Page 114 of Tempest’s Torment

"There he is," Evan says from behind her.

I don't look at him, because I don't trust myself to do it, not yet, not when every part of me is screaming to put him on the floor and keep going until he never fucking touches her again.

"Keep your men back," he says. "Anyone moves and this gets a lot shorter."

Ghost stops somewhere to my left and Rogue is behind us. I know the brothers are there, but they barely register because Lilah has all of my attention: the blood on her face, the ropes around her wrists and the fucking gun beside her head.

"You know what she did to me?" Evan asks.

"Don't care."

"She destroyed⁠—"

"Don't fucking care."

His story means nothing to me; whatever excuse he's been feeding himself for the last three years means even less, and I refuse to give him the attention he clearly fucking wants.

I keep my eyes on Lilah instead. "You and me, sweetheart, keep looking at me."

"I'm looking." Her voice is steady, but I see her chin tremble before she catches it.

Fuck.

I want to cross the room, rip those ropes off her, and pull her against me. I need to feel her breathing, need to put my hands on her and know she's really here, then I can find out where she's hurt and how badly, but I can't do any of that while Evan has that fucking gun.

"Tell me what you need," I say.

She blinks at me. "What?"

"Right now, what do you need me to do?"

Something shifts in her face and for half a second, she looks like she might cry. "My hands," she says quietly. "I need my hands free."

"I'll get them free."

"Kai—"

"I'm getting you out of that chair, baby."

Her eyes fill and mine fucking burn again, but I hold it together because she needs me to. She can have every other part of me when she's safe; she can have Kai when I've got her in my arms, but right now she needs Tempest to get her the fuck out of this house.

I take a step forward, and Evan moves the gun closer to her head. "That's far enough."

Every muscle in my body locks, but Lilah's breathing changes, and I force myself to concentrate on her instead of imagining what I'm going to do to him.

"Look at me." Her eyes find mine again. "Not him, baby, just me." She takes a breath, shaky at first, then another. "That's it."

Movement near the wall catches my attention and I recognize Marcus Webb immediately from the footage Rogue found earlier. He looks nothing like I expected him to. There's no confidence, no satisfaction at seeing us walk into the trap he helped build. He's pale and tense, and he keeps looking between Lilah and his brother like something has already happened between them that I don't understand.

Lilah follows my gaze. "Marcus." His eyes move to hers. "Ask him."

Evan's voice sharpens immediately. "Lilah."

"Ask Evan about Lucy."

Marcus looks at his brother.

"Shut your mouth," Evan says.