Like me, her hands were bound in front, wrists linked tight with handcuffs. A strip of fabric hung loose around her neck, which meant she’d likely been gagged for the entire drive.
“Get—”
Mr Tuxedo, whom I assume was Mr Caretaker by his holier-than-thou attitude, struck her across the face. I surged forward instinctively, ready to tear him apart, but Cunt Number One grabbed my shoulder and yanked me back, slamming me to the ground with more force than necessary.
So, I’m totally replanning my whole ‘no wet work’ rule, because this wouldn’t be a problem if I’d just taken them out when they were acting useless by the van.
At least my favourite short king was busy. Jürgen stood off to the side, completely unfazed, speaking German into a phone as if I was nothing more than a mild inconvenience.
“You’d do well to remember who I am,” Caretaker growled to Violet.
Her eyes flicked to me, glistening with panic before she returned her attention to him. “Please, let me speak,Vater.”
Wait… didn’t that mean father? What. The. Fuck. Did I miss a whole chapter somewhere?
He reached for her throat, tightening his grip until she gasped.
“I’m going to fucking kill you,” I snarled, fighting against the two men keeping me on the ground. I grunted when I was hit again, my face wet with what could only be blood.
“Please,” Violet whimpered. “Please don’t hurt him.”
My chest ached, my heart beating so hard I half-expected it to burst out and take a swing at him for me. Slouching down, I hid my hands under my chest, slowly working my magic.
We’d been driven to an airfield, private judging by the single jet waiting on the tarmac and the complete lack of ground staff.
Which just made everything worse.
Shit.
My mind tore through possibilities, scrambling to adjust a plan that could get us out of this before the jet’s enginestarted. Because if things went sideways, tracking a car was one thing. Tracking an entireplanewas a whole different nightmare.
Assuming they didn’t put a bullet in my skull before take-off, of course.
A kick landed hard on my back, causing me to crush my wrists beneath my weight.
“STOP!” Violet cried, wrestling with Caretaker to reach me.
“All good,” I grunted, curling inward to shield my organs from the repeated kicks, because, you know, they’re pretty important and all that. My wrists ached beneath me, definitely bruised, but by now which part of me wasn’t?
Managing to open the cuff, I pulled out my hand, and on the next kick grabbed Cunt Number One’s leg and twisted.
His ankle popped, and he screamed as he came tumbling down beside me. I didn’t hesitate, reaching for his weapon and shooting him in the face before turning to Cunt Number Two. He went down just as fast, leaving me with just Caretaker and Jürgen.
Violet stilled, her eyes wide and her shoulders trembling.
I climbed to my feet, the gun still heavy in my hand. My body screamed in protest for daring to stand upright.
Caretaker’s weapon remained pressed to Violet’s head, his grip steady, and I didn’t resist when Jürgen stepped in to disarm me. His punch came fast, and I wasn’t quite quick enough this time. His knuckles connected to my left eye, and I’m pretty sure something wentcrack.
But I stayed on my feet, too stubborn to go down by this point.
“Get on your knees,” Caretaker growled, pressing the barrel harder against her temple. My pulse roared in myears, and I glanced between the two men, hands raised in surrender as the cuff dangled from my left wrist.
“No! Ryder—” Violet cried out, just before she was shoved to the ground, the gun still trained on her head.
Even now, she lookedfucking beautiful. The sun glistened against her golden hair, but it was those eyes, deep and wild like the heart of a forest, that gutted me. Terror and defiance burned, and somehow, even now, she knocked the breath from my lungs.
“Last warning,” Caretaker said, his tone almost bored.
