Safe at Last (Slow Burn #3)

There. There it was. The softest whisper of breath on Anna-Grace’s neck. She sagged in relief and both women collapsed onto the floor. A low moan escaped Eliza’s lips and then her eyelids fluttered weakly, but she clearly lacked the strength to open them fully and keep them that way.

“You’re okay now,” Anna-Grace whispered. “We’re here to get you out. They’ll pay for what they did to you. And me. And Ari. They won’t hurt anyone ever again.”

Anna-Grace knew she could very well not be stating truth. She didn’t know what brand of justice DSS adhered to when it was personal. If simply turned over to the police and the justice system, they could end up going free.

The savage thought crossed her mind that she hoped they’d just kill them all. And then she was shocked to her bones that such a thought had crossed her mind. Yet she still didn’t recant. They didn’t deserve to live. Evil needed to die.

So absorbed in Eliza’s well-being, Anna-Grace never saw it coming. But one moment Eliza was in her arms, cradled protectively, and the next Anna-Grace was painfully wrenched away, a strong arm wrapped around her neck. His strength was bruising and she struggled to breathe. He yanked her upward and backed toward the corner so there was no threat to him from behind.

Anna-Grace glanced frantically over the room, confused by how one of the men had gotten free of Ari’s hold. But when her gaze settled on Ari, she understood. Ari had collapsed under the enormous strain of maintaining the barrier around Eliza and the captors pinned to the wall. All but the man with a choke hold on Anna-Grace were subdued.

Everyone froze and time stood still as the DSS agents stared warily at the man holding Anna-Grace. Beau hovered protectively over Ari even as his gaze was directed outward to detect any threat to his wife.

It didn’t escape Anna-Grace that the man crushing her against him had her positioned so that no one could safely make a kill shot without risking shooting her in the process. He’d lifted her so that only the tips of her toes touched the floor and his head was behind hers.

“If anyone moves, she dies,” the man growled.

It was then she registered the cool metal of a knife between his forearm and her chin. The edge was against her throat, so close that blood seeped from the shallow wound inflicted by the blade.

And his thoughts were broadcast in her mind as if he spoke them aloud. He would absolutely kill her. If he died, he was taking her with him. In fact, he considered his death inevitable. He didn’t truly believe he’d escape unscathed. His resolve to exact a small measure of vengeance before he drew his last breath was as clear as a beacon.

Terror paralyzed her. She was so scared that she didn’t even feel the nick of the blade. She was numb because she didn’t see a way out of this. The others couldn’t make a move or he’d slice through her neck. And Ari was out of commission, so she couldn’t wield her deadly powers on this man.

“Give us the woman and you go free,” Dane said, his features stony, eyes sparking with rage. “All we want are the two women. Let her go and you walk.”

Her captor barked out a harsh laugh. “Do you think I’m stupid? She’s my only insurance. If I let her go, I die. That’s not going to happen. What is going to happen is that she and I are slowly going to leave. No one is to follow us. If even one of you takes so much as a step, she’s dead. When I get to my vehicle, I’ll let her go.”

But Anna-Grace could clearly read his thoughts. He had no intention of letting her go. If he actually succeeded in getting to his vehicle—and doubt was still strong in him—he planned to slice her throat when they got to his car and then he would escape.

She sent panicked looks in the others’ direction, silently pleading with them not to believe him. Not to let him take her. If they did, she was dead. God, she was dead no matter what because either way, whichever of the two possibilities prevailed, freedom or death, she wouldn’t live. She closed her eyes in despair and suddenly wished with all her heart that she could have seen Zack one more time. That she’d given him more of a chance to explain—to defend—his part in her rape.

She opened her eyes again, but the room was blurred by the sheen of tears welling in her vision.

Wade gave a nearly imperceptible nod as if to say he understood. The others didn’t look as though they believed the lie, even without her trying to convey his intentions.

Everyone was frozen in place. It was as if they were all holding their breaths. Anna-Grace didn’t dare breathe too deeply. If she did, the blade would slide deeper into her flesh. And then she began to shake.

She squeezed her eyes shut and tried to rein in her utter terror. She couldn’t lose it now. One wrong move and she’d end up killing herself with no help from the asshole holding the knife against her throat.

“Just take it easy and let up on the knife a bit there,” Dane said in a controlled tone.