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The call cut off and the sound of motorcycles continued. She wasn’t an expert on sound, but it seemed like they couldn’t really be that close. Forgetting the fact that he shouldn’t be anywhere close by, what did he think he could do against more than ten armed men?
A quick peek over the edge of the spire was enough to see that one of the three men who’d been on the roof had climbed about a quarter of the way up the tower. The man had his feet on an outcropping and was gripping onto a decorative element with all of his strength while he looked around and searched for another place to grab on.
Jade shook her head and pulled back before any of them started shooting. She had a bit of time before the guy realized he had to come up from a different side to get better handholds, or attempt the jump over to the next place with a viable handhold. If he did jump and wasn’t used to the slippery texture of stone, he was as likely to fall as to stick to the landing.
It wasn’t a nice thought, but she really hoped he would slip. Her talk with Hannibal and Ink had settled something inside her. Letting them know how she felt freed her in a way she hadn’t expected. That they’d accepted her words and were even going to attempt to help her created a sense of peace in her soul.
Not that she was ready to die. Far from it. But if she did, it was nice to know that she wouldn’t have left things unbalanced between them. Could they love her the way she loved them? The declaration they were coming, even if they wouldn’t arrive in time, gave her hope.
Jade clenched her fists and punched down on the stone floor. The space around the spire she was curled up in wasn’t big enough for a fully grown man. She tried to picture what would happen once one of them got up here. With time and the calm her men had gifted her, it was easier to think.
She heard a grunt and scrambling of footwear not designed for climbing against rock. She looked down and saw that the man had made the jump over to the window and was hanging from its ledge. If he pulled himself up, it wouldn’t be long before he was at the edge of her hiding place.
She pulled her head back at the sound of a gunshot. The rumble of motorcycles seemed to be getting closer. The sound was so loud. Was all that noise from only two bikes? Was she crazy to pretend it was her men coming to get her? Maybe it was a cosmic coincidence that she heard a group of bikers at the same time Hannibal and Ink were racing the thirty minutes from their Clubhouse to reach her.
She needed to focus. In order for the man to get up to her hiding spot. He was going to have to grip the edge and pull himself up. There was no way he would have a weapon in his hand. At least not at first. She bit her lip.
When he first got a grip, or even as he was pulling himself up, he would be completely vulnerable. She could push him off. It was a horrible thing to do, but there was no pleasant way to stop him. The fall from this height guaranteed, if not death, then a paralyzing injury. Could she do that to another human being?
Would she be able to live if she caused someone’s death? She didn’t think so. If she pushed him toward the main building, then he might only fall as far as the roof below. That was a little over a two-story fall and he might survive. No, she wouldn’t lie to herself. If she made him fall, she would have to live with the consequences, regardless of intent.
These men had killed Eric. Not that her friend had been a good man anymore, but despite all of his flaws, he hadn’t deserved to die. The man climbing up to her would probably be one of the ones who Petrov would have sent to hurt her staff or students. Men like that wouldn’t hesitate to kill her. So why was she hesitating about killing them?
Time had run out. Large hands gripped the edge of the stone, and she only had a few seconds to decide. Terror caused her limbs to shake. She didn’t want to die. Jade brought her hands up and slammed them down onto his fingers as he levered himself upwards. His scream of pain slid into one of terror. The sight of him falling down backwards, slamming into the tilted roof, froze her in place. He tumbled off the side of the building, his body limp before he even hit the ground. His friends scrambled, as if they were going to try to catch him. But there was nothing they could do.
She watched in fascinated horror as he impacted the ground in the side yard of the cathedral. His body splayed in such a way that there was no question he was dead. She’d killed him. Horror and disgust swirled in her stomach.
She fought back nausea, thankful she hadn’t eaten anything all day.Murderer, her mind shrieked. It might have been self-defense, but that was what she was. Right up until the moment she acted, she hadn’t believed she would do it. Her survival instinct had overridden logic and compassion.
Her muscles trembled as she remembered how her body moved without thought or conscience. The roar of motorcycles echoed around her in a wave of noise that must be a result of the surrounding buildings. It was like she was standing in the middle of them. She took a chance and moved to the other side of the spire and looked down Colfax Ave.
It was like something straight out of a movie. Motorcycles lined up in rows, their headlights illuminating the entire street in front of them as they crept down the street towards her. There had to be at least twenty-five of them. Had Hannibal and Ink brought all of their Brothers?
How the hell had they gotten here so fast? Only ten minutes had passed since she’d hung up from the call with them. Their compound was a good thirty-five or more minutes away.
Jade looked back towards the two Russian men who had her penned up on the roof. They were looking down at the street as well, guns drawn. She didn’t know any of the Brothers, well enough to recognize them at a distance with only headlights and streetlights to make their features visible.
Nowhere in the group of bikers did she see Hannibal’s gorgeous dark skin, or large bulk. She thought she recognized Ink in the front line of bikes, but she wasn’t sure. Movement near the back of the roof caught her attention, and she wrapped her hand over her mouth to hold back the shout of joy.
Three men crouched, sneaking across the roof. She recognized at least two of them. Hannibal, and the tall, muscular Native American looking brother named Dragon. The third man, she’d seen around but hadn’t really met, but he moved with the same deadly grace as the other two. The two Russians were so busy looking at the commotion down below, they didn’t notice until too late that they weren’t alone.
Jade watched as Hannibal and Dragon slipped up behind the two men with knives. These men didn’t have any of her hesitation, and in a motion she could only guess was slitting their throats, the Dark Sons pulled the Russians backwards.
They carefully draped the limp bodies across the roof and away from the sight of the people below. Not willing to wait another minute longer. Jade scrambled down the tower, only slowing enough to be careful not to fall. She was about to make the last jump down when powerful arms plucked her off the wall.
She was in Hannibal’s embrace, where she belonged. It should have bothered her that he’d killed someone so brutally, but it didn’t. Hell, she was a killer, too. Instead, all she could think of was how wonderful it was to be safe in his arms. She never wanted to let go.
Hannibal’s hands wrapped into her hair and pulled her in for a kiss. She lost herself in the heat, passion, and joy that being alive gave her. She loved the taste of him and never wanted this moment to end.
“I hate to break up this party. But we’ve got to get out of here before they realize their men are down.” Hannibal pulled away and looked at the man whom she’d never met.
She could just make out in the dim light that the leather vest he wore had a patch with the name Highdive on it. “Of course, I’m sorry.” She unwrapped her legs and Hannibal lowered her to the roof. Something oddly bulky under his shirt kept her from feeling all the wonderful muscles underneath. She shook her head and tried to focus. “What about Ink? Is he going to be safe down there?”
Hannibal chuckled. “Yeah, he’s helping Hawk deliver a message to Petrov.” He took her by the shoulders and looked straight into her eyes. “You need to understand, little Jewel, that this is going to mean war between our two groups. And there’s a whole lot you’re going to have to come up to speed on really fast, if you’re going to stay with us.”
Fifteen minutes ago, she didn’t think she was going to survive the night, and that she’d lost everything. Instead, she’d been rescued. And by all appearances, Hannibal had forgiven her. She didn’t care what obstacles were in their way, hell that was her specialty. She would find a way around, over, or through them, if it meant being with those two men. She gave Hannibal a smile. “As long as I have you guys, that’s all that matters.”
Chapter 31
