Kelan slipped his knife from the sheath at his waist and sent it flying across the room. It caught in King’s cape, but Kelan couldn’t do more than that because Fiona’s assailant had regained his footing and was coming at him.
Kelan blocked a right hook, then a left hook. He twisted his arms around the guy’s arms and yanked him in for a headbutt. He stumbled back, dazed. Part of Kelan wanted to draw out the fight, break every bone in his body. Twice. But he noticed other guards coming into the rotunda, and knew he couldn’t risk the danger to Fiona. When he came forward again, Kelan kicked his knee out, then swung his MP5 forward and put a bullet in his heart.
He turned to face the guards, but realized he wasn’t the only one fighting anymore. Kit, Angel, and Selena had taken care of the six that had rushed into the room after the alarm. Kelan looked through the arches to the entranceway to make sure no more were coming.
There weren’t any at the moment.
The noise ringing in his head settled down to silence. He looked at Kit, then wiped the sweat from his face as he glanced around the room. Angel and Selena were clearing the space. Kelan turned his attention to Fiona. Her eyes were open and staring at the ceiling. He forced himself to smile at her as he checked her pulse, even though she probably couldn’t see him. He could feel the faint beat of her heart against the tips of his fingers.
“I got you, Mahasani. You’re safe now. We’re all safe. The team’s here. I don’t know what they did to you, but we’ll get it sorted out at the hospital.” He eased his hands over her face, lowered her eyelids, then wrapped her up in the thick velvet robe and lifted her off the altar.
“Kit,” Kelan said, thrusting his chin toward the big throne that King or someone representing him had sat in. “See if my knife nicked whoever was sitting there. It might have been King.”
Kit nodded, then looked at Fiona. Kelan knew what he was thinking; that King had been in the room as a witness to his own daughter’s rape. What a sick bunch of bastards these were. Even after what happened to Blade and to Hope, Kelan was shocked by their depravity.
Kelan carried Fiona out of the rotunda to the entrance he and Rocco had come through. Selena and Angel came back. “It’s clear. Everyone’s gone,” Selena said as Angel went to move the dead woman away from the wall panel.
“Where’s Rocco?” Kit asked.
“He went with Jafaar out of here,” Kelan told him.
“Jafaar was in here while this was happening?”
“Yeah,” Selena said. “He was a ‘witness,’ whatever that is. Rocco and I were left upstairs with the other guests.” She brushed a bit of Fiona’s hair from her face. “She gonna be okay?”
Kelan nodded. “They drugged her, but she’s breathing. I don’t know if she’s been raped. I only saw one guy with her, and I think I terminated him in time.”
Angel pulled the lever that opened the wall panel from this side. They went up the stairs, Angel taking point, Kit and Selena covering the rear. At the main level with the ballroom, it was a madhouse. Armed FBI agents were directing people out of the event center via stairs that went up to the ground level.
When they got outside, the field was swarming with people. Tents were being set up to process everyone and to collect evidence. Floodlights had already been deployed, brightening the field like daylight. Order was swiftly banishing chaos.
Several police vans, cars, and canine units were spread around the garage, with cops setting up a perimeter. People were shouting, crying, claiming diplomatic immunity.
Kit led Kelan over to an ambulance. The medics brought a gurney over. He gently settled Fiona on it. The medic opened Fiona’s red cape, revealing her naked body. He sent Kelan a narrow-eyed look. The other medic quickly pulled a blanket over her. They lifted her into the back of the ambulance and began working on her.
Kelan felt tears on his face as he looked at his woman being tended to by the EMTs. It shouldn’t have come to this. He should have been able to take better care of her. His negligence had let this happen.
Kit put a hand on his shoulder. It was good he didn’t start peppering him with questions. He was out of words.
“Angel—go find a store that’s still open and buy a pair of sweats for Fiona to wear home. Then clear out our motel room and meet us at the hospital. I’ll text you which one we’re going to.”
“On it.” Angel jogged off toward their SUVs.
“I want you to go back and see if you can find any trace of King or Rocco,” Kit ordered Val, Blade, and Selena. They took off for the garage and the stairs down to King’s opulent hideaway.
One of the medics jumped out and came over to them. “You know what she’s on? Did she OD?”
Kelan shook his head. “She was drugged, but with what, I don’t know. Is she going to be okay?”
“Yeah. We’ll get her to the hospital, get her detoxed.” He started to close the doors to the ambulance.
“Whoa, whoa, whoa.” Kelan pulled him away from the door. “What are you doing?”
“Taking her to the hospital.”
“I’m going with her.”
“Follow in your own vehicle.” He told Kelan which hospital they were going to.
“No. I’m not leaving her side.”
“Kelan—” Kit tried to pull him back.
He faced his team lead, and said between clenched teeth, “I don’t know these guys. They could be working for King. I’m not fucking leaving her side. If I have to drive her to the hospital myself, I will.”
Kit sighed. He said something to the EMT. The other EMT got out of the back, vacating his spot so Kelan could go with Fiona.
The first medic faced Kelan. “You need to disarm yourself before you get in my ambulance.”
Kelan didn’t fight that order. He handed Kit the weapons he’d collected during the night. He felt a bit like Val handing over his MP5, three pistols, several knives, and all his mags and zip ties.
“I’ll meet you at the hospital,” Kit told him.