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He tilted his head to the side, then rolled his eyes. “Yes, of course I have her. I don’t understand how you guys still underestimate me all the time. Get your asses in here, in case they come back.”
He must have been talking to someone on comms, unless he had an invisible friend I didn’t know about.
“Who else came to rescue me?” I hoped my voice didn’t sound too needy.
Studying my chains, he pulled two pins out of his pocket. “Everyone’s here.” He inserted the pins into the lock, wiggling them around. “The only reason I’m your brave rescuer is because I was the only one small enough to fit through the window in the room next door. Both Gabriel’s and Liam’s fat asses couldn’t squeeze through. And believe me, Liam tried. Scraped his stomach and back to bits until he had to give up.”
The thought that he’d come for me made me feel happy in a situation that should only inspire desperation.
The lock clicked, and the heavy weight of the chains fell away. Rubbing my ankle, I winced at the sting.
Footsteps sounded outside, and both Jude and I froze. He put a finger to his lips and disappeared behind a stack of crates, turning his flashlight off.
The door opened, letting in four men with black ski masks. “Get her up.”
I didn’t see a chain tattoo and wondered where their leader was.
Before they could get close enough to touch me, two of them fell to the ground with a gurgle, clutching their throats, blood pooling from behind their hands.
The two remaining guys pulled out their guns, frantically searching for a target, but there was too much crammed into the room to be able to pinpoint anyone’s location. Not willing to take any chances, one of the men charged at me.
I scrambled back, hitting my head on the wall and cowering against the cold brick when he reached out his hand. But before he made contact, he dropped to his knees, clutching the hilt of the knife now sticking out of the side of his neck.
The last guy must have decided I wasn’t worth the trouble, because he turned and ran.
Jude came back out, collecting his knives and cleaning them on his victims before putting them back in various pockets along his person.
He’d turned the light back on, casting an eerie glow on the bodies.
There was so much blood. Pooling between their bodies, running over the uneven ground and into the cracks. My hand touched something sticky, and I dry heaved.
Strong arms lifted me back up to standing. “Let’s get you out of here.”
Jude put an arm around me, leading me out of the room. I slipped on more blood, but he held me steady.
There was shouting and the ping of bullets, the house sounding like it would cave in on itself. The noise of shoes hitting the ground upstairs was nearly deafening, and I hoped this meant our way out was about to be clear.
We hadn’t made it two steps out of the room when the door leading to the basement opened, letting more light into the space. Then Liam appeared at the top of the stairs.
He looked like an avenging angel, his face a mask of fury, his hair sticking up, and his suit ripped and bloody.
I whimpered when my eyes met his, and he didn’t waste any time sprinting down the steep wooden stairs. I felt myself ripped out of Jude’s steady grasp and pulled into Liam’s comforting embrace.
His whole body trembled, his hands roaming my body. He murmured into my neck, but I couldn’t make out the words. I held on, not able to let go even if I wanted to.
We stood like that for a long time, people coming and going around us. Someone called Liam’s name, and he slowly peeled himself away from me, leaving his arms around me.
Still not saying a word, he lifted me and carried me up the stairs, past a bunch of his men, and out the front door. I blinked against the sunlight, holding up a hand as a shield.
There was what looked to be an army surrounding the property, armored cars and men everywhere.
Gunner joined us, giving me a reassuring smile. “You okay?”
“I’m okay. But I might need stitches.” Holding up my arm, I noticed the wound had opened again.
Liam’s hold tightened to the point of pain. My ribs protested at the pressure, and I squirmed in his hold. “Take it easy, Rambo. My ribs need tender loving care, not a vise grip.”
He softened his arms immediately, kissing the top of my head. “I’m sorry,astérimou.”
