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But I have nothing to lose. Death is a much kinder option than being Angelo Russo’s baby farm, a better option than the years of abuse I could look forward to if I went with them. I’d rather die a hundred times over than live a life without Rayne.
I stand tall despite my aching body screaming at me. I’m covered in blood but I’m yet to figure out who it belongs to, from the pain radiating through my body, I think there’s a pretty good chance at least some of it belongs to me. As I take aim at one of the men, I ensure the safety is off and hold my finger over the trigger. I’ve never fired a gun with the intention of ending a life. In fact, the only place I’ve ever fired one is at a shooting range when Dad taught me how to shoot, but if I had ever doubted my ability to pull the trigger in a moment like this, that doubt is long gone.
“Rayne is going to kill you all when he gets here,” I tell them, forcing myself to sound as confident as I need to pull this off. I have no idea how far away he is, or if he has any backup to help take down the eight men standing in front of me, but I have to try. “Gee, Russo really has a hard-on for me, doesn’t he. Sending so many of his men to collect little old me.”
“Russo is going to beat you within an inch of your life for all the trouble you’ve caused him.”
I nod. “All the more reason I’m not going anywhere with you.” I shrug nonchalantly. “Now, the way I see it is, we have a few options. Either you take a step and I shoot you. I know you can’t shoot to kill me because Angelo wants me alive, so that option is off the table for you. Or we can stand here and wait for Rayne to get here and slaughter each and every one of you in all kinds of fun painful ways, your choice.” The words coming out of my mouth have a mind of their own, the adrenaline kicking in when I need it most.
“Listen here, you little cunt.” One of the men steps forward and I don’t hesitate to unload a bullet into the center of his chest. I should go for the head, a head shot is guaranteed to take him down, but the way my hands shake I needed as big a target area as I can manage.
“Anyone else?” I look around at the men looking at one another as if they didn’t expect for me to fight back.
In the distance, I hear tires squealing and I almost let out a sigh of relief. That has to be them, doesn’t it? But before I can think to be hopeful a blinding pain radiates through the back of my head and I drop to the ground, my body going limp from the agony.
“This little cunt is way more trouble than she’s worth,” the man who hit me mutters before throwing me over his shoulder unceremoniously, the impact of his shoulder into my stomach taking the breath from my lungs. “We have to go, Saint James will be here any minute now.”
A single tear rolls down my cheek. I don’t want to show them fear, but my fate has just been sealed and that thought fucking terrifies me.
40
Rayne
“Fuck!” I roar. Men’s voices fill the other end of the line right alongside Emerson’s soft cries. She needs me and I’m not there. She needs me and I can’t fucking get to her fast enough.
I take a corner too quickly and barely miss three cars before I’m speeding off. I don’t have time to worry about them and I dare any police officer in this fucking city to think about trying to give me a ticket.
Hesitantly, I end the call and dial Everett. “I’ve got her trackers active on my screens at the moment, and I’m watching them on the traffic cameras. Your girl’s a fucking badass.”
I huff out a relieved sigh. “What is she doing? I’m about five minutes away.”
“Well, she disarmed one guy and took his gun, which she’s now pointing at the rest of them,” Everett tells me.
“Are the other teams mobilizing? I want everyone that works for us apart from those who are protecting the penthouse.”
“I’ve pulled all security apart from the bare minimum and Cameron, who is on her dad. I thought she wouldn’t take kindly to you putting him in danger for her.”
“Okay good. Do you think she can hold them off until help gets there?” The question poses itself before I can think better of it, before I can consider that the answer may not be what I want to hear.
“Holy fuck,” Everett hoots. “She just shot a guy. I like this girl, brother. Lock this one down.”
I growl. “Believe me when I say a ring is going on her finger the moment I have her safe. The sooner she has the Saint James name, the better.”
“Rayne, you need to speed up.” The jovial Everett I spoke to just a few moments ago is gone and the fear in his voice tells me all I need to know.
I’m too late.
“I’m going as fast as I can,” I mutter as I change lanes again, weaving through traffic dangerously. “Follow them on the cameras. They’ll check her for trackers.”
“I’m way ahead of you. Fuck. Rayne.” His words sound pained and I know why. This could so easily have been Wynter. This is the reason he left her, the reason he broke both their hearts, because being with him only put her in danger, and that wasn’t an option for him. He would do anything for her, including live on the sidelines of her life, never able to touch her or hold her when she cried. But he did it for her. “We’ll get her back. I promise we’ll get her back.”
I nod despite knowing he can’t see me, because I need to keep telling myself that. We have to get her back. There isn’t any other option than me having her back in my arms.
I’ve never felt more hopeless than I do right now.
“Fuck!” Everett booms on the other end of the line.
“What is it?”
