Page 3 of Secret Redemption

“Zin,” Celeste whispered, and the massive Russian looked at her as if seeing her for the first time. His head tilted slightly as if he was confused.

“What’s wrong, Zin? Why are you doing this?”

“I need the book.” He said angrily. Zin’s focus was still on Celeste, and Zack started to inch forward, as did Dane and Nate. Zack noticed the small incremental movement but only because of his training. He felt a hand on his leg and turned to see Ava looking at him.

What he saw made him stop. She was worried. He wasn't sure if it was worry for him or her friend, but he smiled back to reassure her.

When he turned back around, he saw that Celeste was now within an arm’s reach of Zin and Drew. God, if she were Lucy this would be over now, but she had no training at all. Something he would remedy as soon as this was over.

Then he noticed Samson and realised that Celeste had something that none of them had. A 95-pound beast that would die for her in a heartbeat. As Celeste got within touching distance, Zin seemed to snap out of his trance. Then all hell broke loose.

In the blink of an eye, Zin’s pale blue eyes went cold, and his hand tightened on the knife, his gun turned and aimed at Ava. The Viper—and Zack was under no illusion that was who Zin was right now—turned so that Celeste was further out of reach, and he had the others back within his sight.

Zack watched in morbid fascination as Celeste dropped her head then in a broken voice whispered the word, ‘Fass!” With that one word, Zack watched in horror as Samson launched himself at Zin with a speed and vicious efficiency that shocked the room. He knocked the gun up and out of Zin’s hand, but not before it went off.

The sound was like a cannon, and it spurred everyone to move. Drew, who had seen what Celeste was going to do, had raised his hands to pull down on the arm around his neck. Drew’s strength and the shock of Samson attacking caused Zin to let go of him.

Zin was still on his feet though and was wrestling Samson from his arm. Samson hung on even as Zin swung the dog around. The beast never let go and proceeded to shake Zin.

Zack jumped to his feet, as did the others, and they went to rush Zin. At the same time, Celeste called Samson off with the words ‘Aus, hier,” Samson immediately let go and returned to his master’s side.

For a reason known only to Celeste, when she saw everyone rushing at Zin with their weapons drawn, she put herself between them and Zin.

Zin managed to grab the gun, but Zack knew that Zin was aware he had lost the upper hand and it was in desperation that he snaked out a hand and dragged Celeste closer to his side. Samson just stood there, and he wondered why until he saw Celeste gesture to the animal. Zack wanted to punch something hard. Everyone except Will, who had grabbed the nearest laptop, stood with guns drawn. It was a Mexican standoff, and Celeste was behaving like some crazy person.

“You let me leave, and I will release her. If you follow, she dies,” Zin stated coldly. Zack didn’t know this man, but he’d heard whispers of his reputation.

Knowing he had no choice, Zack nodded. “Fine, but I’m coming for you Zin, and make no mistake. I. Do. Not. Lose.” Zack’s quiet but deadly voice was one that had struck fear into the heart of many a man.

Zin nodded, and without turning his back, left, taking Celeste with him.

Within seconds of his leaving, the door swung open again and Zack tensed as every man in the room raised his weapon to the door. Celeste stumbled back in and instantly fell to her knees by her dog.

Zack turned and looked at the team and then started barking out commands of his own.

“Dane, Nate, get after him,” he ordered and watched as they headed for the door. “Don’t hurt him,” he shouted in an afterthought, but they were already gone. “Will, get on this, and fucking track him.” Will nodded, even though he was already on it, his head buried in the computer. Zack was still reeling from what had just happened. He propped his hands on his hips and shouted to the room at large. “What the fuck just happened?” Zack looked around and realised he didn’t see Liam anywhere. He turned to Daniel who was helping Drew, who had a slight nick to his neck but nothing life-threatening.

“Dan, where is Liam?”

Daniel swivelled his head around then shrugged. “No idea, but I’ll go look. Drew can come with me.”

Zack nodded and walked to where Ava was sitting beside Celeste. Ava had managed to get the upset girl to the small couch and was comforting her.

He was absolutely furious with Celeste, and yet at the same time, he knew if it hadn’t been for her, someone would probably have gotten killed. He crouched in front of the two women and tried to reign in his temper. “You okay?” he asked in what he considered a soft tone.

Celeste kept her head down and nodded. “I don’t know what happened,” she whispered in an anguished voice. Zack watched as Ava rubbed her friends back and was impressed that she hadn’t fallen apart too. But then, her father was the infamous General Drake.

Ava glanced over at him and gave him a small smile. The vision of her bloody and broken swept through his mind. Zin had been talking to her, and she could so easily have been hurt if he hadn’t been distracted. The image would have gutted him if he wasn’t so angry.

That fiery, sexy spirit could have been wiped from existence in an instant, and he wouldn’t have had the chance to make her his. Her son would have been motherless. No! This was absolutely not acceptable, and he would not let it lie.

He concentrated on Celeste again as he sat beside her. He didn’t trust himself not to grab Ava up and haul her to him in an attempt to keep her safe.

“Celeste, what you did was incredibly stupid,” he said and caught the look of censure Ava gave him, but continued anyway, “A situation like that, with a man as highly trained as Zin, is extremely volatile. You could have been hurt or killed, or gotten one of us killed. That said,” he raced on, “it was also incredibly brave. But please, if something like that happens again then you must, and without question, obey what I, or my staff, say. Do you understand?”

Zack wasn’t a touchy-feely kind of man, but even he felt the need to comfort an obviously upset Celeste, so he put his arm around her, and she immediately sank into him and started to cry.

Daniel came back in a few seconds later with a very pissed off Liam.