Our captors were awake.
Thinking quickly, I scooted back in the direction of where they’d left me, hoping I was close to the original spot since I’d been blinded. I placed the bag back over my head and put my hands behind my back, hoping they wouldn’t realize I’d freed them.
One of the men’s footsteps sounded on the wooden stairs as he descended. I heard Alexis moan on the couch and prayed she wouldn’t get caught in the fray.
“Well, hello there,” the man said, walking over to Alexis. “Did you have sweet dreams?”
“Fuck you!” she spat, and I heard a loud slap.
“Shut your mouth, bitch, or I’ll do more than torture you.” I heard rustling and his low, cruel laugh. “Tight little pants on such a pretty ass...”
“Leave her alone!” I cried, my heartbeat accelerating as adrenaline rushed through my veins. The time to fight was now, and I did my best to draw his attention so he’d focus on me instead of Alexis.
“Looks like I need to bang you across the head again,” the man said, his footsteps approaching as I gauged the distance in my head. “Fuckingasshole—”
I ripped the bag off my head and reached for his gun, which sat in the holster at his waist. I could tell he was taken by surprise, and before he could stop me, I tugged his gun from the holster and aimed.
I wasn’t a fan of killing, although I’d killed more than my share. While I didn’t relish ending human lives, I also understood that some moments called for quick, decisive action; and sometimes, even death. This moment was one of them. There was no other choice than to kill him quickly. Leaving him alive while my ankles were still bound was just too dangerous.
I aimed at his chest and shot him directly in the heart. He gasped before falling to the floor in a heap of lax muscle.
His counterpart ran down the stairs, and I shot him in the temple. The shot was so clean, I only saw a trickle of blood escape before he crumpled on the stairs and fell the rest of the way down.
“Nick?” Alexis cried.
“They’re dead. I need to free my legs. Give me a minute.”
I heated the poker in the fire, warming it so I could use it to loosen my ankle ties. Eventually, I freed both legs and rushed toward Alexis.
“Are you okay?” I asked, fury raging through my veins at the handprint on her face from the bastard’s slap. Her wrists and ankles were bound behind her, and her face was streaked with tears. “Let me find something that can cut through your restraints.”
I headed into the small kitchen and searched the drawers. Finding a Swiss Army knife, I returned to her and cut her ties.
She sat up on the couch and rubbed her wrists as I collapsed beside her. Adrenaline was coursing through my veins, but once that subsided, I knew I was going to be in a world of pain.
“Oh, Nick...” she said, reaching for my hand. “Your skin...” Her eyes lifted to mine, filled with tears. “We need to cleanthis.”
“And my bullet graze too,” I said, pointing to my arm. “Think this dump has a first aid kit?”
“I’ll look.” She stood and ran her hands over her thighs. “I really have to pee...”
Smiling, I took in her gorgeous face, thrilled she was relatively unharmed. “Pee and then find the first aid kit.”
“I’ll be fast,” she said, leaning down to kiss my cheek before rushing to the bathroom. When she was finished, I heard rustling as she searched the bathroom cabinets. She returned with a white box with a red cross on front. “Bingo.”
I headed to the bathroom to relieve myself too, and then returned to sit on the couch beside her.
She opened the kit which was surprisingly well-stocked. It held a stash of antibacterial wipes, bandages, ointments and other medical supplies.
“Okay,” she said, opening one of the antibacterial wipes. “Let me clean your arm and hand with this, and then I’ll apply some ointment and bandages.”
She worked methodically, grimacing as I hissed when she touched the wipe to my bloody wrist.
“Sorry. It’s really bad.” Lifting her eyes to mine, she asked, “Did you rip your skin when you broke free of the binds?”
I nodded.
Deep emotion entered her gaze, and she cupped my jaw. “Thank you,” she whispered. “You saved me.”
