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“Good, I want your hands up in the air. Then, I want you to slowly slink off the bed nice and easy. If you so much as move a micrometer in the wrong direction, you know what happens.” Travis tenses and reiterates his signals to me again by flicking his eyes to the concealed gun in my hand. My heart hammers hard against the walls of my chest as I try to control tremors that are beginning to develop in my extremities.
Travis slowly removes his grip from my wrists, and at a snail’s pace, he leans back, placing both his hands up in the air. His weight slowly begins to lift off my body while he keeps his hands held high, indicating he’s unarmed. His steely gaze continues to penetrate through mine the entire time as he slowly stands to his full height. He looks so vulnerable at this moment, something I’m not used to seeing from this dominating, strong-willed, and always in control kind of man.
“Young lady, the same rules apply to you,” the man threatens, his voice unsettling me. I look at him out of the corner of my eye, petrified to even breathe. “My orders are to take you alive, ma’am, but accidents can happen, can’t they?”
Holy shit. The reality of the situation slams into my chest, the very fear stealing air from my lungs. What Travis has been trying to instill in me all along is now ringing true. I will have to kill in order for us both to survive. I imagine this man didn’t come alone either. They would have to be more than stupid to believe only one person would be enough to capture Travis. I wonder where the other men are and if they’re surrounding the house.
The intruder slices through the thick tension in the room, breaking into my distraught thoughts as he speaks to Travis with pure menace lining his deep voice. “Keep your hands in the air.” His gruff voice twists in my gut, and my adrenaline spikes. My God, I don’t want Travis to die.
I know Nick will have him at the guillotine the second he’s captured, but only after he makes him suffer first; I’m sure of it. It seems as if all Travis has ever tried to do is keep me out of harm’s way since the very beginning. He’s risked his own life to get me out from under Nick, and now he’s paying the price. I may be out-of-my-mind angry with Travis right now, but he doesn’t deserve to die.
I slowly turn my head to the side just in time to witness the man roughly grab Travis by one wrist. He twists it, bringing it around Travis’ back to put him in an arm lock. This man is big and burly, full of muscle, but he’s not as big as Travis. Travis holds the look of Black Death in his eyes. It's a look of his promised wrath I've never seen before, but always imagined it could exist on his handsome face.
The aura his entire body is exuding right now screams warrior, promising his rival a wicked, painful death if given the opportunity to gain the upper hand, and I imagine he would’ve already taken this guy if he didn’t have me to consider.
I watch as the man begins to place a handcuff on Travis’ wrist, and something twists in my gut. Anger begins to brew and bubble in the pit of my stomach. This asshole has no right, nor does Nick have the right to lay claim to my life, my future, or anyone else’s for that matter. Sporadic emotions of vengeance, hate, and fear play in my head, unleashing a fury I’ve never felt before. I can literally feel the venom seeping out of my pores.
Travis shoots me a glare out of the corner of his eye, which says I’m letting our time to take action tick away. The intensity of his eyes consume me as they blaze for me to pull out of my shock and make a move.
Travis asks over his shoulder while keeping his scrutinizing gaze on mine, “How did you find us?”
“Now that’s the million-dollar question right there, isn’t it, Travis?” the man sardonically replies. “I imagine you would like to know that bit of intel, wouldn’t you?”
I steal a deep breath while they banter. I know I will have the element of surprise, because who would think in a million years a young female would be wielding a gun from underneath a pillow. It’s now or never, Jules.
My fingers wrap around the gun’s grip a little tighter, thankful for Travis’ foresight in preparing me for this very moment. Knowing the safety is already off, it’s one less thing I have to think about.
Travis’ voice echoes through me as I’ve practiced this very routine ad nauseam. You shoot to kill the enemy, Jules, not maim them, or they’ll come back for you.
