Well, that was some mighty fine motivation.
The overhead creaking came again.Dust drifted down on them.Dust or dirt or who the hell knew what it was.
“You know what?Scratch that,” Lily decided.“I don’t want terror to be the last thing I feel.”Her cuffed hand rose.He felt the metal slide against him.“Kiss me.Now.”
His mouth lowered.It was so dark he couldn’t find her, not clearly, and?—
A long groan, followed by the creak of…hinges?The door was opening.Light spilled inside.A small beam.
Her breath caught.
He hadn’t tasted her.There was no time.“Now,” he snarled to her, voice guttural, and then he was lunging up those steps, with Lily pressed tightly to him.Their feet pounded on the stairs, and he grabbed the door and thrust it open fully even as he roared and shot out of that darkness and launched right at the bastard that hewouldbe sending to hell.
Atlas’s knife flashed as he drove it toward his prey.
And a scream echoed in his ears.
Lily’s scream.
ChapterTwo
For the secondtime that night, Lily Gallo found herself jumping onto a man’s back as she tried to stop him from committing murder.
The first time she’d jumped onto a male’s back, she’d been desperate to try and save a life.Atlas’s life.He’d been sprawled on the pavement near his shiny Benz.His attacker had been close, and she’d been sure the creep was reaching for a knife.
She’d rushed up behind the man in the ski mask.She’d grabbed for him.Stopped the perp from stabbing Atlas.
Unfortunately, she’d succeeded in getting herself abducted, too.
Now, though, she was trying to stop Atlas from killing.He was the one with the knife, and if she didn’t get him to pull back,he’dbe the killer.
“No!”Lily launched onto his back.Or she launched as much as she could considering that she was cuffed to him and she’d already been pretty much right on top of him, anyway.But she dropped the lantern she’d gripped so fiercely, and she grabbed for Atlas.“Stop!Don’t!”
He shook her off.
Correction, he tried to shake her off.She was far too tenacious to be easily shaken off by anyone.
She tightened her hold.“Atlas, no, he’s a cop!”A desperate cry from her because the man who’d hit the floor moments before—when Atlas had barreled out of the basement and onto the first floor—he was a man that she recognized.Lily should recognize him, after all.She’d called for his help when she first saw the attacker lunge for Atlas in that parking lot.
Detective Benedict Swain.Mid-thirties, brown hair, hazel eyes.Decorated.Dependable.One of those salt-of-the-earth types.
And the man who currently had a knife pressed to his neck, courtesy of Atlas.
One wrong jerk of Atlas’s hand, and he’d cut open Benedict’s throat.And then what in the world would they do?
Cop killer.
“Stop.”She gripped Atlas as desperately as she could.“I called him before we were taken.He’s on our side!”
Atlas’s body was rock hard.She was sort of half on top of him, half falling off him.The cuff cut into her wrist and made everything five times harder than it needed to be.
And, unfortunately, she’d just realized another important fact.
Atlas had his knife to Benedict’s throat, yes, but Benedict had his gun muzzle shoved against Atlas’s chest.The overhead lights shining in the room let her see both weapons as she craned her head and tried to figure out what in the world to do next.
“Tell your cop to lower the gun, Lily,” Atlas ordered.
Her lips parted.
