But it was obvious he'd never encountered a situation like this before. His eyes darted around the room, shifting from one person to another, as ifhe was desperately trying to recall the protocol for handling such a scenario from the job manual.
I started walking. "She needs a doctor," I growled. "Unless you want to hear from my attorney. Illegal sex dungeons aren't that popular with the police either, last time I checked." I was bullshitting my way out. There was no attorney. There were no police. Involving the authorities in the matters of the Bureau was almost like treason.
But there was this desperate need to get Kimmy out of this hellhole. And it overpowered all other directives.
"If you take another step, you'll regret it," Valmont spoke behind my back.
I ignored him and inched toward the door.
"I said stop," Valmont demanded.
From the corner of my eye, I saw his wife waving at the guards. "Let them through," she said.
Nobody moved.
I shifted Kimmy in my arms, careful not to let her head flop back. The pendant camera was still at her throat, lens glinting in the half-light. Stupid girl kept it safe.
I made my voice cold and even. "If you don't listen to Mrs. Valmont, you're going to have more trouble than you can handle. This is already a crime scene."
The guard who seemed to be in charge looked at Caius, then at his wife, then at me. A chain of command that was fucked from the start.
Slowly, he stepped aside. Other guards followed.
I carried Kimmy out of the room and through the dark corridor.
"Seven?" I heard her mutter in my arms.
"Don't talk," I husked out. "I'm getting you out of here, Ponytail."
"Hey?" she called.
"You really shouldn't be spe?—"
"Blue balloon…is…very…tired, but it got you…awesome footage," she slurred.
Goddamn, woman!Why couldn't she listen to me for once? I dropped my gaze to her face and saw what appeared to be the hint of a smile. Then her features slacked and I realized she'd just lost consciousness.
My heart thudded in my chest wildly.
I stopped just long enough to set Kimmy's jaw in place and make sure she was breathing.
Then I pushed the emergency exit bar with my foot and let the alarms scream us out into the night.
My face was bare.
And I didn't care.
Kimmy's weight in my arms was nothing like I remembered from our few self-defense lessons. She felt like a feather, yet the moment itself was heavier.
We moved through the back alley while the rain was coming down in long, slow needles. It pasted Kimmy's hair to her face, smeared what was left of her makeup into a bruise-colored mask.
There was no one in sight except a single security guard left at the entrance to the club and a homeless guy wrapped in two tarps as I ran to the limo. He watched us with bright, animal eyes, then looked away when I met his gaze.
Inside the car, I set Kimmy on the passenger seat. She slumped to the side and I tried to straighten her up a little. Her eyes flickered open, but didn't focus.
I wasn't sure if she even recognized me or if she understood what was happening.
"I've got you," I muttered, already peeling off my jacket to wrap her in it.
