“Darcie?” I called again. Where was she? Why wasn’t she answering me? My heart sank.
“He has her inside.” The voice was female and very, very British.
The woman who spoke was thin, her lank hair covering most of her face.
“Inside?”
She nodded. “He will kill her before letting her go, he will kill us all. You have just signed our death warrants.”
The venom in her voice was enough to make me do a double-take. What the hell was she talking about? We were there to save them. Why didn’t she understand that? I couldn’t think about it though. If Darcie was inside then I needed to get to her, and quickly.
I could leave these women to the men who had ridden with me. They would help them. There was only one woman I was here to save. And her name was Darcie Summers.
Glancing at Fang, he nodded without being asked.
He would back me up, Ibecause that's what my brothers always did. If Darcie was important to me then she was important to the Savage Sons.
***
“Havoc.” Darcie’s voice was strange, half-choked off by the arm that was around her throat. But I could see the relief in her eyes as I stepped into the decrepit office.
I settled my face into neutral indifference. “Hey, baby.” I didn’t take my eyes from the man holding her against him like a human shield. “You ok?”
It was hard to ignore the state of her: the top button of her jeans was undone, revealing a triangle of deep green underwear. Her shirt was ripped and dirty, speckled with blood. Likely from her nose which was swollen and bloody.
Rage engulfed me, the fucker had hit her. Had probably broken her nose. But it was nothing compared to the injuries on her throat. Blue and purple bruises stood out against the arm that was pressing into her windpipe.
“It’s over, old man.” Somehow I kept my voice steady. “Just let her go and walk away.”
“Walk away?” He chuckled. And Darcie’s eyes popped as the arm tightened, choking off her airway. “I don’t think so. You’re a young man with your entire life ahead of you. Are you really going to risk it all for this?” He didn’t let me answer. “Her pussy isn’t all that. Dry as fucking ash and…”
I roared. It was as if my vision had been taken over by a fiery red mist. Levelling the gun at his head he had a split second to bring Darcie in front of him.
“You won’t shoot me, Havoc, not and risk her. We both know you won’t shoot me. Not when you could hit her.”
My eyes found Darcie. She looked helpless and scared. And it broke me. This was the woman I loved and I couldn’t do anything. He was right; I couldn’t risk shooting him and hitting her instead.
For a second I let my hand drop, the fight almost leaving me and then I shook myself. Righting the gun I watched the realisation filter into Darcie’s eyes.
Being shot by me would be a better fate than whatever he had planned for her. Even death would be better and we both knew it.
She nodded once and then her eyes closed because she knew what was about to happen. I steadied my arm, taking aim again.
The crack of bone against bone echoed through the suddenly silent room. Darcie had forced her head back against the old man’s face. He stumbled backwards just as she fell forward, her arms covering her head as she curled herself up on the floor.
I didn’t hesitate. My gun went off with a loud pop.
***
“Darcie?” I picked her up from the floor easily, cradling her in my arms like a child and stepping away before the blood could reach her. “Darcie, talk to me baby, are you hit?” I was sure the bullets me and Fang had pumped into the old crime boss’s body hadn’t hit her but I needed to be sure.
“I’m fine.” She pressed her dirty cheek to my chest, right over my heart and I felt her relax. “The others?”
I could have laughed. “They are fine, all of them are fine. Let me worry about you ok. Just you.”
“Are they all dead?” There was no emotion in her voice but I knew it would come when the shock wore off. She would probably need counselling. Someone to talk to about what had happened to her and I would make that happen. I would give her anything she needed.
“Yes, baby, or they soon will be. The boys will hunt down any stragglers. Let’s just get you out of here.”
