on another day, maybe I’d be able to read it.
Not tonight, though. I was on a mission.
Somewhere deeper in the maze of metal and rust, a voice snapped out orders. Clipped. Controlled. I knew the cadence before my brain even translated the words.
Joe.
Of course he was still here. Loyal lapdog to the end.
I tilted my head, listening. Spread out! He can’t have gone far,” carried just right on the cold air.
He. Joe didn’t even know who was after him.
