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I take slow breaths as masked men enter the cage and escort the men. Then five men enter, five tough and violent men. Even if I had use of my hands, I don’t think I could take them. I don’t think anybody could, honestly, not in a cage. Maybe if I had space to dance around and evade them, but I don’t. Fuck. What now?
CHAPTERTWENTY-SEVEN
Molly
Do something, a voice in my head screams as five men enter the cage.
It’s insane that Duke could stand off against all those other men. It was like watching a crazy dance of violence, Duke leaping between techniques I didn’t understand. It was like visual poetry, but now they’ll get him. Five against one, hands behind his back. There isn’t a person alive who could handle this.
My insides ache, tightening as if my womb is telling me I have to act now. If I don’t, we’re not going to share a future. The fact that Ryan is my ex seems so insignificant now, so petty. We could all die here. Who cares aboutthat?Maybe if we escape here alive, we’ll have time to worry about it, but not now.
Three of the men charge at Duke. He kicks one. Another leaps on his leg. Another jumps right at his body. Duke misses a headbutt, and then they drag him to the floor. One runs right at his head as if getting ready to kick him.
“D-Dad,” Ryan whimpers. “No, Dad!”
I close my eyes for a split second, summoning my courage. If I die here, so be it. That’s the only way I will be able to do this. I have to accept that it could be the end. Itcouldbe, probablywillbe, but it’s better than just waiting for them to finish him.
Turning suddenly, I leap at the guard behind me. He yells in shock. Moving fast, I grab his hand. Luckily, it’s the one holding the gun. I can tell by how he pulls it up, trying to aim it at me. Leaning down, I bite down on his hand. I bite hard. I chew andtear, pulling away, hating every second—the taste of his sweat, the fact I’m doing this.
He drops the gun. Leaping to the ground, I grab it and fire it into the air twice—bang, bang. The shots ring through my ears, my vision blinding with the flare. It lights up the surrounding darkness momentarily, revealing around ten men. Already, they’re moving toward us.
I can hear Ryan wrestling with another man. I run toward the darkness, gun in hand, no clue what’s happening in the cage or if our backup heard anything. Running like a trapped rodent, I end up in a corridor, aiming the gun in my hand at the entrance.
More gunshots come from deeper into the warehouse. I fight the urge to close my eyes and pretend this isn’t happening, just like I did so many times as a kid. If I’m going to be helpful, I have to behere, present, ready to fight, and prepared to die.
Suddenly, a man appears at the head of the corridor. He’s got a gun in his hand. He aims at me and fires. The bullet hits the wall so close to my head that I feel plasterboard and brick spray against the back of my neck. Instinct drives me to the floor. It’s a stupid thing to do. I regret it right away.
“Stupid slut,” the man grunts, taking two steps forward, aiming the gun right at me. This is it, then. This is where all the angst and uncertainty end. I wish I could turn back time, make every moment with Duke last, letting go of the guilt, the shame, any of it.
I close my eyes, knowing one thing for sure. I love Duke. I don’t care about the timeframe or the complications. I love him. I’ll always love him. If there’s a place after this, heaven or anywhere else, I will wait for him there, and if there isn’t, I’ll die knowing the truth. We belong to each other. We always will.
A gunshot goes off.
CHAPTERTWENTY-EIGHT
Duke
The second the bullets start flying, I leap out of the cage. It must be the highest I’ve ever jumped over in my life. Without my hands to pull me up, I somehow hook my leg over and jump down into the darkness. Adrenaline, desire for the future, and protective instinct for my woman all drive me on.
Then I run, looking for my son and Molly, but there’s too much mayhem, people firing shots all over the damn place. I see flashes of violent men with each gunshot, but I can’t see my son or my woman. Are they dead? Fucking hell, then I’d just let these bastards shoot me right here. Without Molly, I’ve got nothing to live for.
Now, I’m pinning a man against the wall with the bulk of my body. He hammers my gut with his fist, trying to aim his pistol at me. He can’t because my knee is pushed against his forearm, trapping it. Sooner or later, somebody’s going to…
A loudbanggoes off, then another, sounding different from a gunshot. A grenade? This is getting surreal. My vision suddenly explodes with blistering white light, my equilibrium thrown off as I attempt to recenter myself. I hear more gunshots, quicker this time, maybe automatic weapons.
One of the warehouse doors is open. Two men are running in with rifles, shooting into the dark. Holy shit. It’s Ethan and Jeff, but where are Molly and my son?
The man I had pinned against the wall groans. I quickly reapply the pressure, kneeing him in the gut repeatedly. I keep roaring with each strike, knowing my woman and son could be dead. I take out the pain on this piece of shit. I hear his ribs crack. Finally, he slumps to the floor.
“Molly?”I roar, kicking his gun away.“Ryan? Molly?”
CHAPTERTWENTY-NINE
Molly
I still can’t believe Ryan did it. He shot my attacker. When the gunshot went off, I was sure it was the end. I was sure I would never see my mom, my friends, or my man again. Then I opened my eyes to find Ryan walking down the hallway under the flickering light, blood streaking his clothes and face, his eyes pits of terror.
Now, we’re hiding at the end of the hallway. There’s no way out from back here. It’s an office with the windows bricked up. Ryan is on one knee, aiming his gun at the door. I kneel beside him, holding the gun the man Ryan killed dropped. The corpse is blocking the doorway.
