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IVY
All of Bram’s muscles tighten. He reminds me of a guard dog whose ears prick up at any sign of danger.
“What is it?” My chapped lips make it painfully difficult to talk, and I move off his pillowed chest to stare up at him. We haven’t moved from our spot on the floor for hours, and the heat from Bram’s embrace is the only reminder I’m still alive. “What’s wrong?”
He puts a finger to his lips.
I listen, but nothing… then… something faint in the distance.
“You heard that too, right?” I ask.
He nods and rises to his feet.
“It’s probably nothing,” I say glumly, not bothering to move.
I’ve already resigned myself to dying here. They have no use for an agent they can’t trust. Killing Bram will achieve nothing when they’ll kill me regardless. Besides, I guess Bram isn’t so bad after all…
We listen intently for more noise, even as the silence stretches on.
“See? I told you, we’re not getting out of here,” I say. “There’s no—”
Fuck! Another sound this time, only it’s closer. I recognise it. The sound of bullets bouncing off the walls. We have a soundproof shooting range on-site, and Alaric would never permit shooting indoors for the risk of ruining his precious decor.
“Something’s wrong.”
I stand now, adrenaline giving me an extra burst of energy. I don’t know whether we should stay quiet or scream for help. My heart slams as Bram shoves me behind him.
“I can take care of myself,” I huff and shove past him. “And, sorry to break it to you, but muscles don’t stop bullets.”
A low rumble comes from the back of his throat in warning. He stands at my side, clenching his fists.
A few minutes pass with nothing, and then we hear the elevator door open. There’s a female voice, but it’s not Stephanie. What’s Penelope doing here? She rarely leaves her hiding spot unless… someone forced her.
“Bram?” a familiar voice yells. His voice bounces off the brick, making everything around me fade away until it’s all I can hear. “Bram?”
My vision swims.
It’s him.
Freddie.
He’s here.
Bram races to the door and pounds against it, signalling where we are.
“We’re coming,” Freddie calls. The hatch window pops open. He can’t see me hiding behind Bram’s enormous frame, and I’m too stunned to speak.
My body responds involuntarily to his voice. A swell of hope consumes my chest quickly, followed by a crushing realisation. If he’s here, what does he know?
“Fuck!” a raspy Scottish voice swears. “We need a combination to open it.”
Callen’s with him? Seb said on the phone that he left the Dukes. I inhale deeply, pushing aside the vulnerable Ivy whom Bram’s got to know and bringing out the ruthless killer to the surface. If Seb lied to me on the phone, he must know who I am… and who I’ve been working for. I have to be ready to fight.
“What is it?” Freddie asks. “Put in the code.”
“I…” Penelope stammers in response. “I don’t know it.”
Bram knocks to get his attention, then holds up his fingers in sequence to let him know the numbers. Thankfully, Alaric hadn’t changed it back already.
