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These men? They aren’t bound by those directives.
I’m not ready to die. I’m not ready to give up on Luke, no matter what he did.
I am Moonstone. Moonstone was forged in battle, and I will fight.
“You do as I say, you dumb bitch, or I’m going to shoot your friend here in the back.”
Buck’s expression is noncommittal. How can he be so calm? Military training, I suppose. He’s always been ready to give his life. It’s what Navy SEALs do.
“Who let you out?” the man holding me asks.
I work up a loogie and spit in his face.
Smack! The palm of his hand stings my cheek.
“Don’t you lay a hand on her again,” Buck says through gritted teeth.
“You shut up, you motherfucker, or I’ll end your life right here,” the guy holding the gun on him says.
My cheek tingles from the smack, but it doesn’t hurt. I’ve been beaten way worse than this. This is no more than a scratch.
“I asked you a question,” the guy on me says. “Who let you out?”
I say nothing.
Smack! And then another.
“You answer me, damn it. Or I will kill you.”
I have no doubt that he will. But I will not give Luke up.
Buck apparently doesn’t have those qualms, though. “It was the Raven. Lucifer Raven.”
“Buck, no!” I shout.
“It’s him or you,” Buck says. “He told me to save you.”
Did he? Yes, he did. But then he told me that we were over.
He was lying. He wanted me to get out safely.
I knew that. I’ve always known that. His words hurt, but they were for my own good.
The only problem is…I’m not sure I want to live without him. Luke showed me there was beauty left in the world.
I need him.
And he needs me.
“Take me to him,” I say.
“You’re giving me orders now?” the guy holding me says.
“Take me to Luke. I mean Lucifer.”
“For the love of God, Katelyn, shut the fuck up,” Buck says.
I shake my head. “If Luke is going down, so am I.”
“That’s not what he wants.” Buck again.
“Both of you shut the fuck up,” the guy holding a gun on Buck says.
The two men push us back toward the house.
No.
This isn’t happening. I’m not giving up this easily.
Moonstone. I’m Moonstone. In a flash, I’m back on the island. Back on the island where I’m determined to fight.
I turn quickly, raise my arms, my wrists still bound, knee the man in the balls while at the same time I bring my two fists to the side of his head.
He falls to the ground, bringing his knees up to his chest. “Fucking whore!”
That spurs Buck into action. Despite the gun in the middle of his back, he turns and executes an amazing kick to the side of the guy’s face. Then he grabs his gun.
“Run!” he shouts at me.
I turn and run, my wrists still bound. Is he following me? I don’t know. I have to believe he is.
But the problem is, as I run, I’m getting farther and farther away from Luke. I stop, turn around.
“Damn it, I said run!” Buck yells.
“No. I’m not leaving him.”
“He wants you safe!”
“But he means everything to me. I don’t expect you to understand.” My heart is beating so fast. “I have to do this.”
“Then you’re on your own.”
“So be it.” I begin walking back toward the house.
“Wait!”
“What?”
He hands me the gun. “Take this.”
I take the gun from his hands, its casing hot against the palm of my bound hand. “I don’t know how to shoot. I’m not sure I can with my wrists bound like this.”
“Doesn’t matter. Just act like you can.”
“Is it loaded?”
“It appears to be.”
It slips from my hands and lands with a thud onto the grass.
“Damn it. You need to be more careful.”
I bend down, pick up the gun. Again it’s hot against the palms of my hands.
Buck is right. This will help me. Unless someone gets it away from me and uses it against me.
But that won’t happen. Because whoever comes after me will have his own gun.
I’m frightened. More frightened than I’ve ever been, even that one day on the hunt.
But I suck in a breath. And I think about Luke.
Luke, who’s in there, and who needs me.
51
LUKE
I slowly open the door.
King sits behind a desk. “Sit down, Raven.”
I hold the gun up. “Not happening.”
“Oh, I think it is. Sit.”
“And if I don’t? You think you can kill me? I’m holding a nine-millimeter and a taser. What the hell do you have?”
“Katelyn.”
His voice is icy. No emotion. I’m not sure he’s capable of emotion.
“Nice try. Katelyn got away.”
“Did she now?”
My heart sinks.
He’s probably lying, but I can’t take that chance.
So I play the only cards I have. I walk toward his desk, set down the gun and the taser. “Let her go, King. Let her go when you can do whatever you want to me.”
