Atlas fired, too.A shot exploded from his gun.
But she saw the red bloom on Atlas’s shoulder.He’d been hit.
Benedict swore, he jerked, and she knew Atlas’s bullet had found its mark, too.
She rolled away as even more bullets blasted.She twisted and contorted, and she brought her cuffed hands under her legs and feet and whipped them up in front of her body.Her gaze fell on the clear glass vial that Benedict had held earlier.The one he’d let go of so that he could grab her kicking foot.
She snatched up the vial of poison.Then she rushed behind the freak.
But Benedict spun toward her.His left hand shoved against his throat where Atlas’s bullet must have hit him.Benedict was trying to stop the blood flow with that hand, but bloodpouredfrom between his fingers.The blood had already soaked his shirt.He weaved before her.His right hand still held his gun, and he was trying to aim it at her.
“Lily!”Atlas’s bellow.“Get away from him!”
There was no time.
Bam.Bam.
Two more shots from Atlas.They slammed into Benedict’s back, and he jerked.Once.Twice.His eyes widened.His mouth dropped open.
She shoved the glass vial between his lips.Her cuffed hands rammed into his face as hard as she could.She heard the glasscrunchand saw the horror in his eyes even as he began to fall.His legs were giving way, and he fell forward, knocking into her.Taking her down with him to the hard floor.
“Lily!Lily!”
Atlas yanked Benedict off her.Atlas tossed him aside.Blood streaked across the floor.So much blood.Still pouring from the wound in Benedict’s neck.Pouring from all his wounds and drenching the floor.
Desmond rushed in.With a quick, angry motion, he kicked away the weapon that Benedict had dropped even as his own gun leveled toward Benedict.A gasping, shuddering Benedict.
Atlas crouched in front of her.“Sweets?”
She smiled at him.“Guess you figured out a ghost was doing the killing, hmm?”
His hands flew over her.“You’re not hurt?Tell me you’re not hurt.”Then, “You’re not hurt.”
“Uh, Atlas?Lily?What is happening here?”Desmond’s raised voice.
Lily turned her head.
Benedict’s body was jerking.His eyes wide.Wild.A long drop of blood poured from his mouth.His face had twisted into a mask of agony.
Atlas pulled her off the floor.Up and into his arms.He held her in a tight grip.A tremor rushed over his body.
He was warm and strong and solid.He washers.He’d come in that door like an avenging angel, and…she’d known he would.She’d known that he would come for her.
Trust.
Faith.
Love.
Atlas’s mouth pressed to her forehead.“Give me just a minute,” he rasped to her.“I’ve got to kill the bastard.Make sure he’s good and dead this time.”He turned to look at Benedict.
A Benedict whose body twisted as if he were experiencing the worst torture imaginable.His mouth had opened in a silent scream as blood poured now from Benedict’s nose and mouth even as the bullet wound in his neck continued to gush blood.All of his wounds were streaming blood.
Good and dead.
“No worries,” Lily murmured.“I already did that.”Though, technically, Benedict wasn’t quite dead yet…but soon.
So soon…
