“What are you doing? You’ve lost your mind. You’ll fry when they catch you.”
He hisses in my ear. “Shut your fucking mouth, or I’ll cut your tongue out on the live feed.”
Ryker shouts through the tape on his mouth. “JADE!”
Trevor shoves me a step toward Ryker and my legs wobble, still affected by whatever drug they gave me.
The terror doesn’t help.
I’ve never been more scared in my life. Not even in that van.
It takes a few seconds to find my balance, but I’m instantly rigid when the first man steps in and presses a gun to my temple.
Turning to Ryker, Vesuvius says, “You make one wrong move, you don’t do exactly as you’re told, she’s pink mist. Or you play nice and you get a chance to live.”
“You mean, we get a chance to be hunted?” I counter.
He sneers against my face, pressing his hot mouth, the damp cotton of his mask against my ear. “Smart too. Maybe I should keep you for myself. But…”
He straightens.
Laughing, he says, “I can buy ass any time I want with all the money you’re making for us tonight.”
Ryker is definitely sending me a message with his eyes. Beneath the murder there, he’s telling me,don’t press. Don’t chance it.
But my blood is boiling.
Vesuvius grins behind his mask. “Now, here’s how this is going to go. She’s going to come over there and climb on your lap.”
CHAPTER 14
There is no part of me that isn’t broken all over again as Jade walks toward me.
The strength she has humbles me to my marrow. If I wasn’t already madly in love with the woman, this would be the moment.
Head held high, hands bloodied from her restraints, visibly trembling, she crosses the concrete to come to me.
I love you.I try to tell her with my eyes.I’m so, so sorry.
But I’m not sure she will see past my anger.
Fury crackles under my skin. A lightning storm looking for an escape. Ready to burn this fucking place down.
Starting with Trevor.
Jade never takes her eyes off of mine. She’s breathing raggedly, a wheeze in her lungs as she climbs onto my lap, a yellow sundress she wasn’t wearing when they grabbed her, pools around my hips.
There’s nothing I want more than to wrap her in my arms and promise her it will be okay.
Fuck! With all my power, I jerk against the cuffs holding my wrists. Jolting hard enough to rattle my teeth.
I need to hold her.
Must protect her.
I failed her before. Let them take her from the car, didn’t anticipate the ambush.
Now she’s paying. The operative in me sees this situation for what it is. How the odds are stacked.
