Page 54 of Mountain Trial

“She’s with me,” Luc said beside her.

Mako grunted, letting go of her biceps, and she crumpled to the ground onto her knees. She placed her palms flat on the ground, knowing she might need to get up fast.

“What do you mean with you, cripple? You want me to believe she’s your girlfriend?”

Luc gulped, looking terrified.

“She’s … she’s an escort, okay. I didn’t want to come alone to tonight’s party. She’s with me until tomorrow morning.”

Mako’s face twisted into a sneer. “We all have our secrets, right. How much did you pay? Such a pretty thing,” the man said, leaning down to wrap his fingers around Kat’s red curls. “Maybe you can give me your phone number, sweet thing. If you’re still alive at the end of the night.”

“Please don’t hurt me,” Kat sniveled, staying in character.

Mako lowered his face to her ear. “If I choose to hurt you, I promise you’ll enjoy every second, sweet thing.”

The only thing that kept Kat from crying real tears was the knowledge that her team would come for them.

Chapter 22

Luc

His blood pressure hadn’t been a problem since shortly after his injury, but now he felt it rise dangerously.

Fearing for your life will do that to someone.

Except it wasn’t so much his own life he feared for, but rather Kat’s. When he’d seen that man’s fingers digging into her arms like that, knowing there was nothing he could do to help her, Luc had seen red.

Never, in his entire life, had he felt so useless.

He concentrated now on steadying his breathing. He wouldn’t be any use to Kat if he passed out.

Over the next ten minutes, the mercenaries worked to split the hostages into two groups, directing them to opposite ends of the ballroom. Luc couldn’t figure a logic behind the split, except VIPs, like Mrs. Larsen and the mayor, ended up in the first group. Damien was in that group also, maybe because he’d been on that side of the room already.

He and Kat, along with most of the athletes attending the event, ended up in the second group.

Luc shivered.

VIPs on one end.

Expendable hostages on the other.

Everyone was on the ground, their back against the wall, except for Luc and Scott, who’d been pushed there and were still sitting on their wheelchairs.

Although he couldn’t feel it, Luc knew Kat’s gun was underneath him. While Jacques had kept the mercenaries distracted, he’d trapped the gun behind his back, under the cushion.

“Have you searched everyone?” the leader asked, coming over.

“Yes, Bull.”

“Everyone? What about those two?” Bull replied, pointing towards him and Scott.

Luc felt his heart stop for an instant.

“But they’re … cripples,” Mako stuttered. “And we’ve got their phones.”

“No exceptions. Search them now,” Bull said. Mako approached him, while another man approach Scott. Luc saw in Mako’s gaze his anger at being chewed out by his boss, knew he might well take out that anger on them.

Instants later, he felt himself being lifted bodily from his chair. He put out his hands just in time to stop his face from slamming onto the wooden floor. Beside him, Kat gasped, but Luc’s attention was riveted on his wheelchair. The gun was―miraculously―still hidden from sight.