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One of the men comes to crouch by me, and disgust ripples through me when his fingers brush over my ankle. I want to take the chance and kick him, but knowing I need to get free of the shackle, I keep still.
“Hana Cutler,” the one in charge mutters, drawing my attention back to him. It doesn’t surprise me that he knows my name.
“Your man interfered in my business.”
I figured as much.
“He cost me millions of dollars.”
I give him a I-don’t-give-a-fuck look, but it only makes him chuckle.
“Brave but stupid,” he mutters. He leans forward, resting his forearms on his thighs as his expression darkens. “I can make some of my money back by selling you. Someone will pay a lot to break your spirit.”
Fear claws down my spine, settling hard in the pit of my stomach.
Tristan, hurry.
“But.” The word is sharp, and the man has my full attention as I wait to hear my fate. “Killing you will send a message that I’m not to be fucked with.”
The threat tightens every muscle in my body as my fight or flight instinct flares through me.
‘Fight, my light,’ I hear Tristan’s voice as if he’s right here. ‘Your darkness is coming.’ My body darts forward before it even receives the message from my brain.
I just have to stay alive long enough for Tristan to get here.
With the single purpose, my fist connects with the man’s cheek. Hands grab hold of me, and I let out a feral cry as I’m yanked back. I kick. I scratch. I slap and punch. I do everything I can, but the last thing I see before fists pummel me is the sneer pulling at the man’s busted bottom lip.
Chapter 26
TRISTAN
Alexei stops the SUV in the middle of fucking nowhere.
Glancing around us and seeing nothing but grass and trees, I ask, “Where the fuck are we?”
Alexei points to our right. “There’s a house a couple of miles that way. It’s where Prifti will have Hana. He wants us to come.”
“No element of surprise,” Demitri adds. “Be ready.”
Pulling one of the Glocks out, I take the safety off before climbing out of the car. Keeping the gun pointed at the ground, I join the others in front of the vehicles.
Alexei takes a moment to look at his men, then his eyes lock on Demitri’s. “Don’t die.”
Demitri nods, the corner of his mouth lifting slightly.
When Alexei’s eyes meet mine, he says, “Stay close to me.”
Just wanting to get to Hana, I nod.
When we begin to walk, Alexei takes the lead with Demitri and me flanking him. I notice how Demitri shadows every movement Alexei makes as if they’re one. I heard Demitri was trained his whole life to protect Alexei, but seeing them work together is something else.
My eyes continuously scan the area for any threat, and my heart beats violently.
Demitri signals for Nikhil and Sacha to spread out. I watch as Nikhil takes our far left and Sacha our far right.
When we come through a clearing of trees, movement to our right has me swinging in that direction. I let out a breath as I watch Sacha bury a blade in the back of one of Prifti’s men before dragging him between the trees.
The sight of the killing makes the corner of my mouth lift, and adrenaline begins to trickle into my veins.
When a fucked up house comes into view, Demitri and I move a couple of steps away from Alexei. Bringing the Glock up, I tighten my grip on the handle.
The windows are all boarded up. It looks like someone had spare wood and just hammered it all together to make the piece of shit house.
Movement from the left of the house catches my eye, but before I can even react, Demitri takes the shot, dropping whoever it was dead on the spot.
Three men come out of the house, and then all fucking hell breaks loose as they open fire on us even though we're too far away for them to get a good shot. They’re just shooting up the stretch of grass between us.
“They’re playing for time,” Demitri says. “More are coming.”
Alexei and Demitri move forward as one, and it’s as if the power coming off them pulls me into action. I fall into pace with them.
Demitri is the first to bury a bullet right between the eyes of the guy in the middle.
Pulling the trigger repeatedly, I riddle the one in the middle with bullets. Watching the man drop to his knees, a satisfying high feeds the darkness, making the corner of my mouth curve up.
The sight of the blood strips me of all control, and I move forward.
“Tristan!” Alexei snaps, but I’m unable to stop as I break out into a run.
Hana’s in there.
So close.
I fire at the remaining man as a growl builds in my chest, sending him staggering back inside the house before he drops like a sack of shit.
