Huffing out huge breaths and dragging in even larger ones as he ran, he felt his adrenaline pumping through him at a dangerous pace. As the fifteen-second mark hit, the wall behind him swung shut. He’d barely made it.
Over the noise of the heavy-metal music, he could just barely hear male voices, dark and angry, along with scuffling, grunts, and swearing in Spanish. He got down on his knees and slid his hands along the bottom of the panels, pricking his skin on the sharp edge. Panel 118!
He’d never been so happy to have a piece of technology refuse to be fixed by him.
Slicing the hell out of his fingertips, he worked to pry the bottom of the panel toward him. With a gargantuan final heave, the panel made a god-awful screech. In the space he created, he managed to get an arm through the gap and grab Glennon’s ankle, where she was once again positioned tight against the wall.
TJ’s voice bellowed from the rafters. “Triumph! Go right!”
Without thinking, Triumph yanked hard on Glennon’s leg, not stopping to worry about hurting her or what she wasenduring in that moment. He pulled with everything in him, and as he did, a single shot rang out.
Then a second.
Time seemed to stop. The lights seemed to freeze, and the music cut off. Then everything suddenly started back up, like a music box being wound. Glennon collapsed at the foot of the mirrors, and with a thud, both men hit the floor. Cesar’s gun skittered across the floor and came to a stop when it hit the mirror next to him.
“Glennon!” he yelled over the music.
She wasn’t moving, and from this angle, he couldn’t see if she was breathing.
“Glennon!” he yelled again.
He let go of her just long enough to grab hold of Panel 118 again and pulled with all his might until it broke off its track. Pain screamed through his hands and arms, up into his shoulders, but he didn’t stop pulling and yanking until he was able to slide his torso through the space he’d made.
“Glennon! Little spy, you gotta answer me! You gotta tell me you’re still with me. Jesus, no. Don’t you dare give up on me.”
A hand grabbed his, and through a tangle of hair, two brown eyes looked at him. “Never gonna give you up,” she whispered.
Surprise lit up his face, and he couldn’t help the mad laughter that poured out of him that she could Rickroll him at a moment like this. Using the last of his strength, he reached for her and pulled her half-clothed body through the space between the panels to his side of the wall, paying absolutely no attention to the two bodies bleeding out behind her on the floor, reflecting back on themselves.
Gears grinded, and the panels made their next movement, but suddenly, he watched her eyes go wide at something behind him.
He’d heard that in moments of importance, things could move in slow motion. He’d never experienced it.
Today was the day.
Glennon’s eyes, saucer-wide. Her arm reaching across his lap. She rolled onto her back. She emptied the weapon. Guillermo weaved, almost drunkenly, where he stood, then fell to the floor.
He lay there on the floor with her, staring at the man who’d done so much damage. He’d never get up again. He’d never hurt anyone again.
The chime sounded, the grinding noise came, and the panel in front of them swung closed, boxing the two cartel men off and removing the bodies from view as if to protect her from what had occurred.
Absolute quiet. Someone had reached the control booth and shut off the club’s sounds.
The lights changed from club atmosphere to the stark halogen ones used for repairs and upkeep during off hours.
Carefully, Triumph reached out, unpeeled her fingers from the gun, and set it on the floor, giving it a gentle push away from them.
He gathered Glennon close, hugging her as tightly to him as he could. In return, her arms clutched at him. Sobs tore from her body with such viciousness, he worried she’d hurt herself. All he could do was hug her tighter, burying his face in her hair. He doubted she could hear anything he was saying to her over her cries, but he told her everything anyway.
What he didn’t say? He didn’t tell her it would be okay. He knew he couldn’t promise that.
But he did know some things to be true.
He was so proud of her.
She was such a badass.
He loved her.
