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We walk up the three stairs leading to the porch, and the last one groans loudly underfoot. My muscles tense at the sound, which seems amplified in the otherwise quiet street. I jerk my head at Romeo, signaling he should take the back entrance, and he nods his understanding before edging around the perimeter of the property. I turn the door handle, expecting to meet resistance, but it opens with ease. My heart sinks through my stomach. The only reasons the door would be unlocked are if the house is empty or we’re walking into a trap.
Taking a deep breath, I remove my gun from its holster and push the door farther open so I can peer inside. The entryway is full of shadows, barely illuminated by the lightening sky peeking through the windows. I strain to hear, listening for any signs of life within these walls, my senses hyperalert. When I hear nothing, I creep inside and edge toward the stairway. From my vantage point, I can see three doorways leading to rooms on the ground floor.
Romeo’s shadow is silhouetted against the back door window as he picks the lock. A few seconds later, he’s inside the kitchen and our eyes meet. I signal that I’m going to check the rooms on this floor, but a muffled scream stops us both in our tracks.
She’s here. Adrenaline races through my veins, heightening my senses.
We both look at the closed door between us and silently communicate our plan. We’ll stay together until we find Mia. I wrap my fingers around the handle and open it slowly, wincing at the shrill sound made by unoiled hinges.
A shrill voice travels up the rough, uneven stairs in front of me. “I’ll kill her before you get anywhere near me.”
That must be Phoenix. Gripping my gun in two hands, I flip off the safety, unsure what to expect. “We’re not going to hurt you. We’re only here for Mia.” The light is on downstairs, but I can’t see her or Mia. She can obviously see me though.
“So why you got a gun, asshole?”
Mia’s soft whimpers drift up the stairs now, and my gut churns. At least she’s here and she’s alive.
“It’s just a precaution. I don’t know what I’m walking into, do I? But I give you my word I won’t use it as long as no harm comes to Mia. Just let her go and we’ll walk out of here right now and leave you alone.” I take a tentative step down the stairs.
“You take one more step with that gun in your hand and I’ll slice her throat wide open.” Her tone is so vicious, so full of poison, that I have no choice but to believe her.
I glance back at Romeo, and he nods at the gun, then shakes his head. “Okay. What if I put the gun down.” I place it on the step beside me and stand, my hands raised. “I just want Mia.”
Her wild laugh sends a tendril of fear down my spine. But when I take another step down, she doesn’t try to stop me. “How many of you are there? I hear someone else up there with you.”
“Just me and my buddy. Promise.”
“Let me see his gun too. Put it on the step with yours.”
Romeo bites his lip, worry lining his brow. Mia’s safety is paramount, and I still can’t see what the hell is going on down there. One of us can make a grab for a weapon if we need to. I nod, indicating that he should comply, and he places his prized revolver on the stair next to my gun.
I continue moving down the stairs and finally get my first glimpse of Mia. She’s still wearing her yellow dress from the day of the gala, although it’s more gray than yellow now. A thick chain is wrapped around her ankles and her wrists. She’s standing, her legs trembling, with a gag stuffed into her mouth. A woman with wild pink hair, dirty feet, and the scrawniest arms I’ve ever seen stands behind her, one arm around Mia’s neck and the other holding a knife to her slender throat.
I train my eyes on Mia. “You’re safe, Mia. We’re here to bring you home.”
Phoenix releases a zealous laugh. “The fuck you are.”
Yes, the fuck I am, you fucking bitch. I can feel Romeo edging closer too, and I stretch my neck to relieve some of the tension solidifying my muscles. “We found the man you and Keres have been looking for. Let Mia go and we’ll give you his name and never have to see each other again.”
She bares her teeth like a rabid cat and presses the blade deeper into Mia’s skin, causing a thin trickle of crimson to trail down her neck and onto her dress. “You think I’m stupid. Keres might buy your nice-guy routine, but she’s always been a slut for a pretty smile. I know I won’t be leaving this room alive, but at least I can take this bitch with me.” She yanks Mia’s head to the side, and Mia flinches but keeps her eyes locked on mine. I give her a subtle nod, hopefully letting her know that I would die myself before I let anything happen to her. Phoenix licks her lips. “And if I get to take one of Keres’s new playthings with me too, all the better.” She lets out another freakish laugh. The woman has lost all touch with reality.
Romeo glances at me like he has no fucking idea what to do next, and neither do I. I need a plan to keep Mia safe because as soon as I start advancing toward Phoenix, she’s gonna slip that blade into her throat.
“I see you looking at him. Come any closer and her blood is going to paint these walls.” Phoenix cackles.
Think, Ace.
“Phoenix!” The new voice twists my stomach into knots. I’m still watching the two women in front of me, and her friend’s arrival only earns an eye roll from Phoenix.
“Nix, are you down here?” Keres’s footsteps echo on the wooden stairs and are followed by the distinctive sound of metal scraping against wood. Fuck. She has the guns.
“Wondered when you’d get here, Kee,” Phoenix says, a cruel grin twisting her face.
“You set us up, Fuck-up?” Romeo asks.
I glance back at Keres, whose eyes are wide and full of… If I didn’t know better, I’d say she looked terrified. But that can’t be right. What the fuck does she have to be afraid of when she has one gun trained on Romeo and the other on me?
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