Page 55 of Knot All Is Ruined: Part 2

“Shut up,” Branko snapped. “Everyone has to do what they must to survive. Well, this is me surviving.”

He took two more steps, so we were just outside the cave entrance and I could be seen in the glow of the setting sun. Clearly, it was far later than I’d first guessed, but no matter, they were here now. All I had to do was make sure no one died unnecessarily.

“Don’t shoot,” Branko yelled. “This little birdie tells me you want to make a deal. If you want your Omega to remain alive, come out where I can see you and drop your weapons.”

I groaned internally. How stupid did he think my men were? There is no way they would agree to do something that stupid, being up against twice as many men.

“If you want your men to stay alive, I suggest you put her down and show yourself like a man,” Sorin called back. “What kind of leader uses a defenseless woman to hide behind?”

Branko let out a bark of laughter. “We both know Dani is far from defenseless. If I didn’t have her tied up this whole time, I have no doubt a fair amount of my men would have black eyes and fat lips.”

“Lucian, it’s Branko, one of the guards from the breeder house,” I shouted.

“What the fuck do you think you’re doing?” he hissed into my ear.

“Seriously, do you think it makes a difference if he knows or not? Besides, I’m just leveling the playing field,” I reasoned.

There was the sound of rocks shifting and Lucian appeared to the left on the ridge above, gun aimed in our direction. “You’d think someone who’d been a soldier under my command would know how foolish this was.”

“What makes it foolish? I have your precious Omega and more men than you. From where I’m standing, it seems I have the advantage,” Branko boasted.

“Look, we don’t want to kill anyone. We came to talk, to ask for your help, as a matter of fact. However, that won’t happen if you put so much as a scratch on Dani,” Lucian warned. “Just so we’re clear on the stakes before we set off the alarm, we planted C-4 in the entrance and on top of the cave. With one word, your men will be crushed under a pile of rock and then where will you be?”

“You wouldn’t dare. Dani’s too close to the entrance. It will hurt her, too.”

“Not if I shoot you in the leg and give her the chance to run away before your men can even act,” Lucian threatened. “Tell me, are you willing to call my bluff?”