At the mention of his sister’s name, Josiah swung his right arm—and the scalpel—around. The sudden move took Alex off guard, and he threw his hand up to protect himself from the blade. When he did, his forearm collided with Josiah’s, causing his gun to fire at the wall to his right just before it flew from his hand.
With the blade still headed straight for Alex’s face, Josiah growled as he tried to kill him. Thankfully, Alex’s training trumped the other man’s strength, allowing him to gain control of Josiah’s wrist and twist.
The snapping of bone filled the damp space just before Josiah’s loud roar of pain. The scalpel fell to the floor next to Alex’s feet, but Josiah still didn’t stop.
Rather than accept defeat, the crazed man continued to fight. Using the muscles in his legs for leverage, he screamed and shoved Alex back. Josiah continued the motion until he slammed Alex against the rough, rock wall.
Alex’s back and head hit with enough force to momentarily stun him. If they’d been alone, he had no doubt Josiah would have overpowered him then. But they weren’t alone.
With a hard yank, Dan ripped Josiah away from Alex, tossing the man to the ground behind him. Alex dove for his gun, picking the weapon up just as their target began charging them again. It was the last thing Josiah ever did.
The sound of deafening gunshots echoed off the stone walls as both Alex and Dan emptied their weapons. Simultaneously, the two men pulled their triggers, again and again. Neither stopped until every bullet in their mags had been spent.
Knowing they’d finally ended the bastard, Alex shoved his empty gun into his waistband and ran to Eden’s side. His heart dropped to his stomach when he saw the fresh blood on her throat.
Chapter Fifteen
“Eden!”
Alex rushed to her side, his hand flying to her neck to put pressure against the source of the blood. He blew out a breath, his relief from discovering the cut was shallow pouring down at her from his worried eyes. It was short-lived, however, and they became wild with worry again as he took in the rest of her physical state.
“Ah, God, baby.”
“Get me out of these,” she begged breathlessly. Unprecedented panic set in and she began yanking on the metal cuffs at her wrist. “I tried, but…I couldn’t…get free. I have to…please, Alex…”
With a low curse, he lifted his head to speak to Dan. “Check him for keys.”
Alex’s handsome face filled with agony once more as he looked back down at her. Gently cupping her tender face, he kissed her forehead.
“We’ll get you out, sweetheart, but I need you to quit fighting the restraints. You’re only hurting yourself more.”
“Got ’em!” Dan hollered out from somewhere behind her.
Within seconds, Eden was free and being scooped into the warmth and protection of Alex’s strong arms. Once outside, he carefully set her down on her feet and turned on a small flashlight she didn’t even realize he had.
His jaw clenched together tightly as he began assessing her from head to toe. He took some time to study the scrapes and cuts she’d gotten from the shackles, paying a little more attention to the deeper one on her right wrist.
Moving the light closer to her face, Alex failed to hold back a hissing breath from the bruises she could already feel forming. He swallowed hard, his voice low and deadly when he asked, “Where else did he hurt you?”
“He c-cut my side, but I’m okay.”
Using his light, Alex inspected the area, growling when he spotted the injury. Eden thought the bleeding had slowed, and she was pretty sure Josiah hadn’t gone deep enough to cause any major damage.
“You’ll probably need some stitches.”
“I-I’m okay,” she repeated, only then realizing how badly she was shaking.When did that start?
“It’s the adrenaline,” Alex explained, sensing her concern. “It’ll pass.” When Eden nodded, he asked, “Do you think you can walk? The chopper’s just a little over a quarter mile from here. I’ll have the pilot fly us directly to the hospital and—”
“No.” Eden shook her head. “N-no hospitals.”
Understanding crossed over his face. “Sweetheart, I know you hate them, but your ankles and wrists are torn up pretty badly. They need to be treated, as well as your side. And you probably should start a round of antibiotics too, just in case.”
Damn. She hated that he was right. “C-can’t we just c-call someone…have them come t-to your apartment?”
“I can arrange for that.”
They turned to see Dan coming out of the cellar. Alex gave him a look. “Let me guess, you know a guy?”
