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I decide to take the one on the left, sticking to the shadows and walking as quietly as I can. I think of Cain and I try to be like him even as I ask for his guidance.
Please help me. Please…
Suddenly, as I round a corner, I feel a hand go over my mouth. An arm pulls me into the shadows.
Shit.
As I struggle to free myself, a voice whispers in my ear.
“It’s alright, Allie.”
I stiffen. I know that voice.
As soon as I’m free, I turn my head. My heart stops. My eyes grow wide as I gaze at the man in front of me.
“Cain?”
Chapter Eighteen
Cain
I hold a finger to my lips as Allie stares at me in surprise. I knew she’d be thrilled to see me, but surprised? I don’t think I’ve ever seen her blue eyes this wide.
She gives me a wide smile, too. Then she pushes my hand away and gives me a quick, firm kiss before falling into my arms.
“I thought I’d never see you again,” she whispers as she holds me tight.
“Me, too,” I confess.
My mind kept playing the worst tricks on me, nearly driving me mad with fear. I’ve never been so afraid in my life.
“Are you alright?” I ask.
“Yeah.”
I pull away so I can take a closer look at Allie. She seems fine, but I frown when I see the fresh bruise on her cheek. I touch it and she places her hand over mine.
“I’m fine, Cain,” she tells me. “Especially now that I know you’re alive.”
I give her a puzzled look. “You thought I was dead?”
Allie nods. “Gil said so.”
“Gil?”
“He said he killed you last night.”
So his name is Gil, is it?
“He nearly did,” I tell her. “I cracked a rib trying to escape the trap he set for me, but Taylor patched me up.”
Her eyebrows arch. “Taylor?”
I nod. “He’s also the one who found out you were here. You should thank him when this is over.”
And maybe they can have a proper talk.
“I will,” Allie promises me. “There will be a lot to talk about when this is over, but for now, we should do something about Sergio. Now that you’re here, we should take him down. And Gil, too.”
“I’m not the only one who’s here.”
I glance behind my shoulder at the other men standing in the shadows – SWAT, ex-Marines that Grae pulled out of retirement, and a grinning FBI agent.
“You guys done?”
“Kip?” Allie goes to him. “What are you doing here?”
“Rescuing you, of course,” he answers. “And bringing the big guns. We weren’t going to let you do all the work this time.”
Allie grins as well. Then she looks at me. “But I thought Grae was keeping the FBI out.”
“Grae is pretending to,” I tell her. “He’s working with us, too. He isn’t far from here.”
“He’s nearby?”
“He wanted to come, but your boss told him to stay put just in case Sergio called him again.”
Allie nods. “Okay.”
“Are you ready?” Kip asks her.
He hands her a gun and she cocks it. “Let’s finish this.”
Pride swells in my chest. There’s my girl.
We continue moving down the hall until it splits into two at the top of the grand staircase. We know that Sergio Bianchi is in a room at the end of the right branch.
We’re about to go there, but then a door opens in the left corridor. I hold my breath as I recognize the man.
The Ghost. Gil.
He disappears into another room. The team starts to move to Sergio’s location. I stay in the rear and keep glancing back.
Now that I’ve found Gil, a part of me wants to run over to that room to exact my vengeance and put an end to the fight we started long ago. I can’t just leave Allie, though. What if things go wrong with Sergio Bianchi and she gets hurt?
“Go,” Allie whispers as she touches my arm.
She glances at the other corridor.
“No,” I tell her. “I can’t leave you. I just found you.”
“Yes, you found me.” Allie cups my face. “And now I’m safe. I’m with all these men. You trust them, don’t you? That’s why you brought them with you?”
I guess. Well, it wasn’t my decision to bring them with me, but I am glad they’re here, even if it’s just to help keep Allie safe. I was a little worried that they’d be a liability, but so far, they’ve been doing everything right.
“Besides, I can take care of myself,” Allie tells me. “And I have a score to settle with Sergio Bianchi. You have a score to settle with Gil, don’t you?”
I can’t deny that.
She kisses my forehead. “Go.”
Allie lets go of my face and walks away. I lock eyes with Kip, letting him know I’m placing Allie in his care. He gives me a nod. I run over to the other corridor.
