There was only the slightest movement of his eyes before he replied. “It’s none of your business, Murdoch. Just produce her or I’ll kill everyone you love.”
That one expression made him wonder. His eyes had rolled back just slightly as though the question was too disgusting to answer. He would have expected his eyes to flare or soften at the thought of his lover.
Only one way to find out. “I think I’ll keep her for myself. She likes to talk during sex. I think if I just fuck her a couple more times, I’ll probably figure out everything I need to know.”
“You raped her?” Ten’s face had gone a mottled red.
Again, that response didn’t feel like it was coming from a man who was pissed someone had taken what was his. More like a man who had something to protect, some responsibility he had to perform. And why would he go straight to rape? Jesse decided to push it a little further. He really wanted to see if the man would break. If he could get Ten to break, they would have the advantage again—and the danger would be off Sean, who had a kid and had left the business and should never have to deal with having a gun at his head again. “I didn’t have to, man. She begged me for it.”
“Are you kidding me?” Tag asked, looking at him like he was the dumbest of all asses.
But Ten dropped everything and charged.
Well, that answered one question. This was very personal for Tennessee Smith, and he was about to get his ass kicked. He prayed he could hold onto his sanity long enough to fight back.
Phoebe heard the lock open with a satisfying snick. So her skills weren’t as rusty as she’d thought. She’d made the torque wrench and pick out of office supplies from Erin’s very sparse desk. The whole office looked like no one was home. There were no pictures, no little knickknacks. Erin Argent’s desktop was empty with the exception of a computer monitor and a charging station for her cell phone. Inside the desk wasn’t better. Phoebe had found gun oil and some cloths and a few office supplies, like the unopened box of paper clips that had become Phoebe’s lock picking set. Other than that, it looked like Erin lived like a Spartan.
She got the door open just as a loud bang shook through the walls. She shrank back for a second before the acrid smell hit her nostrils.
Flashbang. Shit. She was going to kill her brother. That was so much damn overkill. She was just about to run toward the lobby when she heard a cry.
Oh, god. The babies. The babies were here and Phoebe had no idea what Ten had told his men to do. Fear gripped her. She knew her brother wouldn’t ever take an innocent life but bad shit happened in the middle of battle. The idea that any of those precious babies could be lost made her sick, forced her feet to run toward that sound. She ran past the kitchen, catching the barest glimpse of Sean Taggart there. If he was worried, it didn’t show. His head was down and he was cutting something in that quick manner chefs used.
Another cry pulled Phoebe away. It was a high-pitched little baby wail. She started to turn the corner when she heard a man talking. British accent. Simon Weston.
“I’m moving. You don’t have to get rough. Just leave the children alone,” Weston was saying in a perfectly reasonable voice.
Phoebe glanced around the corner just in time to see Charlotte Taggart start after the big guy who had Weston.
Phoebe slipped down the hall and into the room they had just come from. Avery, Grace, and Serena were huddled in the back corner with the children while Eve leveled a gun at Phoebe’s head.
Phoebe could have had it out of her hands in about two point three seconds, but she wasn’t here to fight. “Is everyone all right? Please tell me they didn’t hurt the babies.”
Eve stared for a moment and then lowered the gun. “We’re fine. I don’t know where the others are. Charlotte is following Simon. I couldn’t stop her. If anything happens to her…”
“It’s my fault. I know. Just barricade the door. They don’t want to hurt anyone. They just want to get me and go.”
“Then you should really go,” Eve replied with icy eyes.
Tears formed as she realized this was her good-bye. Coldness from a woman she’d come to trust, but Phoebe was smart enough to know that a person rarely got a second chance. The old Phoebe—the one before Jamie and Ten, the one before Jesse—would have flipped her the bird and told her to fuck off. It was best to hide pain behind pure disrespect. But this Phoebe was still so raw.
She simply nodded and looked at the women she’d belonged with for such a brief time. She’d never had female friends before. They’d become quite precious to her. “Take care of those babies. And Eve, I know you’re scared, but you’re going to be such a good mom. That baby boy…he’s so lucky.”
She started to leave but then felt a hand on her elbow. When she turned, Eve pulled her in for a hug.