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Madisen
Another wave of terror swept through my system.
His phone rang and I jumped from the sound. “Dude. Where are you?” Stephen jerked up, immediately wrapping his hand around his weapon. “Yeah. She’s right here and we’ve got company. I’ll do that. I’m not taking any chances. Could be your guys but I can’t tell from here.”
When he glanced at me, I sucked in my breath.
“What do you mean you can’t get ahold of them?” He glanced at the screen again, his body tensing. “Ah, fuck. I get it.”
What the hell was going on? My nerves were in my throat at this point, my pulse racing.
He ended the call then immediately headed toward me. “Shit. We don’t have much time before our visitors interrupt our nice chat.”
“Was that Viper?”
“Yeah, it was. You’re coming with me until I determine what’s happening. We could be cool, but Vipe will be pissed if I allow anything to happen to you.” When he grabbed my arm, I jerked it away.
“Hold on. Where are we going? I’m not going anywhere unless I hear it from Viper.” I could tell by the look on his face something was wrong. “What aren’t you telling me?”
“Look, it was his orders to take you to a safe place just in case. You need to trust me, Madisen. He can’t get in touch with the men who are arriving from New York.”
“I’m sorry, Stephen, but I don’t know you and I’m not the kind of woman to follow orders from someone I don’t know.” I pressed my hand against my mouth, my legs shaking, but right now there was one person I trusted.
“Whew. He said you were tough.” He scowled then pointed to the screens. I glanced at them and bit back a moan. A huge SUV had pulled down the street more than once as if they were casing the place. “That’s not unwise in a typical scenario and I can understand your caution, but the bastards who want you dead might have found what they were looking for. Plan B, so come on.”
His grip was tight as he led me from the room, taking me into Viper’s office then dragging me toward the desk. He released his hold then bent down next to it.
“What are you looking for?”
“Viper has a safe place in his house. Like a panic room. You know, like in the movies?”
“Yeah, I’ve heard of them.”
“Vipe is very resourceful in all aspects of business, including his own safety.”
If the fact there was a contract on my life didn’t cement that my life was in perilous danger, hearing that Danny had built a panic room inside his fortress of a house did. I watched as Stephen slipped his hand under the desk and within seconds, a portion of the bookcase started moving. By the design of the house, no one would ever know there was a secret room.
“Wow.”
“Like I said, he thinks of everything. Go inside. Someone will come and get you when it’s safe. Viper is on his way back. You need to hurry.”
I’d never felt so helpless in my life, which was something I couldn’t stand. As soon as I walked into the space, I felt claustrophobic. LED lights had come on automatically, but with no windows and no other way out, I was almost instantly suffocated.
“Thank you, Stephen. I’m sorry I gave you a hard time.”
“No worries, Madisen. I’m not sure I’d trust me either,” he said, grinning. “And don’t thank me yet. However, no one is getting inside that room who isn’t allowed.”
I gave him a genuine smile, hating that I’d challenged him.
When the door closed behind me, I shuddered audibly, my anxiety only increasing. Inside there was a bed and a refrigerator, a bookshelf with dozens of books and magazines, and another holding nonperishable food and water. A doorway led to a small bathroom complete with a shower. There was also a closet. My muscles stiff, I headed toward it, swinging open the bifold doors. Hidden inside were several pieces of clothing, a couple of blankets, and weapons. There were at least twenty-five guns of various types and calibers, boxes of ammunition on the side.
I backed away, doing what I could to control my nerves, yet the helpless feeling remained. What if the people outside were men employed by Dante or worse? What if I never saw Danny again? What if something horrible had happened to my brother? I’d never forgive myself. I clenched my eyes shut but was unable to stop tears from slipping past my lashes. Damn it. I couldn’t break down now.
After wiping them away, I folded my arms, an icy chill coursing through every vein. Prickles clawed at my insides just like the small space was doing. There was no noise whatsoever and I suspected the room was also soundproofed. It was obvious Danny knew exactly what he was doing and how to handle danger of any kind.
I wrung my hands, doing everything I could to keep my cool, my thoughts drifting back to him for comfort. I couldn’t stand that everyone called him Viper. He wasn’t some soldier with no heart. He was a man, a powerful, dominating man I cared about. He was my Danny. “Oh!” I hissed. What I refused to do was play the victim any longer. I hadn’t gone to the shooting range two dozen times to forget everything I’d learned.
I grabbed a weapon I was familiar with, searching until I’d found the right ammunition. My hands were shaking as I snapped the magazine into place, but I refused to allow my terror to get in the way.
