AllFreeNovel
Share Us
I definitely had an idea now.
Jock didn't say another word as he began to climb the stairs, and from the angle where I was sat, I could see him go by, a big man with a shaved head and a gun held at the ready by his side. Sarksi followed, flashing his light around with his weaponclamped tight to it. He was a thin and twitchy man with a rakish beard, covered in tattoos up to his jawline.
“We’ll be back,” Sarksi sang to Joe.
Sliding over to the side, I could now watch the guy they’d left behind. He heaved a sigh as he stared at the door with his hands on his hips. Joe was a medium-height man, and it was hard to judge his build since he was wearing the same kind of nondescript black clothing as the other two. But if I had to guess, Joe was the unassuming muscle of the operation.
No way he would have been left alone if that wasn’t the case.
However, Joe also had his guard down, from the way he sank onto one knee and began to examine the lock then pulled out a little toolkit from his jacket pocket.
Clenching my shaking hands, I eased out from under the table into the shadows of the hall and peered upstairs to make sure those guys weren’t keeping watch. Glancing over my shoulder, I once again thought how easy it would be to take off running, to escape into the night. But my mind kept supplying images of Ty lying in a pool of blood, motionless and growing pale.
Finally, I knew I had to move. Glancing around, I saw a sculpture on the table and hefted it into my hand. It was some kind of twisted metal made to look like a big cat coming out of a stream of water, so the far end was narrow enough for me to get my hands around it like a baseball bat.
As I snuck up behind Joe, lifting it to bring it down on his skull, I hesitated. How could I do this? How hard did I need to swing? Before I could figure it out, Joe stiffened and whipped around faster than I could even blink. He went for my shaking arm, and I swung wildly, my fingers slipping on the metal. By pure luck, it crashed into his jaw, and Joe toppled over, stunned. I pounced, my arm across his throat. But he was too strong, and I struggled to keep my grip as he wheezed, “Bitch, bitch, bitch,” with what little breath he had.
Before he could get me off his throat, opening his mouth to yell, my survival instinct took over, and I moved without thinking. My frantic fingers found the statue by his head, and I lifted it, watching in slow motion as his eyes went wide, and smashed it into his temple.
Immediately, Joe slumped beneath me, his eyes shut and mouth hanging open, drooling onto the floor. A lump rose on his bloodied forehead, and my stomach twisted so bad I thought I would throw up. Eyes blurring, breathing hard, I straightened and pushed my hair out of my face.
That’s when I realized I’d completely forgotten to pull my hair up—like an amateur.
As soon as my body stopped shaking, I tied my hair up and then surveyed Joe. While I didn’t think he’d wake up anytime soon, I couldn’t risk it. Patting his jacket, I came across zip ties and several lengths of cloth.
A memory of my mother instructing me how to get out of zip ties and gags flashed through my mind. She’d probably never anticipated that I’d be the one using them.
Once Joe was tied up, I tried to drag him away from the door, but he was a dense man for being on the shorter side. I had no choice but to leave him in plain sight of the door.
All I could think was how difficult it had been to take him out, and Joe had been caught off-guard, kneeling down. I didn’t think it would be so easy to take out the other two, especially not Jock.
Swallowing against the dryness of my throat, I moved through the house, trying to get a grip on myself. But it wasn’t until I got the kitchen that I was able to calm down. I remembered what was at stake if I lost. I gazed at the stacks of empty takeout trays and detritus piled in the sink. It was incredible to think that Ty, myself, and his men had sat here a few hours ago, eating and chatting, unaware of the danger in their food.
Crossing the kitchen, I went down the hall and found the narrow staircase leading to the top floor's back corner. The stairs creaked, and I cursed several times before I got to the landing, wondering if the men upstairs had heard anything.
My guess wasno, since I assumed they were still searching for Ty and me.
Sure enough, as I got to the top of the stairs, I heard a muffled argument and poked my head up, scanning what I could see of the hallway. It led down past several rooms, including my oldguest room, before hooking left to the landing over the stairs and to Ty’s bedroom.
Okay, time to make a plan.
My brain went blank.
Instead of plans, terror spiraled up, and all I could do was imagine being attacked by those men, of them beating me up or assaulting me, kidnapping me, or making me watch them shoot Ty in the chair. Panic clawed at my throat, and I couldn’t focus. I couldn’t move forward.
Too much adrenaline was surging through my body, and the hallway tilted at a sharp angle. Without meaning to, I slid down to the floor, and my eyes watered while I shook all over.
In the back of my head, a memory struggled to surface, and then I heard my mother’s voice.
Closing my eyes, I fell into the memory, swearing I could almost smell the rubber mats and the sharp cleaner of the gym, the cold air coming in from the windows and the gray light of a city morning.
We’d been circling and sparring in the ring, but now we were taking a break. I’d sat at the edge of it, dangling my legs and leaning back against the ropes. I could almost see myself in my mind’s eye, a scrawny eleven-year-old with thick blond braids falling over her shoulders and a ratty pink tank top, while mymom stood straight next to me, her dark hair pinned up, all in black like a badass super spy. I’d been so in awe of her.
Do you ever get scared?I’d asked my mom, already thinking I knew the answer.
Sure,Marina said without missing a beat, and I’d gasped in absolute shock. It didn’t seem possible thatshegot scared. At that, my mom had chuckled and laughed, then swung around to face me, holding on to the rope above my head and looking down into my eyes.But not of the other guys. Because even though there are scary people out there who are dangerous, the scariest thing—the thing that will trip you up, Lia—is you.
Huh?I’d asked.Me?
