AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Why the hell not? It’s the twenty-first century. Women can do whatever they want.”
“Because it isn’tsafe!”
Devin and Theo stared at me. I could hear the gears grinding inside their skulls.
“She’s a client,” Theo realized aloud. “Under your protection.”
Devin frowned. “Why weren’t we informed? She’s not on any roster. This should have been done by the book.”
I sighed, running a hand through my hair. “I’m watching her as a favor. Pro bono. I’ve been using my penthouse as a safehouse location.”
“Jesus,” Theo mumbled. “Why didn’t you tell us?”
“There’s no time to explain. We need to get her before they do.”
“Who’sthey?”
“The Azure Cartel.”
Devin gawked. He never gawked. “What the fuck kind of shit is she in?”
“The deep kind,” I muttered, teeth grinding so hard my jaw was sore.
“Where do you think she’d go?” Theo asked, ready to jump in. I could always count on him to act first and ask questions later. That’s what made him my second in command. He was reliable, honorable.
Ava had been quiet for a while, watching everything unfurl. She held Cassie, patting her back gently in a soothing pattern. “She mentioned something about her friend,” she said. “I don’t know if that’s relevant or not.”
I knew exactly who Vivian was referring to. “She’s going to try and look for her friend,” I said. “She needs proof. Proof that can only be obtained by going back to her place of work.” I snatched up my jacket and pulled it on. I pointed at Theo. “Hold down the fort until I get back.”
“Will do.”
“Where are you going?” Devin demanded, but I was already out the door and running to unlock my Porsche.
As far as traffic violations went, I made about a hundred of them. Speeding through red lights. Failing to brake at stop signs. Almost running over a hipster who wandered too far from the bike lane.
I could see Blue Cloud Financial’s massive logo on the side of its operations building, a beacon of sorts. When I screeched around the corner, I arrived just in time to see a group of men attempting to shove someone into the back of an unmarked white van. There were people around, but they did nothing. Just took out their phones to record what was going on.
Fucking bystanders.
I didn’t slow down. Instead, I slammed on the acceleration and braced for impact.
Glass shattered.
Metal crunched.
Tires squealed.
I took out the front of the van with my car, rendering it useless. They weren’t going anywhere. I made sure of it.
I somehow managed to drag myself out of my Porsche. Disoriented. Ears ringing. Joints aching. It was a miracle nothing was broken. The adrenaline coursing through my veins numbed any injuries I might have sustained.
The only reason I was able to stand up straight was because my vision was locked on to Vivian like a hawk. They had their filthy fucking hands on her, and that wasn’t going to fly. Not now. Not ever.
One of the men had been hit in the crash, knocked over and unconscious on the pavement. That left only four. Two of them peeled off while the other two grabbed Vivian by either arm and attempted to drag her off. She kicked and screamed and scratched, managing to hit one of them in the gut with her elbow.
I took care of the first pair. They were fast, but I was furious. I landed a swift throat punch to the guy on my left, followed by an unforgiving kick to the chest of the man on the right. They keeled over, winded and incapacitated.
The fourth assailant let go of Vivian’s arm and charged me, brandishing a knife from his pocket. He had the advantage and we both knew it. There was no time for me to draw my gun, and even if there had been, I wasn’t going to risk opening fire when so many civilians lingered around. That was a recipe for disaster.
